The History of Crisps in Pubs

The history of crisps in the UK is interwoven with the history of pubs. Here we take a look at how they've developed, starting with Smith's Crisps in 1920, first established in some garages behind the Crown in Cricklewood.

Told in three London pubs:

The Crown, Cricklewood
The Tipperary, Fleet Street
The Ship, Hart Street

Chapters

0:00 Intro
0:20 Beginnings of crisps
0:45 1920s/1920s - Smith's Crisps - The Crown
2:39 1940s/1950s - Competitors and flavours - The Tipperary
5:23 1970s/1980s - Weird and wonderful crisps - The Ship
8:17 Outro

[KurnazTilki-jbeg]

The Tayto crisps you showed are the Northern Ireland ones. The original Tayto is in the Republic of Ireland. That one is the originator of ‘cheese and onion’ flavouring on crisps. Both taste quite different but both are good! 👍

[iannicholson]

I once bought a packet of crisps for my friend Ralph, notorious for his meanness. We sat in the beer garden of the rather splendid Bailliff's Sergeant pub in St Mary's Bay, near Dymchurch. I made the decision not to ask for a crisp and he ate the damn lot. That is my crisp story which still resonates twenty years on. Sometimes you can see an entire universe in a bag of crisps. Should he predecease me I shall eat crisps at his funeral. It is unlikely that he will provide food for a wake.

[t.c.bramblett]

This is my latest comfort channel. Next best thing to actually being in a pub!

[mrpeel]

It's always a treat to find Taytos here in NYC!

[Reddsoldier]

I don't have crisps very often, but when i do i almost always find myself lamenting the departure of Brannigans beef and mustard crisps. To me they were the quintessential pub crisp.

[johnhutcheson]

My dad always said that Tayto were first with flavoured crisps but I thought it was just one of his yarns and he would say that as he was Irish. Turns out it was true! Thanks for the fun trip through crisp history.

[robinkirke]

Your channel is very lovely. Sometimes i watch it sober.

[billyo]

The problem with beer and crisps, in my experience, is that when you get salt on your lips it gets on the glass and into the beer. This results in the glass becoming greasy and the beer loosing its 'head' and becoming flat. Enjoyed the vid. Keep 'em comin'.

[andrewdolinskiatcarpathian]

Plenty memories of beer and crisps consumed in the 1970’s. Smiths and Golden Wonder were the dominant brands in West London, with ready salted, salt and vinegar, and cheese and onion the only three flavours to choose.
Before a night out, we would eat early, and by mid evening we were hungry. The salty snacks then fed our thirst and the landlord was happy as more pints of bitter were consumed. Win, win for the pub.
Thank you Tweedy for another cracking video. 👏👏👍🍺😎

[Carl-xyc]

👋 Greetings from New Zealand . Im in my sixties in age, and i have always liked potato chips which we call them here. I still occasionally buy a packet from time to time. Our oldest brand is Bluebird . They are crinkle cut. We dont have the variety of flavours as you do. Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion, Sour Cream & Chives, Chicken and thats all. I live in the city of Palmerston North situated in the North Island and near where i live is a shop selling British food products. They sell the British Walkers brand. I like the Pickled Onion flavour the most. The Crown pub is a lovely old building there. Thanks for your interesting video. From Carl.

[thecuriolounge]

Instantly loved this channel after about a minute of watching! I have so many fond memories of being in pubs in both childhood and adulthood, and always looking to make new ones. The Salt n Shake was ahead of it's time, wasn't it, the flavouring being optional. Love it.

[robcoles]

I always love your content Tweedy - a true boozer enthusiast after my own heart. Ive drunk in the Ship many times - an excellent pub. Hadnt spotted the Tipperary had re opened - i have fond memories of that small pub in the last 1990s.

[WCUKProductionsLtd]

Two surprises for me here: I wouldn’t have guessed the first crisps were as early as that, nor that the first flavoured crisps as late as that! I’m way off the mark when it comes to guessing crisp dates!

Bizarrely, I’ve never noticed Tayto crisps as a brand before, and yet they seem to be famous. I’m feeling like a crisp ignoramus!

I’ve never tried Scampi crisps, to my knowledge, but recognise them. Their arrival in the early 80s must surely be linked to the popularity of “Scampi in a basket” as an exotic pub meal! I’d wager you won’t find a pub serving that today?!

Wonderful that the first crisp factory pub is still there!

Very well researched as usual and wonderfully nostalgic overlays of old crisp ads. I’m going to eat crisps now!

[deborahevans]

Your channels are my favourites, you seem to be getting more relaxed in them

[liberty_and_justice]

Living in the UK 1972-1979, always impressed by the huge variety of crisp flavors. Beat anything we had in the US at the time.

[kenbakie]

Tweedy, what a great video. I used to work just round the corner from The Ship in Seething Lane and I found myself in there on many occasions at lunchtime and after work. There used to be a dining room upstairs and I hope it still exists. It sold such exotica as shepherd's pie and other soul food to sustain the city workforce. I still go there 2 or 3 times a year, even though I am now retired.

[liamkatt]

I remember Smiths greaseproof bag and the little twist of blue paper filled with salt. Golden Wonder made a huge impact in the very early 60s. The Smiths bags were very mundane in comparison to the cellophane modern Golden Wonder Ready Salted . Cheese and Onion was a winner followed I think by Salt and Vinegar and then a host of others, including Chicken and even exotic Prawn. The Cricklewood Crown by the way, once had a very notorious regular, serial killed Dennis Nilsen. I had an aunt and uncle who lived in Chichele Road and I would often visit them around 1979/80. We would go to The Crown. Walking down Chichele Road I was of course totally unaware that Nilsen was chopping up and burning bodies around the corner in Melrose Avenue.

[Lucan-vezc]

Almost always ready salted for me. Loved the salt and shake as a child.
Did love Marmite crisps and, watching this recall the joys of Bovril crisps. Can't recall who made those ones.

I meet pal every other Friday for a couple of post work pints. Usually accompanied by a bag of scratchings torn wide open and, gradually consumed.

Cracking video. Thank you.

[Watto]

very interesting video and I have to say that its the perfect snack for drinking beer, the moore salty snacks you consume the more thirsty you get 🙂

[davidclare]

Thanks once again, Tweedy. A great history of a classic pub snack! Next, maybe pork pies?