Posh crisps: an 'elite' tier of snacking

From black truffle to sparkling wine flavour, fancy crisps are having a moment

(Image credit: Alamy / Panther Media GmbH)

published 2 June 2025

"When it comes to crisps, British appetites have traditionally been sated by a packet of Frazzles or a bag of Skips", said Chloe Mac Donnell in The Guardian. But no more, we are fast approaching the "summer of the posh crisp".

From black truffle to smoked pheasant and sparkling wine, fancy crisp flavours are appearing on supermarket shelves up and down the country. Gourmet snack company Torres makes what is expected to be the next "viral hit": a fried egg flavour potato crisp that mimics the classic Spanish tortilla.

At home, "traditional blinis are out"; instead hosts are crafting inventive "crisp canapés" spooning caviar onto Bonilla's sea salt crisps that cost up to £27 a tin. Elsewhere, "hipster-filled bars" are serving organic wines alongside bowls of the elevated potato snack, and Toklas in central London has swapped bread for crisps as the accompaniment for its mussels escabeche dish. The restaurant's head chef, Chris Shaw, told the newspaper he is tapping into the British "love affair" with crisps.

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These "elite" potato snacks are typically hand-cooked before being "dusted in decadent flavouring", said Abha Shah in London's The Standard. Howdah's Indian-style crisp ribbons are made from ancient grains and "smothered in a mix of spices" including cumin, chilli and dried mango powder, for an "addictive" snack. "Best to open when you've got company over for your own safety." And Manomasa's Serrano chilli and Yucatan honey corn chips are "so full of flavour" you won't need salsa.

Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.