With such an extensive selection of flavoured crisps in shops and supermarkets today, making a particular choice can prove to be a somewhat perplexing affair. But things were so much different one hundred years ago.

In 1910, when crisps first came on the market in Britain, customers for the new wonder snack were limited to just one simple choice – plain, unsalted potato!

At that time the boss of Carter’s Wholesale Grocery Company, of which a certain Frank Smith was the manager, had been on a business trip to the United States. There he had discovered a popular snack known throughout the country as the “potato-chip”, invented in 1853 by a hotel chef known as Chief George Crum – a genuine Red Indian.

On his return to England, Carter told Smith of the amazing “chips” that he had encountered in the US. Both men realising the potential market for such a product in Britain, went into partnership together.

Between the two of them they cut wafer-thin slices of potato, fried them and packed their new product into bags that were offered for sale at tuppence (2d) each. Unfortunately for the two entrepreneurs the “crisps”, as they called them, were not such a hit with the British public as they had hoped, with the result that Carter pulled out of the business arrangement.

Undeterred by his colleague’s departure, Smith chose to carry on alone with a capital investment of £10,000 and a small manufacturing concern was set up in Cricklewood, London.

Smith’s Crisps had been born!

While Frank toured the public houses of London, promoting, selling and taking future orders for his new product, back in the former garage premises his wife toiled single-handedly slicing, frying and packing the crisps into the twopenny bags.

Although the sales were fairly encouraging, many of his customers commented that the taste of the crisps was somewhat bland. Frank was forced to re-think his sales strategy. It was at this point that he came up with the idea of leaving small glass salt cellars on the bars and tables in the pubs where he sold his crisps.

Unfortunately his plan backfired. The salt cellars were constantly being stolen!

Frank was a shrewd enough business man to know that the cost of replacing the salt cellars would seriously eat into his profits, so a better way of providing the salt had to be found.

After experimenting with various ideas, he discovered that by placing a small measure of salt in the centre of a little piece of paper, then twisting the corners in a spiral shape, the salt stayed securely wrapped within the bag.