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Post by Patrick on Oct 17, 2010 13:56:25 GMT
Fond memories of old crisps eh? If you Google the above phrase there are no end of reports assuming the same. The massive power of the "Pepsi Corporation" who have owned Walkers for a long while have slowly crushed the competition and popped their bags. Directly or indirectly.
Smiths were swallowed by Walkers and the old Smiths brands are being rolled out under the Walkers label.
Underneath all the corporate bullying there was smaller scale stuff. If you owned a shop that sold snacks and crisps - quite often the stands and display units they sold from could be provided by the manufacturers. Trouble is - they could then demand how much space was allocated for their products and how much for anyone elses. Of course, if you knew what sold in your shop you could simply hastily rearrange it all after the Rep left - but if your stock space was limited you may have no choice but to dump other brands.
So from these small acorns this is how Walkers probably created their stranglehold on the market. That of course and a bottomless pit when it came to advertising budgets. A great shame really. Because Golden Wonder were the producers of the first crisps in this country - along with Mr Smith. GW introduced Cheese and Onion flavour for the first time. Some 850 jobs were lost in the closure of their factory in 2006 when they finally gave up the battle.
I've often (Golden) Wondered where the Monopolies and Mergers commission was when all this happened? Sure, a few new brands of crisp have appeared over the years, but the power of Pepsico has devastated the market and left us with little choice - in the crisp world anyway.
So. Along with many a Global behemoth. Remember - Walkers are evil - and the Devil comes in the shape of Gary Lineker.
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Post by bonbonlarue on Oct 17, 2010 14:12:03 GMT
..but.....Golden Wonder and Smiths crisps were shit.
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Post by alanseago on Oct 17, 2010 14:18:14 GMT
No they were not. Old fashioned and guilty of having taste maybe but SmIThs crISps were it before the Murkans introduced 'Wet Dog Flavor'.
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Post by Weyland on Oct 17, 2010 15:05:21 GMT
No they were not. Old fashioned and guilty of having taste maybe but SmIThs crISps were it before the Murkans introduced 'Wet Dog Flavor'. You're right, Alan. (Though I'm sure I'd relish wet merkin flavour, if you catch my drift.) When I was a lad, and there were only potato-flavoured potato crisps, I'm sure they tasted better, and the texture was better as well. There were only two brands, at least in Newcastle: Smiths and McSomething; and there were both Smiths and McSomething factories locally. Maybe that's why they tasted better. It's annoying me that I can't remember McSomething's actual name, and I can't find it on the Web either. If anyone can put me out of my misery, please do, pullllleeeeeaaaase. |
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Post by everso on Oct 17, 2010 17:25:49 GMT
Weyland, three things. Firstly, no I can't remember a manufacturer of crisps by the name of Mc something or other. Sorry. However, I'll keep looking. Secondly, I don't honestly believe things tasted better in the 50s and 60s. I think it's our age and the demise of our taste buds and sense of smell, unfortunately. Sorry. Thirdly, have you seen this website? It's great! Just the job for us older folk.  whirligigtv.yuku.com/directoryand this www.whirligig-tv.co.uk/ |
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Post by aubrey on Oct 17, 2010 18:43:42 GMT
Walkers have the wrong colours. Everyone knows that blue is S&V, green C&O, red plain. But Walkers messed it up.
Also, they're not that good.
I used to get Sainsbury's plain crisps (12 pack) for my breakfast (tasty and nutritious). One time I ran out and had to get walkers. They were cold and greasy - yes, I know crisps are cold, but these seemed cold as well.
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Post by trubble on Oct 17, 2010 19:48:44 GMT
No they were not. Old fashioned and guilty of having taste maybe but SmIThs crISps were it before the Murkans introduced 'Wet Dog Flavor'. You're right, Alan. (Though I'm sure I'd relish wet merkin flavour, if you catch my drift.) When I was a lad, and there were only potato-flavoured potato crisps, I'm sure they tasted better, and the texture was better as well. There were only two brands, at least in Newcastle: Smiths and McSomething; and there were both Smiths and McSomething factories locally. Maybe that's why they tasted better. It's annoying me that I can't remember McSomething's actual name, and I can't find it on the Web either. If anyone can put me out of my misery, please do, pullllleeeeeaaaase. I have consulted the original Google (my mother). She isn't as fast (mind you, depends on my connection speed now I think about it) and she says that she only ever had one brand of crisps - Smiths with the twisty blue bag (I am quoting her verbatim) - but that she remembers hearing stories that there was another brand available. She named the brand, Wey. Admittedly with a sneered disclaimer of 'we never had them'. Is it.... McCoys? |
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Post by trubble on Oct 17, 2010 20:50:41 GMT
