Crisps From New Zealand!

There are a few words and phrases that I really wish would catch on in the States. Like aubergine for eggplant (because aubergine sounds more vegan, no?). Or potato gems instead of tater tots (Susan from Kittens Gone Lentil taught me that Aussie expression). Also, I wish Americans would use crisps instead of potato chips. It just sounds so much fancier. So for the sake of this review, we're going with crisps, okay?

A couple nights ago, I did a review of Pacific Resources International salt, which comes from the southern seas near New Zealand. The same folks who sent me that salt to review also shipped me a few bags of Proper Hand Cooked Crisps, which are made in Nelson, New Zealand. These are all-natural crisps created with as few ingredients as possible.

They sent me three single-serve bags in Malborough Sea Salt, Rosemary & Thyme, and Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt.

Plus, there was also a large bag in Smoked Paprika.

On the back of each bag, there's a little story of how Proper crisps came to be. The folks at Proper wanted to create a minimally processed, naturally flavored crisp that could be considered "real food," rather than "junk food." So in 2007, they traveled the world on a quest to learn how to make perfect crisps. They sourced New Zealand potatoes and high-quality sunflower oil and used a fryer they picked up in the U.S. Sure, these are fried potatoes, but they're still potatoes. I felt pretty good about eating these.

The Rosemary & Thyme are seasoned with real, fresh herbs, and the rosemary taste is very prominent. I'd never had herbed chips before, but what a great idea! These have four ingredients — potatoes, sunflower oil, rosemary, and thyme. That's it!

The Cider Vinegar & Sea Salt were probably my second favorite (more on the first fave in a few). I love the savory twang of salt and vinegar, but using cider vinegar made that tartness much milder. These have just a few more ingredients, but they're all recognizable (raw sugar, citric acid, etc.).

I had the Malborough Sea Salt with a sandwich for lunch today. These were just classic crisps made with potatoes, oil, and salt. Lightly salted, crunchy perfection.

The Smoked Paprika were definitely my fave of the bunch! The smoky paprika lent these crisps a rich barbecue chip taste without the use of artificial flavors. I'm glad I got a big bag of these!

One of the best things about Proper crisps is just how many you can eat in a single serving for a fairly low amount of calories. Each of those single-serve bags were 40 grams, which translates to about 205 calories. But the crisps are so light and thinly cut that it takes a bunch of chips to equal 40 grams.

So good! In the States, Proper Crisps are only sold in California. But they can be ordered on their website and delivered anywhere!