New Year, New Crisps. Salty Dog crisps are new to The Trading Post but why a salty dog, where do they come from and what are they like?
OK, so “salty” I understand. Many crisps are salted. In fact, when commercially-produced fried potato chips were first given flavour it was via a small (blue) pack of salt that you used to season your snack to your own taste. This later developed into ‘ready’ salted crisps that had been seasoned beforehand by the workers of the crisp manufacturer. “Salty” is therefore not the outlying word here. “Dog” however, seems slightly weirder. The crisps are not dog-flavoured are they? Or, perhaps worse, salty dog flavoured? Maybe the dog is just a theme: wine gums have “burgundy” and “merlot” embossed on the gummy fruity sweets, maybe Salty Dog call their varieties “Labrador” rather than salt & vinegar, "dachshund" for cheese & onion, or “cockapoo” for sweet chilli…
Salty Dog are actually a small, independent crisp-maker based in Buckinghamshire and whilst the phrase “salty dog” is internationally used for everything from old and experienced sailors, a café in Charleston - South Carolina, a highball cocktail (with a salted rim), an American rock band from Los Angeles and an apparently-unproven technique for keeping ticks away from valuable hunting dogs… the Salty Dog in this instance refers to Ruby, a terrier puppy who sat alongside her owner, Dave Willis, whilst he delivered crisps in his van. This is the reason Salty Dog are so named, a cute little terrier. One day, aforementioned Dave posited that he could make better crisps than the ones he had hitherto been delivering (a different brand). He then went on to prove that. Following a recent short trip to the UK, it came to our attention that Salty Dog crisps were: A. really quite tasty, and; B. really quite good. The Trading Post now has a fine selection of Salty Dog crisps that are both tasty AND good for your delectation. Furthermore, they are variously available in individual 40g packets, boxes of thirty 40g packets and big, family-style sharing bags of 150g. What are the Salty Dog flavours you ask? Well we have…
Sea Salt - which is like a posher version of old-skool ‘ready salted.’ This isn’t just any old ‘table’ salt, but salt from the actual sea! If, like me, you spend many a wasteful minute browsing the seasoning aisles of your local supermarket, you will know the (justifiable) premium (and impressive cork-topped) cardboard tubs that adorn salt derived from the sea. This is genuine flavour people, given to you by the actual sea.
Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar – this is at least as posh as the Sea Salt flavour but with the fish & chips-realness of added tangy malt vinegar. Imagine, if you will, the ephemeral joy of going to the local chippy (not carpenter) on a Friday evening and them lovingly/dismissively/arbitrarily applying dark malt vinegar to your hot, fluffy and haphazardly crispy chips before wrapping them up. That flavour and, to some degree, that experience can be yours with every bag of Salty Dog Sea Salt & Malt Vinegar.
Strong Cheddar Cheese & Onion – the King (former Queen) of cheeses and, in its association with onion, the first commercially-sold flavour of crisps (after ‘salted’ which is like the monochrome version of colour). Not just cheese, not just Cheddar cheese, but a strong Cheddar cheese that stands up to the flavour of Onion, looks it deep in the eye and says “I KNOW you.” There is a mutual respect here, but one that has been earned by a Cheddar cheese that refused to take a backward step and always responded to Onion’s challenges with the mantra “I will work harder!”
Ham & Wholegrain Mustard – Everyone loves ham (except for the many millions for people who don’t eat ham for religious, ethical or taste reasons) and here it is paired with the hot, layered flavour of wholegrain mustard. These are the crisps for people who like their flavour like they like their synonyms for intransigent: uncompromising.
Sweet Chilli – Crisps flavoured with sweet chilli.
Here’s another thing about Salty Dog crisps; they are gluten-free and vegan, except for the Cheddar ones and the Ham ones, which are gluten-free and vegetarian. Don’t believe me? Check out the packaging, and their website.
One final point: nuts to you! We can deliver both the Salted and Dry-Roasted Salty Dog nuts to you, throughout France and beyond…