Patrick, dear Patrick, I feel your pain. When we first moved to Ireland I was lost without good British crisps. Also severely lacking were fruity polos, spangles, pacers and proper Smarties. We had to eat something called Beanos. In a square box not a round tube. Hard times. I'd rather not talk about it any further if you don't mind. My dad and grandpa travelled to England quite a lot and always brought back a huge carrier bag of contraband proper sweets and chocolate. I can still feel the excitement of the bag being emptied out upon the kitchen table like pirates returning to the ship with treasure. And trips to England were partly a joy because of the crisps. For years, Irish people would swear by the Irish crisps, Tayto. Tayto tasted horrible to me. Very oniony and salty. Emigrants writing home from Australia and America and England would beg for bags of Cheese and Onion to be shipped out immediately. There are areas of the country where the word ''crisps'' is virtually unknown because as Hoover is to vacuum cleaners, Tayto is to crisps. (When ordering a bag, one should pronounce it TAY-das.) Eating Tayto and being Irish are one and the same thing. Over the years, a weird thing has happened. Through decades of being forced by necessity to survive on Tayto, I have begun to like it. I even prefer it. I even long for a bag of Tayto. I think it's the heroin based flavouring they started using after MSG was banned. Won't you think of trying Tayto? They aren't cold and greasy like Walkers (good observation, Aubrey). They are warm and welcoming and actually - actually, Patrick! it was Tayto that invented the first Cheese and Onion - so really, you'd be coming home. Can I tempt you to the dark side? Once you go Irish you never go back. |
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Post by Patrick on Oct 17, 2010 22:10:46 GMT
Walkers have the wrong colours. Everyone knows that blue is S&V, green C&O, red plain. But Walkers messed it up. Also, they're not that good. I used to get Sainsbury's plain crisps (12 pack) for my breakfast (tasty and nutritious). One time I ran out and had to get walkers. They were cold and greasy - yes, I know crisps are cold, but these seemed cold as well. Sainsbury's (as far as I know) win the prize for inventing - or producing the most dreamy taste crisp. Years ago - late eighties they used to do a six pack in pink and green - it contained the most gorgeous and subtle flavoured "Cream Cheese and Chive" crisps I've ever tasted since. |
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Post by Patrick on Oct 17, 2010 22:24:10 GMT
According to the reports - Tayto are the ones that bought the Golden Wonder name - though Wotsits were sold to Walkers before the sale sadly. It remains to be seen whether they'll bring them back of course.
I have read - though not sure how up to date it is - that Ireland still has a bigger range of Club Biscuits than we do - and further research reveals that other biscuits have emigrated over there never to be seen again?
For some biscuits Ireland is rapidly becoming what Madagascar is to lemurs, the last place on earth to see them in the wild. The sadly missed Lincoln biscuit now but a memory in the aisles of UK supermarkets still gambols amongst the other dunkers in Irish shops. The Mikado or Mallow as it was called in the UK still occupies its rightful place at aisle ends. And such is the position of importance of the fig roll in Irish culture that McVities have created a fig roll specifically for the Irish market and are boasting about its 30% fig content to the educated Irish fig roll consumer. Wifey feigned brief interest in such earth shattering discoveries up the biscuit aisle and then beat a hasty retreat to the car park. I, however continued with the last great Irish biscuit quest to find the legendary Club Milk, which Wifey had failed to turn up on her last girls outing to Dublin.
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Post by Weyland on Oct 18, 2010 8:29:57 GMT
Weyland, three things. Secondly, I don't honestly believe things tasted better in the 50s and 60s. I think it's our age and the demise of our taste buds and sense of smell, unfortunately. Sorry. Ev! You've broken the Covenant! You're not supposed to admit things like that. Now we'll lose whatever shreds of credibility we had left. Thank you, Ev. You've made a happy man very old. [Thanks, Trubs, but it's not McCoy.] I've cracked it, and it turns out to be nothing more than the result of a vair vair senior moment. It's Tudor. Note the tell-tale total lack of a Mc. But at least it's a Celtic name. Extensive archeological research at the Googleface has revealed the key: both Tudor Crisps and McEwan's Brewery use(d) a picture of a bloke as a logo! 'sObvious, really.   So naturally there's a strong association between the crisps and the beer in what's left of my memory. I blame the crisps. Turns out that Tudor was a subsidiary of Smiths, by the way. [Why -- I hear you ask -- does a Scottish brewery use a cavalier as a logo? I'm afraid there's no time to go into that now, even if I had a clue.] |
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Post by everso on Oct 18, 2010 11:01:33 GMT
I think you're all quite mad. And as for flavoured crisps! Disgraceful. Give me plain ones every time. Glad you liked the Whirligig site, Weyland.  You can stroll down memory lane whenever you like. Re the taste buds: sorry to have given the game away, but I truly think I'm correct. Over the last few years I've noticed a distinct lessening of my sense of smell and taste (once extremely acute, as Mr. E. - someone who's never regained his sense of smell even after giving up the fags in 1979 - will tell you). I know I'm right because even home-grown runner beans don't have the same flavour as they did in my youth. |
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Post by riotgrrl on Oct 18, 2010 13:57:59 GMT
Crisps are fairly repulsive anyway, aren't they? Take a potato, remove all its possible nutritional value by shredding it finely and frying it in animal lard, add lots of e numbers and artificial flavourings . . and that's a crisp.
I have been known to eat them, but I don't like them.
