Snack Time.

I suppose that most of us of a certain age can remember only too well when your choice of potato crisps was confined to Smiths Plain with the salt in a little twist of blue paper at the bottom of the packet. I can remember when Golden Wonder brought in cheese and onion flavoured crisps and the flavour was so stong to the untrained palate that it made me feel sick. Then we had beef and onion, salt and vinegar and all the rest ubtil we get to the present day when we have exotic flavours like jalepino pepper and tomato and basol. Along the way we have had some bizarre flavours such as hedgehog although no flaviur featuring deep fried mars bars has yet appeared.

Alongside the crisps in the pub we have had an assortment of nuts and the notorious pork scratchings, known for destroying the teeth of the unwary, although more gum friendly products now seem to be in circulation. Then we have had the pickled snacks such as eggs and gherkins.

According to the thinking of the medical professionals most, if not all, of these snacks would be regarded as being hazardous to our heallth but the pub experience wouild not be the same without them. After all, if you are going to risk your health with the occasional pint too many pints of Old Sock Rot you might as well complete your rebellion against the health police with a pickled egg and a packet of cheese and onion..