Australia’s most famous savoury snack has officially landed on UK shores, and it has caused a lot of discussion in the GH offices. If you’ve never heard of a snack called Shapes, let us explain.
Shapes are savoury crackers made by a company called Arnott’s (although no Australian would ever call them Arnott’s Shapes, they’re simply just “Shapes”). They’re oven-baked crackers that come in all sorts of different... shapes. There are rectangles, crimped ovals, hexagons, and they even went as far as creating one in the shape of Australia, flavoured with Vegemite no less. They’re absolutely packed with seasoning too, which is where their slogan “flavour you can see” comes from. Very literal, but also very accurate.
In Australia, there’s an ongoing and extremely passionate debate over which Shapes flavour is the best. It almost always comes down to three core flavours, which conveniently are also the three that have just launched in the UK: Pizza, Barbecue and Chicken Crimpy. Personally, myself, our social manager Bridie and our accreditation manager Frances (all Australians and very passionate Shapes fans) are firmly team Chicken Crimpy. But ask any Australian and you’ll likely get a completely different answer. It does look like the brand has decided to change the flavour from Chicken Crimpy to just 'Chicken' which is a little disappointing as it's a real peek into authentic Australian culture.
For Aussie expats like us, seeing Shapes arrive in UK supermarkets feels genuinely exciting because this is a snack every Australian grows up with. They appear at every party, picnic and BBQ, so the fact I can now casually pick up a pack in Waitrose, Morrisons or on Ocado has honestly made my year. You can find a pack for £2.50 (for 175g size).
And yes, Chicken Crimpy is still the superior flavour. Buttery, savoury, slightly sweet and absolutely covered in seasoning. The kind where your fingers are completely coated afterwards. Though we’ll happily eat Pizza and Barbecue too. Once you try them, you’ll understand the obsession.
Mel is the Senior Food & Drink Writer for Good Housekeeping UK, covering all the delicious new product launches that come her way, writing about food and drink topics, and curating gift guides for the best foodie products to buy. Alongside that, she can be found developing and creating cocktails for GH and holds her WSET Level 2 in Wine and Spirits. She was part of the Good Housekeeping Institute food testing team for over four years before moving over to the digital side, so knows a thing or two about great food products. You'll find her scouring the supermarket shelves in her spare time for new and exciting ingredients to experiment with in her kitchen.
