Skips (Snack)
Encyclopedia
Skips are a tapioca
snack from the United Kingdom
; which were first launched in 1974 as prawn cocktail. The snacks are made by United Biscuits
and sold under the KP
brand made under license from Meiji Seika
Japan. Today they are available with bacon
and cheese
flavours in addition to the traditional prawn cocktail. Other flavours, such as pickled onion
, Caribbean Spice curry (teal blue bag), Hot from Rio chilli (orange bag), Chinese spare rib (purple bag), a Limited edition ReBoot
Dots Doughnut (pink bag), and a Sweetcorn & Relish (yellow bag) have been available in the past.
Skips are similar to Chinese prawn crackers, although they are smaller and have a finer texture that makes them fizz and 'melt' on the tongue.
Since early 2006, Skips have seen a 30% reduction in saturated fat and a 10% reduction in sodium and are made with 100% sunflower oil. Skips contain no artificial colours or flavourings, and have less than 100 calories.
Packets of skips often have jokes written on the back, which are meant to be humorous to children. The children's theme has been extended in previous years with the sponsorship of Dragon's Fury, a popular attraction at Chessington World Of Adventures
. Since then though, they have rescinded the sponsorship, even though there are logos still seen around the queue line.
Ex-EastEnders
actress Daniela Denby-Ashe
, who played Sarah Hills in the show and currently plays Janey Harper in My Family, appeared in a Skips advert as a teenager. Also in the 1980s, wrestler Giant Haystacks appeared in a TV advert for Skips, with the closing line "Dainty aren't they?".
Action Biker
, a mid-1980s budget computer game from Mastertronic
featured the Clumsy Colin character from the then-current Skips adverts, as well as KP Skips branding on the case artwork.
Tapioca
Tapioca is a starch extracted Manihot esculenta. This species, native to the Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, and most of the West Indies, is now cultivated worldwide and has many names, including cassava, manioc, aipim,...
snack from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; which were first launched in 1974 as prawn cocktail. The snacks are made by United Biscuits
United Biscuits
__FORCETOC__United Biscuits is a British multinational food manufacturer, makers of the BN biscuits, McVitie's biscuits, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, The Real McCoy's crisps, Phileas Fogg snacks, Jacob's Cream Crackers, and Twiglets...
and sold under the KP
KP Snacks
KP Snacks is a British producer of branded and own-label maize and potato based snacks, "Choc Dips" and nuts. The KP originally stood for Kenyon Produce. The company is based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England....
brand made under license from Meiji Seika
Meiji Seika
is the trade name of a pharmaceutical company in Japan, , until March 31, 2011.It was the confectionery and pharmaceutical company that manufactures a wide range of products including Hello Panda and Yan Yan...
Japan. Today they are available with bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
and cheese
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
flavours in addition to the traditional prawn cocktail. Other flavours, such as pickled onion
Pickled onion
Pickled onions are a popular pickled food consisting of onions pickled in a solution of vinegar and salt, often with other preservatives and flavourings. In the United Kingdom they are often eaten alongside fish and chips or as part of a ploughman's lunch...
, Caribbean Spice curry (teal blue bag), Hot from Rio chilli (orange bag), Chinese spare rib (purple bag), a Limited edition ReBoot
ReBoot
ReBoot is a Canadian CGI-animated action-adventure cartoon series that originally aired from 1994 to 2001. It was produced by Vancouver-based production company Mainframe Entertainment, Alliance Communications, BLT Productions and created by Gavin Blair, Ian Pearson, Phil Mitchell and John Grace,...
Dots Doughnut (pink bag), and a Sweetcorn & Relish (yellow bag) have been available in the past.
Skips are similar to Chinese prawn crackers, although they are smaller and have a finer texture that makes them fizz and 'melt' on the tongue.
Since early 2006, Skips have seen a 30% reduction in saturated fat and a 10% reduction in sodium and are made with 100% sunflower oil. Skips contain no artificial colours or flavourings, and have less than 100 calories.
Packets of skips often have jokes written on the back, which are meant to be humorous to children. The children's theme has been extended in previous years with the sponsorship of Dragon's Fury, a popular attraction at Chessington World Of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park and zoo in South West London, England. It lies south of Central London. Historically opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, a theme park was developed alongside it, opening in 1987...
. Since then though, they have rescinded the sponsorship, even though there are logos still seen around the queue line.
Ex-EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
actress Daniela Denby-Ashe
Daniela Denby-Ashe
Daniela Denby-Ashe is an English actress, best known for playing the character Janey Harper in the sitcom My Family.-Early life:...
, who played Sarah Hills in the show and currently plays Janey Harper in My Family, appeared in a Skips advert as a teenager. Also in the 1980s, wrestler Giant Haystacks appeared in a TV advert for Skips, with the closing line "Dainty aren't they?".
Action Biker
Action Biker
Action Biker is a 1985 game for 8-bit home computers released by Mastertronic...
, a mid-1980s budget computer game from Mastertronic
Mastertronic
Mastertronic was originally a publisher and distributor of low-cost computer game software founded in 1983. Their first games were distributed in mid-1984. At its peak the label was the dominant software publisher in the UK, a position achieved by selling cassette-based software at the £1.99...
featured the Clumsy Colin character from the then-current Skips adverts, as well as KP Skips branding on the case artwork.