Food and Drink: Good taste - Cape Cod Potato Chips

While we are well-acquainted with packets of New York Cheddar Kettle Chips and Sour Cream Pringles, Cape Cod chips are a new variation on the theme. Rather like single-estate teas and special-variety apple juices, Cape Cod is promoting single-variety potato crops. With names like Golden Russet and Yukon Gold, you could be forgiven for confusing them with types of apple.

Like many novel ideas, Cape Cod started off as a hobby for its founder, Steve Bernard. A bit of a potato buff, he whiled away many a spare hour chipping locally grown Maine potato varieties and playing with his deep- fat fryer. Soon his cottage industry was a full-blown enterprise. According to Alan McGhee, chairman of the Boston Food Company, which imports Cape Cod: "The British spend about pounds 800m a year on crisps. As several of us had been involved with Phileas Fogg, we were familiar with the market and felt there was an opening. Our chips are spun to remove any excess oil, so they have a lower fat content than most other crisps. And they are hand-cooked in high-quality rapeseed oil."

Cape Cod chips come in five varieties: Yukon Gold, Golden Russet, Dark Russet, Original Lightly Salted, and 25 per cent Reduced Fat, for crisp eaters worried about their waistline. Aoife O'Riordain

Cape Cod Potato Chips, approx pounds 1.35, are available from Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Safeway and independent stores. For stockist information, call 01892 833554.