GREEN CRISPS? YES PLEASE!
Taken from this month’s Cotswold Life magazine
Thought green crisps were bad for you? Not when they’re locally made using compostable packaging and renewable energy…
When was the last time you had a bog standard crisp? You know the kind, paper thin, a little bit salty, a little bit greasy, and a bag the size of a small child’s pencil case.
I really can’t remember when I last opened a packet of Walkers or Smiths - the crisps of my childhood. Today, these classics jostle for space on the shelves alongside a plethora of ‘posh crisps’ - thick, crunchy chips that are hand-harvested, hand-cut and sold in bags that seem to be made for giants, with flavours that could be straight out of a Michelin-starred restaurant.
With so much choice, no wonder they are the nation’s favourite snack, with 80% of us munching on them regularly. That equates to six billion packets a year, or 140 bags per person. It’s a competitive market out there in the potato field all right.
This, then, makes it all the more remarkable that two humble potato farmers from Herefordshire have also thrown their chips in - and are now shaking up the crisp market.
The story begins back in 2015 over a pint in a pub when two farmers, Sean Mason and Mark Green, start discussing ideas about how to turn the potatoes they grow into crisps in a way that would protect the countryside.
That conversation was a lightbulb moment - and led them to create the UK’s first fully compostable crisp packet. A much-needed requirement when you consider how many packets of crisps are eaten every year, just in Britain alone.
Two Farmers is not just a marketing gimmick - the product itself is first class - a crisp so posh that King Chales paid the farmers a visit back in 2019 (when he was still Prince). The flavours are inventive but created tastefully, with the involvement of other local producers as much as possible.
Of course, creating a sustainable crisp brand has not been without its challenges. Designing a compostable bag that breaks down in just 26 weeks and still keeps your crisps fresh requires huge amounts of time and investment.
But the hard work and dedication to the cause seems to have paid off - the crisps are gaining shelf space in a whole host of retailers, Warner’s included, and have won several awards - including Great Taste Awards, a Great British Food Award as well as many green awards.
Two Farmers crisps can be bought in small and large compostable bags as well as innovative 500g sharing tins - who said green crisps were bad for you?!
Five Favourite Flavours
Lightly Salted Lightly seasoned with Droitwich Salt, which is harvested by hand from natural springs and crystallised using renewable energy.
Woodland Mushroom and Wild Garlic Flavoured with woodland mushrooms and a hint of wild garlic for a distinctive taste of the English countryside.
Herefordshire Hop Cheese & Onion Seasoned with deliciously sharp and sweet Hereford Hop cheese, made for Two Farmers (using vegetarian rennet) by artisan cheesemakers Charles Martell & Son.
Salt & Cider Vinegar Lightly salted and flavoured with Two Farmers’ own cider vinegar, made from apples grown in Herefordshire orchards.
Herefordshire Sausage & Mustard Made with Tudges rare-breed pork and seasoned with a dash of mustard.