I was quite surprised when I spotted these in the freezer section - at first glance they may look like normal crisp packets but they're actually large bags of frozen potato oven food! They are exclusive to Iceland and feature the official logo of McCoys and Hula Hoops. There is also an unofficial dupe that you can see lurking in the back of the above photo, but more about that later!
First up there are the McCoy's Potato Ridges. These were available in two flavours Cheddar & Onion or Salted. They consist of variously sized discs of ridged potato which need 18 minutes in the oven to cook. The result was very tasty with just the right amount of authentic cheddar flavour and a hint of onion. These were so good when straight out of the oven!
Next up is the Hula Hoops Potato Hoops. These were available in three flavours; Original, BBQ Beef, or Cheese & Onion. I decided to go for the Original flavour with these. They look really impressive, just like large Hula Hoops, and only take 14 minutes in the oven to cook. The flavour was not that different from a real Hula Hoop crisp especially once they had started cool down. It's worth keeping an eye on the oven and making sure these don't overcook as they get overly crunchy very easily.
Lastly are these Wot's this? Good question Iceland. Unlike the previous two delights this didn't have any official logo or trademark info on the back, so they're clearly a copy of a famous brand. Unfortunately, they were also the only ones that were not tasty at all. The cheesy flavour here is very artificial and quite overpowering. The texture however was nice, the inside is a bit like a potato croquette, with a soft mashed potato type filling.
Before they went in the oven; McCoy's Cheddar & Onion, Hula Hoops in the middle and Wot'sthis? at the top.
And after! Overall, these are definitely a fun and innovative idea, and one that I have never seen or heard of before*. Do other countries have oven products based on popular crisp brands? I'd love to know if the UK is the first!
Grocery Gems Verdict:
RATING: McCoy's - 7.5 out of 10, Hula Hoops - 6.5 out of 10, Wot'sthis? 4 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Probably the McCoy's & I'd try the other Hula Hoops flavours too.
Purchased: Iceland (exclusive).
Price: £1.50 each.
*Thank you to the Lindsey and other commentators below who remember Hula Hoops and Wotsits frozen products existing in the past! If anyone else remembers these, please do add to the comments below :)
How unique! Fantastic review - thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteLolol xD
DeleteIt's a shame these weren't as good as hoped, still they do look pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThe McCoys ones are goooood. The Hula Hoops are great as a novelty :)
DeleteOoooooh these are tempting. I'd have to buy a load of dips to eat them with.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
Good idea! Will have to try that one myself :)
DeleteGreat review! Like the look of these! These would be great as an accompaniment to a meal or on their own as a snack with dips/houmous as Flipmode mentioned.
ReplyDeleteThey're a useful (and fun!) frozen standby. We had them with veggie burgers. Might try them with lots of dips too. Yum :)
DeleteSuch a cool idea...I might have to pick up some of the Beef Hula Hoops and cheese and onion McCoys!
ReplyDeleteYes, I want to try the Beef Hula Hoops next, I'm intrigued to see if those would be any good. I definitely recommend the Cheddar & Onion McCoys!
DeleteMany years ago, they produced a "Hula Hoop" frozen potato product - and it was really good, as far as I can remember. They were like finely grated hash browns in texture. At least, that's how I remember them being (so I could be wrong!). It's interesting to see where Crisp brands try to branch out!
ReplyDeleteYes! I remember those. They were delicious!
DeleteThanks Lindsey & Anon for the great info! I don't remember those at all but they do sound good. I wonder how these new ones compare?
Deleteabout 12 years ago when I was about 8 I remember trying wotsit oven chips round a friends house :) I loved them but I don't remember them being round long~ maybe a year or so? I really wanna try all these ones you've listed :)
ReplyDeleteAlso I forgot to say I live in the UK too :)
DeleteThanks for this - I had no idea such a thing existed before! Let me know if you try these new ones, I'd love to know what you think of them :)
Delete"Wotsits Mealtime Potato Shapes" are what they were called and they were launched back in 2000 apparently. Sadly i can't find any pictures online :( But i'll let you know what i think of these when i get round to trying them ^_^
DeleteThanks again for the info! Sad that there aren't any photos :(
DeleteI tried the Wotsit ones, (i'm the same commenter) and i thought they were disgusting~ nothing like the ones i had back years ago :( wanna try the McCoy ones now though :)
DeleteAmazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
Deletethe salt is almost overwhelming on those mccoys
ReplyDeleteoh my god, ALL 3 of my favourite crisps transformed into more than a snack, cant wait to try them :)
ReplyDeleteHello, tried all 3 and didnt notice the wotthis instead of wotsits
ReplyDeletehowever many years ago Iceland did introduce this, but it was definitely Wotsits, coudl you research this, as this isnt the first time.
Hi there, well according to another comment they were called "Wotsits Mealtime Potato Shapes" and were released in 2000. I assume they couldn't get the trademark this time round.
DeleteI saw these when I was last in Iceland but didn't buy any, will definitely be giving the McCoys and Hulahoops a try after reading your review. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteFantastic review.
ReplyDeleteCannot find them in my local store. Please advise.
ReplyDelete