Epicure Or Haute Couture: Kettle, Tyrrell's or the house brand?

from top left: cafe latte, croissant, cappuccino, sugar bowl and pecan & treacle pie

On my first trip to Bethnal Green, I was running a little late (as usual) and J had been scouting around the area for the lovely aroma of well-made coffee and a nice ambience. So when I got there, he knew the perfect place to bring me :)

I can't remember the name of the cafe now, but I will update this post when I get hold of it. update: Hurwundeki :) J gave me the link of a review of it here It was a very quaint establishment. Chairs of all sizes were arranged in dishabille out in the front garden, and indoors was divided into a little vintage shop (where you could sit on some of the furniture and have your coffee and croissant) and the service area. The barista was quite a personality, although I couldn't place his country of origin. With salt and pepper curls and a healthily kept tache, his focus was intensely directed at the sole cup of coffee he was making at any one time. Ah, it is always wonderful watching someone who is so passionate about what they do at work.

image from www.hurwundeki.com

This was also the place I first made the acquaintance of the beetroot crisp. There'd been a few packets of Tyrell's crisps on the counter, and J was grinning about them.

"Have you tried? I like the parsnip ones."

I'm a junkfood junkie. Name a snack, and I've probably tried it. Prawn crackers, poppadoms, potato chips, tapioca chips, or perhaps the lone mealworm encased in a lollipop: been there, done that. But I'd never really considered the packet of vegetable crisps in the supermarket aisle :s Vegetables are so yummy fresh anyway, why would anyone want to deep fry them until they're all reduced to the same crispy saltiness?

So J bought me a packet to try. Tyrell's vegetable crisps consists of beetroot, parsnip and carrot chips, and my favourite was the beetroot. From the start, it stood out: the colour (deep purple-red vs. pale cream and orange), the texture (it was a lighter structure that made it incredibly moreish) and well, the sheer limited amount that was in the packet. But what truly did it for me was the taste: as a fresh ingredient in a salad, it was never a shy player. The beetroot asserts itself in colour and flavour, and even in crisp form, the high sugar content and a light dash of salt helped to bring out its natural relish.

Waitrose and Tyrell's vegetable chips (Kettle not featured)

And then I couldn't stop. Having tried that tiny packet, I felt like I had to sample the other brands just to see who did it better. So it was mainly a toss-up between Tyrell's and Kettle, and Waitrose! Kettle's vegetable crisps features sweet potato instead of carrot, whereas Waitrose covers all grounds by including all four vegetables.

The verdict? I think Waitrose's has the best value, not to mention a decent amount of beets in it. I'll be getting quite a big amount of my veggies in this form this week because both Tyrell's and the house brand are having a 25% off at my local Waitrose's. Woohoo.