Hale & Hearty Wheat / Gluten-Free Cassava Crisps

I've often seen people with Coeliac disease complaining about how tasteless gluten-free food is and, having tried a few substandard offerings myself, I tended to agree with them. Then I discovered Hale & Hearty. I've already raved about their mini breadsticks which are delicious, even if they are heavy on the calories. Well, I've just been trying out some of their Cassava Crisps and I was amazed at how tasty they are too.

Unlike normal crisps, these ones are not made with potatoes but cassava, which is a tropical root vegetable. They are gluten-free, wheat-free, MSG-free and GMO-free, but, surprisingly, not taste-free ! Having been shocked at the high calorie count of the breadsticks, I checked the nutritional information - one 30g bag contains 145 calories, which certainly doesn't sound any worse than normal potato-based crisps.

They have a different texture to "normal" crisps - they are slightly drier and crunchier and remind me a bit of the texture of Pringles or Smiths Square Crisps that I used to eat back in the 80's. (Writing this review has just led to a nostalgic debate on twitter about old crisp brands from the 1980's ! Anyone remember the bacon & bean-flavoured hollow piglet-shaped crisps called Piglets ?! The texture is similar to those too !). Ok enough nostalgia and going off on tangents and back to the reviewing !

Hale & Hearty Cassava crisps come in three flavours - Beautifully Barbecued, Superbly Spiced and Perfectly Peppered. I was sent all three to try and they're all lovely, although my favourite is the barbecue one. I let Mike and the girls try them too and nobody twigged that they're gluten-free or not made with potatoes which just goes to show how nice they are.

The packaging tells us that they are "high in fibre and rich in nutrients and the flavourings are entirely gluten-free and free from processed additives, making them a fantastic alternative to flavoured potato crisps". Taste-wise, they get a unanimous thumbs-up so, whether or not you need a free-from diet, they make a delicious snack.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £2.59 for 6 x 30g bags

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Hale & Hearty Mini Breadsticks