Except doritos of course. With cheese melted on top and jalapeno peppers interspersed.
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Post by everso on Oct 18, 2010 14:55:03 GMT
I'm not really a crisps fan. The only time I can't resist them is when I'm on my third scotch and ginger in a pub and I get a sudden hunger for something cold and oily.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2010 13:12:38 GMT
i dont eat a lot of crisps lately... im more into nuts... pistachio nuts, and marmite cashews are to die for...seriarsssely... ARW YOM:)
Crisps i like:
raNcheros- dont make em anymore.. i had them in my first ever packed lunch at school, theyre a bit like frazzles
cheese puffs- i would say wotsits, but i actulaually find most supermarket versions of cheese puffs are better than wotsits-Havi9ngsaidthat..... wotsits beef flavour was LUSH! dunno if they do them anymore thou...
FRISPS..cheese n onion.. great texture and flavour
HULA HOOPS - plain
NIK NAKS- cream cheese flavour- beeeeyooootiful.... nice n spicy flavour- wrong un.. taste like metal.
WALKERS BLUE CRISPS are ok
WALKKERS GREEN CRISPS ARE ok
space raiders ONLY 10P!!! beef flavour- loverly. pickled onion flavour- tastes more like lemons
in fact if youre stoned you can convince yerself they are lemon flavour crisps.. its all too real/
MONSTER MUNCH- ROAST BEEF. gooood stuff
MONSTER MUNCH- FLAMIN HOT= noice one
that is my crisp review for this monday afternoooon.
dont eat pringles, you get your hand stuck in the tube trying to get the bottom ones out.
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Post by Weyland on Oct 19, 2010 13:43:07 GMT
that is my crisp review for this monday afternoooon. dont eat pringles, you get your hand stuck in the tube trying to get the bottom ones out. Masterly. You could get a job as chief food correspondent for the Hastings Bugle. I really only like ready-salted. Any supermarket own-brand. I never buy Walkers, or Lays, or Granny's Traditional Farmhouse Hand-peeled Organic Kettle-fried Low-fat Crispy-Crisps *. Pringles -- aka what-the-feck mystery snacks -- were originally sent here by an alien civilisation to see how stupid we are. Now they know. (Nachos with jalapeños and melted cheese are the cat's pyjamas, especially with a very cold bottle of Corona, but they're not crisps.) ______ * Made in Holland. |
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Oct 26, 2010 17:51:48 GMT
Rancheros - Looked a bit like fat quavers, tasted a bit like frazzles (but more barbeque-ee). The ULTIMATE hybrid snack IMO.
Top pringles tip for Costy - empty the tube into a bowl ya nub! ;D
AH
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Post by aubrey on Oct 26, 2010 18:58:07 GMT
The great Gene Wolfe (writer of Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, etc etc) was part of the team that designed the machine that makes Pringles.
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Post by Weyland on Oct 26, 2010 21:22:38 GMT
The great Gene Wolfe (writer of Book of the New Sun, Book of the Long Sun, etc etc) was part of the team that designed the machine that makes Pringles. I'm sure that machine is a thing of wonder, but it cannot be denied that the principal ingredients of Pringles appear to be the sweepings from the floor of a salt packing factory mixed with dessicated papier-maché powder and gerbil weewee. |
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Post by Alpha Hooligan on Oct 26, 2010 22:49:13 GMT
Patrick, dear Patrick, I feel your pain. When we first moved to Ireland I was lost without good British crisps. Also severely lacking were fruity polos, spangles, pacers and proper Smarties. We had to eat something called Beanos. In a square box not a round tube. Hard times. I'd rather not talk about it any further if you don't mind. My dad and grandpa travelled to England quite a lot and always brought back a huge carrier bag of contraband proper sweets and chocolate. I can still feel the excitement of the bag being emptied out upon the kitchen table like pirates returning to the ship with treasure. And trips to England were partly a joy because of the crisps. For years, Irish people would swear by the Irish crisps, Tayto. Tayto tasted horrible to me. Very oniony and salty. Emigrants writing home from Australia and America and England would beg for bags of Cheese and Onion to be shipped out immediately. There are areas of the country where the word ''crisps'' is virtually unknown because as Hoover is to vacuum cleaners, Tayto is to crisps. (When ordering a bag, one should pronounce it TAY-das.) Eating Tayto and being Irish are one and the same thing. Over the years, a weird thing has happened. Through decades of being forced by necessity to survive on Tayto, I have begun to like it. I even prefer it. I even long for a bag of Tayto. I think it's the heroin based flavouring they started using after MSG was banned. Won't you think of trying Tayto? They aren't cold and greasy like Walkers (good observation, Aubrey). They are warm and welcoming and actually - actually, Patrick! it was Tayto that invented the first Cheese and Onion - so really, you'd be coming home. Can I tempt you to the dark side? Once you go Irish you never go back. Yak yak yak yak twitter natter chatter...typical flimmin woman...anyway, what was I gonna say? Oh yeah...thats like "stockholm syndrome" but with crisps... AH |
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A.P.P.S
S C 
You can stroll down memory lane whenever you like.
