Pimp my chips & dips: party-ready snacking

You know it’s going to be a good day when the postman turns up with a big old box of Slabs crisps, Valentina Bruschetta and Chovi Allioli from the lovely lot at Great Food Affairs. Being the very generous little devils they are, they sent me way more snacks to me than even I can handle (yeah, I know) so I decided to to recruit some assistance…

If you work in an office like I do, you’ll know what it’s like when you take literally anything edible over the threshold. Suddenly you’ve got the part-time cleaner who only works 6am-8am popping her head through the door like Alexander the meerkat when you rock up at 9am with your fares. So basically, I knew I wouldn’t have any problem finding some taste-buds to give me their thoughts on these ‘thick & big’ Slabs potato crisps.

Here’s what they told me through their crunches:

Elliot: Refreshingly chunky compared to conventional big-brand crisps. The Salt & Malt Vinegar were probably my favourite flavour, closely followed by the Sweet Red Chilli. I’d definitely choose these chunky chips over a bag of walkers any day!

Lucy: An easy snack these are not but if you don’t mind a bit of mouth work and extra crunch then you’ll be in for a treat if you pick up a packet of Slabs. There’s none of that ‘half a bag’ nonsense that you get with some packets of crisps and the thickness of these bad boys mean you actually feel satisfied once you’ve polished off a packet, which should in theory stop you from eating multiple packets but these taste so good you still might not be able to resist another visit to the cupboard.

Jack: Good value for money, nice flavour (not too overpowering). Simple, bold packaging. Would buy again!

They aren’t the only ones either – I really enjoyed the Slabs crisps and the Cheese & Onion flavour in particular which were super cheesy, super onion-y and left you with the kind of stomach-based satisfaction that a certain aerated cheese puff snack would leave you lacking. The Sweet Red Chilli Slabs worked particularly well with the Chovi Salsa La Brava (creamy garlic dip with a hint of chilli). Definitely an anti-social crisp with it’s super thickness and copious crunch but much kinder to your arteries being cooked with olive oil ‘n’ all.

Chips and dips are the perfect party snack idea for when you don’t want your attention to be stolen by a hundred frozen canapes that all need putting in the oven and arranging neatly on a serving plate. When there’s fun to be had and gin to be drank, who the hell has got time to be messing about with bloody volovants?

If you want to give your guests something a little different to chomp the night away on, the Valentina Bruschetta are a good shout too. I tried out the Garlic & Parsley, Tomato & Oregano and the Fried Onion flavours and they really were finger lickin’ good. My favourite probably had to be the Garlic & Parsley but any of the tasty trio would be delicious spread with a generous layer of creamy garlic Aliolli for the perfect soiree snack.