Scampi Fries (History, Varieties & Commercials)

Uniquely flavored fries and chips are well-known to be commonplace in Canada, but many people are not aware that you can get a lot of unique snack items in these categories in the UK and Australia as well. Scampi fries are part of the unique offerings that are classics in the UK and Australia, and you can find these products on the shelves of many different stores in these countries.

If you love crunchy and flavorful snacks with unique flavors, then you should check out Scampi Fries. The company that makes them actually offers an array of unique, crunchy snacks that are packed with flavor and which are sold alongside Scampi Fries. Salty and savory snacks are always popular, and these are some of the best that you can get anywhere.

History

Scampi Fires are made by the Smith’s Snackfood Company. This is a British and Australian-owned company that is actually part of PepsiCo. The potato crisps products that this company makes are some of the best-known in the UK and Australia. Among these products are Scampi Fries.

This company began its life as Smith’s Potato Crisps Ltd in 1920. The packaging was originally made out of greaseproof bags that were twisted at the ends. These were sold around London but were not able to hold up to being sold in other markets. This was still the dominant and most well-known crisps brand in the UK until Golden Wonder hit the market in the 1960s.

The company was started by Frank Smith and Jim Viney after the first World War. Smith had been working in wholesale grocery before the war and had sold potato crisps during his time working in that industry. He felt he could make his own crisps and create the recipe in a converted garage. The business was actually first made without the seasonings added, and there was instead a small blue sachet of salt in each bag.

The company did not move to a factory model until 1927, when Jim Viney was bought out by Smith. By 1929, the company had seven factories making chip products, and the company went public. Ninety-five percent of the crisps sold around London were made by Smith’s during this period, which is really staggering. 

This newcomer to the scene offered crisps that were made with Cheese & Onion flavoring. Smith’s rose to the challenge and created their own unique flavor, making a Salt & Vinegar crisps product. The Salt & Vinegar product was so successful that it was sold nationally starting in 1967. This would also herald the start of a taste-sensation war between the two companies that would last for decades.

When the new product had been established in the UK, Smith opened up a distribution location in Australia in 1932. PepsiCo did not come into the picture until 1998 when it acquired a controlling stake. They also took possession of the controlling interest in Smith’s Snackvend Stand, which makes the products that are sold in vending machines under the Smith’s banner.

When Smith’s realized that they needed to become more recognized by younger people and more mainstream, they decided to run a dance-based ad campaign. This was started in the 1960s, and Phil Collins toured the UK teaching people the “crunch dance”. The dance was linked with the launch of a new product for the Smith’s company, which was called, Monster Munch. This product was originally named “Prime Monster” as a play on the word Prime Minister.

The flavored chips products made by Smith’s were most successful in Australia. By 1961, Smith’s was making a chicken-flavored product that was selling well in Australia. This led to added flavors, still using the model of selling the chips without the seasonings applied and adding a sachet of flavoring to each bag of crisps. More flavors were added over the years, and by the 1980s, the flavors, including Scampi Fries, were being sold in all markets that Smith’s were offered in.

By the early 90s, flavored chips were the norm, but they had been a really new concept leading up to the mid-80s and 90s. For those of us who grew up during this time, there is no reality wherein a plain potato chip product would have been interesting to us. Smith’s was well ahead of the curve, and they were one of the examples that other snack product companies used to help guide their creation of delicious and flavorful chip products.

The Scampi Fries product is made by a subsidiary of the Smiths brand called Walkers. This product line is billed as the “Savoury Selection,” and there are also Bacon Flavour Fries and Cheese Flavored Moments in the lineup. Smiths also sold Chipsticks and Frazzles at one time through this partnership. These products are no longer sold in any market but are remembered with fondness by many people who loved these originally chip-like snacks.

Scampi Fries have consistently been a favorite in both the Australian and UK markets, and they are certainly one of those flavors that you either love or don’t love. If you love seafood, you will love the fishy, lemony taste of these little crispy snacks. If you are not a fish-lover, you might not be able to stand them. You will also commonly see Scampi Fries in pubs, and they are offered as part of the nibbles that are on the bar when you come to sit down for a pint.

Scampi Fries and their companion snack, Bacon Fries, were actually relaunched in 2003 under the Walkers identity, but nothing else about the products was changed. The bags might look different to those who loved to eat them before the merger, but the products inside of the new bags are the same. Smith and Walker acquired and relaunched a variety of other products at about the same time, like the Wotsit brand, which replaced Cheetos outside of the US. They also launched Sunbites in the same family of treats, which are low-fat crisps that are made with whole grains but which use some of the same flavoring options as the traditional snacks on this list.

These are also puffy and crunchy at the same time, which might make you think of Cheetos Puffs. There are some people who really don’t like the grainy texture of these kinds of snacks, but they have a melt-in-your-mouth aspect which can be really enjoyable, and they also offer a lot more flavor than a true chip product. 

There is always some discussion about what is a chip, a crisp, or another kind of snack when looking at these products from an American perspective. Most of the world refers to these products as crisps instead of chips. Chips in the UK and Australia are congruent with the products that are called fries in the US. This can lead to some confusion about the expected texture of this product when you receive it. Ordering it online will make for a fun surprise when it shows up at your door, and you get to see what this classic snack is like for yourself!

Logo

Walker Crisps and Fries Varieties

This company makes all of the really unique and savory items that are offered by Smith’s/ Walker. You will find that there are many really unique flavor options to enjoy if you love this kind of snack product and want to add some other products to your order alongside Scampi Fries.

• Cheese & Onion
• Bacon Fries
• Salt & Vinegar
• Ready Salted
• Roast Chicken
• Prawn Cocktail
• Smoky Bacon
• Tomato Ketchup
• Pickled Onion
• Worcester Sauce

Other unique products that are made by these combined companies are Monster Munch and Quavers. Quavers are a cheese-flavored snack that is shaped into little curls of a puffy and savory chip. Some of the products on this list were also offered in limited quantities with the “Max” flavor option. This was a means to make a spicy version of each of these classics and to also offer a “Naked Max” product.

Smiths and Walker also make crunchy snacks called Squares. These come in Max flavors Chargrilled Steak and Chip Shop Curry. If you love spicy snacks, these are the right choice for you!

Ingredients

From the British Sweets entry:

• Wheat flour
• sunflower oil
• maize
• flavouring
• monosodium glutamate
• sodium diacetate
• citric acid
• lactose
• soya grits
• potato starch
• salt
• yeast
• guar gum
• paprika
• colors

Nutrition

Serving Size:	27g pack (27g)	% Daily Value*
Amount Per Serving
Calories	132
Calories from Fat	57
Total Fat	6.3g	10%
Saturated Fat	0.6g	3%
Sodium	308mg	13%
Total Carbohydrates	16g	5%
Dietary Fiber	0.2g	1%
Sugars	1.1g
Protein	2.7g
Iron		0%

• Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet.

Pictures

Commercials

Among the myriad of typical advertising efforts, the company has also advertised for the Smith’s/Walker merger by offering up the Walkers Flavour Cup. This was a competition that allowed people to write in and list which flavor of these chips was their favorite. The fans who shared the most about the product that they liked best were entered to win a cash prize of £10,000. English Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding won the Flavour Cup, and the brand got a lot of notoriety on social media out of this effort.

Classic scampi fries ad:

Another classic scampi fries ad: