It's no secret that I am a big fan of snacking. Back to the days when I worked on a busy news desk and didn't have much time to eat proper meals, through the years raising babies and toddlers when energy levels were constantly low to now when snacking gets me through hours of research and writing I do for this website and others. (AD)
And before you ask, I am actually trimmer and slimmer than I have been in decades since I gave up obsessively calorie counting and crash dieting and now allow myself everything in moderation.
For a while my relationship with food was not a healthy one but when I had children I knew I had to do my best to avoid burdening them with my own issues. Consequently we all love food but thanks to our rule of everything in moderation, three meals a day plus snacks has not resulted in us becoming a houseful of people who look like the morbidly obese cast of WALL-E.
Keeping me happy as I worked this morning was a tasty bag of sea salt and vinegar hand cooked crisps from The British Crisp Co. (GIFTED)
Just the packaging alone cheers me as this flavour features a jolly vintage-esque seaside scene. Each flavour has a different design.
Hand cooked in the UK using British potatoes, crisps from The British Crisp Co are made on a farm that not only grows the potatoes but is powered by renewable energy.
They are vegan and gluten free and once you open the reassuringly sturdy bag the crisps do not disappoint with a good crunch and a flavour which doesn't taste at all synthetic. Not overpowering nor conversely bland, this is nigh on the perfect crisp and there is just the right amount in a bag (40g) for a good snack sesh.
Not a fan of salt and vinegar? There are plenty of other flavours to choose from including sea salt (what we used to call "plain"), cheese and onion and a personal fave of mine, sea salt and black pepper.
There's also a very tasty sweet chilli flavour. I base my review on the one crisp my 15 year old son allowed me to taste before stashing all of the bags of that flavour for his own personal use.
The best news of all is you can order all this crunchy loveliness from the comfort of your own home, either from AMAZON or direct from the supplier's own store.
Now canny snackers have been aware for a while of the fabulousness of popcorn for almost sinless snacking.
My own popcorn is probably not the best for those looking to avoid a fat/sugar/calorie overload as I usually end up smothering it in sugar and actual lumps of butter. Delicious but deadly.
Thankfully The British Popcorn Co provides all of the taste in a far healthier form - think well under 100 calories per serving with each 30g bag officially containing two servings. You can stuff a lot of popcorn in a 30g bag as it's so lightweight so these are perfect for lockdown movie nights with your family.
Choose from flavours like sour cream and black pepper, sweet and salty and my new favourite, caramel and espresso. All hand popped in the UK and again, vegan and gluten free.
The popcorn is also available to order online from AMAZON and from The British Popcorn Co's online store.
Why not order a selection of crisps and/or popcorn for yourself and send some to a friend or family member you are missing - you could hold a Zoom quiz night or just catch up over some snacks and your favourite tipple.
I've been enjoying them alongside a G&T in the garden during this beautiful spell of weather. They would be great for a Government sanctioned picnic in the park too!