Chips remain an essential component of British cuisine, whether homemade from fresh potatoes, purchased pre-seasoned or selected as a convenient frozen variety for the oven. Nevertheless, enjoying chips at home can occasionally spark cravings for a traditional chip shop meal or fries from beloved fast food establishments such as McDonald’s, KFC or Five Guys.
While challenging myself to prepare numerous family meals on a mere £20 budget at Iceland, I stumbled upon a bag of frozen chips that dramatically exceeded expectations. In my efforts to minimise grocery expenditure, I selected the Aunt Bessie’s Skin On Homestyle Chips, featured in Iceland’s 10 items for £10 promotion.
My initial experience with these chips occurred while preparing toad in the hole for my family, accompanied by vegetables and the chips as a side dish. I prepared them in the air fryer for 20 minutes, shaking the basket midway through the cooking process.
Once thoroughly cooked, truthfully, the chips appeared unremarkable compared to alternative frozen potato products I’d previously sampled. That said, I observed the chips left little to no residual fat at the bottom of the air fryer.
The aunt Bessie’s chips were crispy and soft(Image: Abigail Nicholson)
However, upon taking my first bite, I was astonished by their exceptional crispiness and seasoning. While many frozen chips contain added salt, these boasted a delightful paprika and turmeric flavour profile that remained perfectly balanced. I can genuinely say that this product ranks amongst the finest frozen chips I’ve sampled, and I’d argue they surpass even KFC’s offering.
Iceland’s website describes the chips as “crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside and made using our finest potatoes”.
The retailer also claims the chips are ‘homestyle’ and ‘every bit as good as homemade’, though I must respectfully disagree with that assessment—I could never achieve such crispiness and flavour in my own kitchen.
My enthusiasm is echoed by numerous shoppers, with hundreds of online reviews praising the product, and some even suggesting it outperforms McDonald’s.
One customer commented: “I’ve bought Aunt Bessie’s products before, but have never tried the homestyle chips with skin on. Mainly because the children prefer ‘ordinary chips’, but when served up for dinner, they were all eaten and enjoyed so much I’ve been asked to buy them again.
“The chips are fluffly and light, but chunky so they taste of proper potatoes you’ve done yourself. I did cook them slightly longer in the oven (than said on packaging), but did this to ensure they were as we like them.
“They do not disappoint, will definitely be added to my shopping list for the future as they’re a good addition to the freezer for handy meals.”
Another reviewer declared: “These were the best chips I’ve tasted in a long time..”
A further reviewer said: “Actually really nice, not greasy, but still have a bit of a ‘homemade’ feel/taste/texture about them. Only gripe would be the price for the size but in fairness I think they’re still worth it anyway.”
The chips are currently part of Iceland’s latest 15 items for £15 deal, which is available to purchase online.