A New Zealander living in the UK shares an honest review of her first British KFC

One of the toughest adjustments Reach's Vita Molyneux has had to make since relocating from New Zealand to the UK two years ago is coming to terms with the state of fast food over here. Back home in New Zealand, McDonald's was a go-to hangover cure or pre-night out staple for Vita, as well as her favourite indulgent Sunday morning breakfast.

Over here, Vita barely touches it - the meat is rubbery, her chips are always lukewarm, and sundaes are nowhere to be found on the menu. Which she described as an "absolute travesty".

Vita's other beloved lunchtime treat back in New Zealand was KFC, but despite having lived in the UK for two years, she has never once treated herself to it on this side of the world. She had heard whispers from fellow Kiwi friends who'd made the same move that British KFC simply isn't worth the bother - largely because Brits don't season their chips.

She figured this couldn't possibly be accurate, so Vita took the plunge and ordered herself a KFC lunch to discover what all the fuss (or lack thereof) was about.

In the spirit of fairness, Vita ordered as close to her usual New Zealand order as she could manage, which was always identical - a popcorn chicken snack box, potato and gravy and a snack burger with cheese.

The first shock was that the UK doesn't offer potatoes and gravy together - you're required to order them separately. Vita couldn't fathom why anyone would want to eat mash without gravy.

In the UK, the snack burger is called a mini fillet burger, and there's no option to add cheese. Had Vita popped into the restaurant in person, things might have been different, but since she was using a food delivery app, she stuck with her usual order and waited in anticipation for it to arrive.

It arrived in under 20 minutes, still steaming hot. Absolutely famished, Vita immediately dived into the chips.

To her dismay, the rumours proved to be true - there wasn't a single trace of seasoning to be found.

She said: "The chips were a little limp, but hot enough, but I could not get past the lack of salt. I don't understand why anyone would want to eat chips without anything on them - where I’m from, KFC chips are so laden with salt that you need a bottle of water on hand to finish them. It’s not just any salt either - it’s chicken-flavoured salt, so there’s a delicious savoury flavour with every bite.

"However, once I added my own salt, the chips were passable. My burger was a little small and limp, but very tasty. There was just the right amount of mayonnaise, and even though the bread was sweeter than I expected, it was still delicious.

"I poured my gravy into my mash as is the usual custom in my mind and used it to dip my now salted fries in - delicious, just as I remember."

The potato had a more authentic taste than anything Vita had tried in New Zealand, and while the gravy was slightly thin, it was still perfectly pleasant.

The undisputed highlight, though, was the popcorn chicken. She described it as "absolutely perfect, light, airy, flavourful and crispy exactly as it should be."

Vita tossed the remaining chicken into her gravy and mash to create a kind of "meat cereal", which she said may sound revolting, but was genuinely satisfying to eat.

Overall, Vita's first British KFC was a lot better than she had expected; however, the lack of salt on the chips was a real disappointment. She finished her meal with one question on her mind: "Why don't KFC salt their chips in the UK?"

That said, as long as she has got salt in her cupboard at home, it certainly won't put her off ordering a takeaway again.