COMBINING beer and crisps might sound like a drinker's dream but now it has become a reality with a unique ale-flavoured snack.Norwich-based Kettle Chips has joined forces with Southwold brewer Adnams to produce a new flavour of crisp - mature cheddar and Adnams Broadside Beer.

COMBINING beer and crisps might sound like a drinker's dream but now it has become a reality with a unique ale-flavoured snack.

Norwich-based Kettle Chips has joined forces with Southwold brewer Adnams to produce a new flavour of crisp - mature cheddar and Adnams Broadside Beer.

The Norfolk manufacturer, which specialises in the “chip” for the discerning customer, and the Suffolk brewing giant have spent the past few months dreaming up new recipes.

Everyone including head brewer Mike Powell-Evans and The Crown's chef Ian Howe were involved in coming up with ideas.

Suggestions included honey and mustard, Suffolk pork and apple and anything which would work with samphire and mussels.

“We came up with all these wonderful ideas, but as Kettle said, it has to work as a chip. Some things just don't work together,” said Sue Wiles, of Adnams.

Mr Powell-Evans added: “Broadside is brilliant with mature English cheese as it fills the mouth and smooths the rough edges of a mature cheddar, whilst allowing the flavour to develop.

“The beer has a rich balance of malt, hops and dried fruits. Your very own Dundee cake and cheddar mixture.”

Ed Hume, who looks after the beer marketing for Adnams, said it was natural for the two companies to work together.

“We are both aiming for high quality natural products and Kettle Foods is just the same. We got talking and the idea took off.”

To make the flavour, bottled Broadside beer, rather than draught, is spray dried over potato starch. It is then left to dry, when it turns into a powder.

The beer powder is mixed with the cheese powder, produced in the same way, and sprinkled on to the crisps.

“Everything is very natural and that is one of the main reasons for working with them in the first place,” said Sue Wiles.

Kettle chef Chris Barnard said: “This is a match made in heaven. The two flavours make a great partnership - Mature Cheddar cheese, the staple of any good Ploughman's, provides the perfect tasty foil for the equally robust flavour of the beer.”

He added: “Combining real beer and crisps, two classic British pub favourites, may often have been fantasised about, but as far as we know this is the first time it's actually been done.”

However, despite such fantasies, the chips received a mixed reception in Adnams' home town of Southwold yesterday.

Liza Griffin, visiting from Oxford, through they were great and enjoyed a few as she sipped her half pint of Adnams best bitter outside the Lord Nelson pub.

Andy Gray, of Bury St Edmunds, thought they were too sweet, but confessed he was not a crisp man.

Ray and Sam Bailey, of Alpington, in Norfolk, said they liked the flavour but preferred another brand.

Mrs Bailey added: “They're a bit too thick for me.”

Bruce Jones, David Cant and Aidan Naughton, all from Bristol, thought they were chicken flavoured and had too much seasoning to mask too little real flavouring.

karen.hindle@eadt.co.uk

FACTFILE

n Potato chips (crisps) were first created in 1853 at the Moon Lake Hotel, in New York when chef George Crum fried thinly sliced potatoes for discerning customers

n Kettle Foods Ltd was founded in Norwich in 1988 in shared premises with the city's crisp maker Tuckers.

n Its range of crisps includes the award-winning Blue Stilton and Port, Golden Parsnip chips and Mediterranean Feta Cheese and Olive

n Adnams Broadside was originally brewed in 1672, to celebrate the Battle of Sole Bay.

n Broadside was named Best Alcoholic Beverage at the BBC Good Food Show