From The Straits Times    |

4 happy packs of chips for summer

From left to right: The Soy & Balsamic Sweet Potato Crisps, Lightly Salted Purple & Orange Sweet Potato Crisps, Tom Yum Potato Crisps, Lemon Harissa Potato Crisps from Marks & Spencer. Image: ST/ Joyce Fang

If supermarkets are looking especially vibrant, it must be because of all the summer produce flooding into Singapore. Strawberries, peaches, apricots, mangoes and all manner of fruit look irresistible.

Food manufacturers are also coming up with products for the season, with light, bright flavours.

Take these hand-cooked potato and sweet potato chips from Marks & Spencer. The packaging and flavour combinations scream summer and all it means: holidays, trips to the beach, barbecues and chilling out.

Of the four flavours, my pick would be Prawn Tom Yum Potato Crisps ($5.90 for a 150g bag). The lemongrass and light crustacean flavour is delicious. There is ginger and some chilli too, but these take a back seat. I find myself reaching into this bag for more nonetheless.

Lemon Harissa Potato Crisps ($5.90 for a 150g bag) is not bad either, except that the chips do not pack much chilli heat.

Instead, there are aromatic spices such as paprika and cumin that make these chips interesting. I would love a stronger tang of lemon but that might not find favour with some customers.

Both versions of the sweet potato chips are good, offering smokiness mixed with sweetness, a good balance of flavours.

The Soy & Balsamic Sweet Potato Crisps ($8.90 for a 100g bag), sort of like fancied-up salt and vinegar, is the more intriguing of the two, and this is the one I’d get.

There is nothing wrong with the Lightly Salted Purple & Orange Sweet Potato Crisps ($8.90 for a 100g bag). These are perfect accompaniments to dips.

Summer Of Flavour chips from Marks & Spencer stores. For locations and opening hours, go to www.marksandspencer.com.sg.

This article was first run in The Straits Times newspaper on June 22, 2014. For similar stories, go to sph.straitstimes.com/premium/singapore. You will not be able to access the Premium section of The Straits Times website unless you are already a subscriber. 

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