In 1980, Largo Food’s CEO, Raymond Coyle, was supplying Tayto with potatoes which he grew on his family farm just outside Ashbourne, Co Meath. Today, he owns the company!

Tassy Goodall, a chef who works with Sainsbury’s to develop its Taste the Difference crisps, says that the UK crisp market has been influenced by global food trends. “Because the UK is so multicultural and we’re quite well connected with different cultures through restaurants specialising in different cuisines like Middle Eastern food and regional Indian dishes, it gives us more leeway to use more unusual or interesting flavours.” How is it possible that, in 60 years, British shops have gone from selling one crisp flavour to selling hundreds – and why are seasonings becoming more unusual? What led Kettle Chips to release a “truffled cheese and a splash of English sparkling wine” flavour in October? Was there a mad scientific breakthrough that caused Walkers to release bratwurst, paella, haggis and spaghetti bolognese crisps in 2010?Climate change is going to change agricultural production: people will eat less meat, there will be finite availability of certain kinds of produce, or at least a higher cost to pay,” she says. “But I think, because flavour is potent in very small quantities, it’s one of the things you’ll be able to expand.” As our food options shrink, Berenstein argues, artificial flavourings could become more prevalent as we look to mix up our limited diets.

Hovey works on roughly 12 new flavours at any one time, but he says only half of these see the light of day. “I spend a lot of time working in the future. It takes me eight months to make a seasoning, so I’m trying to make something that’s going to be bang on trend in eight months’ time.” Sometimes this means the chef misses the mark – his team have been known to cry: “What are you making?!” – while other flavours make it to taste-testing groups that ultimately disapprove. The iconic red King bag is recognisable everywhere and has witnessed merely subtle changes since its inception in the 1960's."Original and best? Despite the plethora of choice, traditional flavours are still popular. Photograph: Les Gibbon/Alamy Crisps. For good reason, they are among the most beloved treats on the planet. Nothing beats the delightful crunch of a perfectly cooked crisp or the taste explosion that comes with each bite. But where did these tasty morsels come from? Who were the creative minds behind them as well? Explore the fascinating history of crisps to find out! For Walkers, novelty arrived in 2009 in the form of its “Do us a flavour” competition, which asked the public to come up with seasoning ideas. The winners – among them chilli and chocolate, cajun squirrel and builder’s breakfast – led the way for the brand’s 2010 World Cup range, including yorkshire pudding, bratwurst, garlic bread, salsa, paella and haggis flavours.