The year 1953 was a big one for New Zealand. Sir Edmund Hilary reached the summit of Mt Everest, a recently crowned Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh, arrived in Auckland for their royal tour, and a visionary named Les Saussey began cooking sliced potatoes in a converted wash house on Khyber Pass Road.
Recognising there was something to this tasty potato snack, Les introduced them to the New Zealand public, selling them along with popcorn at Auckland’s Western Springs Speedway.
With time, he brought to market the Salt &
