Chic Crisps Are Trending This Christmas

Are you Team Tayto, Keogh’s, O’Donnell’s or even Pringles? Regardless of your guilty pleasure (once you pop, you can’t stop!), the latest trend is that crisps are officially chic …

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Sales soared during the pandemic, along with bread, masks and toilet paper. Most of us grew up on cheese and onion crisp sandwiches, while Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth prefers a salt and vinegar crisp option. Nigella Lawson says she keeps a “crisp cauldron” of Hula Hoops, Monster Munch and Frizzles on hand for snacking, and at many fine dining restaurants the humble crisp is now a regular on menus.

Served with mussels, paired with lobster or sprinkled over eggs – they were even used to garnish an omelette in hit foodie show The Bear – crisps are no longer confined to snack bowls as they are perfect for adding texture to dishes.

Tom Booton, Executive Chef at The Grill in The Dorchester, recommends adding some smashed up prawn cocktail crisps to the top of a fish pie for a bit of bite. Chef Elliott Grover, from The Cut in London, serves what he calls a “cheats canapé” if he’s pressed for time at home, using ready salted crisps served with whipped trout, creme fraiche and cream cheese, with a little trout roe and dill. That’s a definite glow-up from the usual “chips and dips” we know and love, especially at this time of year. Or why not try a special toastie, created by Head Chef Matt Brown of Dublin’s Hawksmoor restaurant, with Bread 41 sourdough, ham hock, red and white Irish cheddar, Gubbeen from Cork and a little mozzarella, cornichons, jalapeños and scallion mayo, served alongside Tayto crisps.

I admit to being Team Tayto for nostalgia purposes, though I favour O’Donnell’s for al desko lunches, but it’s hard to deny that crisps have transcended food into lifestyle trends. The latest wedding trend is having a “crisp wall” where packets are pinned to a board for guests to try, while florists are also adding crisp bouquets as an alternative to red roses!

In the fashion world, Anya Hindmarch’s crisp mould bag is iconic and can be found in the V&A Museum’s permanent collection. “It’s about taking the everyday and making it extraordinary,” she said. She told us she even has a huge sign on the wall of her office in an old brewery in Battersea in London, saying; “Creativity will eat strategy for breakfast”, made from cereal boxes, a good adage!

SEE MORE: What’s On Accessories Designer Anya Hindmarch’s Desk?

Balenciaga followed her lead with his Chips Bag (above), available in three colours and flavours (Spicy Chile, Salt and Vinegar, Cheese & Onion), which has been a sell-out since launching earlier this year.

The crisp lovers in your life will thank you for these ideas later …