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Towards the latter half of last year UK crisp manufacturer Walkers ran a competition for people to come up with a new flavour of potato crisps that Walkers could then manufacture. Well, the results of the competition were released recently and the six flavours which are going to be manufactured can be seen at the end of this post.
Some of the new flavours are a little strange, and this reminded me of some crisps that were insanely popular for a short time at the beginning of the 1980’s. In 1981 Phillip Lewis launched Hedgehog Flavoured Crisps, which sold like mad with people eager to sample what the humble hedgehog might taste like. They were sold in beige coloured packets with a picture of a cartoon hedgehog licking its lips on the front (the cannibal!).
Of course, it turned out to be just a ruse, with the flavour of the crisps actually coming from pork fat (Mmmmmm, hog fat! as Homer once said). Indeed on the back of the packet it jokingly said “Savour all the flavour of traditional country fare cooked the old fashioned way without harming a single spike of a real hedgehog“.
Anyway, going back to the new Walkers crisps flavours, they should now be available in the shops and Walkers are encouraging you to vote for your favourite, which will then become a permanent addition to their range, with the others going the way of the Hedgehog flavoured crisp. The new flavours are:-
- Cajun Squirrel – Hmm. Bet it tastes like chicken crisps, just like when people try an unusual meat and say it tastes a bit like chicken… This is the one that reminded me of the Hedgehog crisps.
- Crispy Duck and Hoi Sin – Sounds nice but I’m sure I’ve seen this before amongst the “extra fancy” crisps though.
- Fish and Chips – Surprised this hasn’t been done before. Wait a minute, it has… (sort of)
- Builder’s Breakfast – Apparently it’s meant to be bacon, buttered toast, tomato ketchup and eggs. What’s the betting it tastes mostly like crispy bacon?
- Chilli and Chocolate – Boke! Somehow chocolate flavour crisps sounds awful, and personally I don’t like chilli anyway. I can see how some might enjoy it though.
- Onion Bhaji – Again not one I would personally choose, but I can see it being popular. Might be a bit like Pickled Onion Monster Munch?
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Fantastic……I remember those crisps well. When my Mum first bought them for me, i was 8 years old and she had to really convince me they were NOT made of real hedgehogs!!! Lovely memories
I remember these ones – also remember feeling slightly cheated when another manufacturer brought out a sausage and tomato flavoured variety that tasted exactly the same.
Thanks for the photo – although I was sure they were in a bag without a window
Funny, I have memories of them being in a more papery feeling bag. Maybe we’re thinking of the same thing Shaun?
You could be right, although the colour of the packaging in the photo is spot on, just minus the window. For some reason I keep thinking the pic of the hedgehog was larger too – perhaps even a full body pic?
In 1994 my husband (from Eastbourne) and I (from Maryland) honeymooned at his mum’s house in Eastbourne. (Word to the wise. Don’t do this.) On our trip, we stopped at a Sainsburys (or Tescos, or somewhere) and I bought, on a whim, a packet of hedgehog flavoured crisps. We both tasted them and didn’t like them, so I rolled up the top of the packet (lest errant nasty crisps fall out into the car) and we went to lunch at the Eight Bells in Jevington. While there, a gent came in with his beloved dog, and ordered himself fish and chips and looking down lovingly, “A packet of crisps for him.” Aha! A possible taker! I went out and fetched the unwanted packet and found him in the pub, saying, “If I was a dog, I wouldn’t half like a packed of hedgehog flavoured crisps.” I refused to let him either pay me for them or buy me a new packet. Later, he reported that the dog had at first been confused, but then downed the whole packet. Suddenly, the dog jumped up and began to hump the leg of one of two elderly gents seated by the wall. We all stared in shock until the other gent asked, “Have you got any more of those?”
What a great story!
Perhaps the zoos should try feeding the Giant Pandas and other endangered species with them.
i have collected many flavours over many years, and found oxo flavour to beat all other flavours.
i have been a collector for many years now, obviously for fun, as my son when he was small had to collect items for his school project, i just carried on with it when his project was finished. i always kept them in the attic, only get them down when the kitchen cupboards needed emptying and filled the suit case with more empty crisp packets. i only ever buy new flavours out, i have collected over 900. special ones, and not so special ones, i have even got the royal wedding packet of princess diannas and prince charles in the mid eighties. it would be such a shame that if they were all chucked away. thats why one day i know some collectors out there will buy them.
imust say that walkers crisps has the best flavours in recent years, and also the most eye catching design on there packets, i still would like walkers to have the old crisp flavour of oxo back on the shelves, it was nearly as good as a roast dinner, so please walkers hurry, shoppers want it i know, smiths crisp many years ago made the best flavour of cheese and onion, but their crisps are not the best flavour any more so what happened get that reciepe from the old days of smiths, lush, hedgehoge is a very good idea, and i have collected all of your collections over the years. surely a ploughmans lunch packet of crips would go down a treat, i need more to go with my collection so try another flavour please.
what about trying some sweet crisps favours like rhubarb, and custard, or treacle tart and custard, or even maple syrup flavour yummmm, or you could get all the pop, or rock, singers to sign the packets and so much money could go to charities. even better with there photos on each packet. i would have loved to have a crisp packet with a photo and signature of michael jacksons on. shame you didnt do it before he died. there plenty more out there tho, dont leave it to late this time.
Hedgehog crisps were produced by Benson Crisps in Kirkham Lancashire not as stated by Walkers.
Thanks for the info on the manufacturer’s name Ian, all I could find was the name Phillip Lewis when I originally wrote this.
I realise it wasn’t Walkers who made them, perhaps the post was a little unclear on that since it was also talking about their new (at the time) flavours.
[…] service that doesn’t cater to as many people as possible. It’s about garlic ice cream, hedgehog-flavor chips or mashed potato […]
There still appears to be a Hedgehog Foods Ltd. in operation, although Philip Lewis did sell his crisp-line to Benson’s (which went bust in 2001).
As I remember, Lewis touted it as traditional Gypsy fare having product-tested with local Gypsies.
~alec
Chipmunk Crisps in the west country produced OXO flavour crisps which were very popular in the 60s but I believe Chipmunk went out of business. In the 70s Bovril flavour took over for a short time and Prawn Cocktail also made a brief appearance. My all time favourite was OXO! Bring back Chipmunk.
remember it said on the back of the packet, in a speech bubble “Please don’t squash me”
John West OC from Bristol and Sergeants tuck shop, major stockist of Chipmunk crisps?