Walkers English Bangers & Mash

 

This is the only World Cup tie in crisp that I have found this year. There nearly always seems to be a World Cup tie in. Not for the Olympics which seems to feature hundreds of sports, with more added every time, but for football which I think is one of the most boring sports in the world (just my personal opinion). Are crisps only eaten by football fans?

Anyway, yes I am aware the tournament is over, and that Spain won. Well done Spain! But I didn’t find these crisps until it was all over. And then I had to buy a multi pack.

So, what do we have here? English Bangers &Mash; oh, excuse me, the flavour is inspired by bangers and mash. Hmm…I’m not sure. The aroma is of something that might be sausage (bangers), but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of the mash. 

Graffiti Artist taste tester tried a packet. He said he quite liked them. But his reaction was really tepid rather than enthusiastic.

I gather from the internet that I might also have bought Spanish Queso Wavy crisps, Portuguese Chorizo &Onion, or Wotsits Golden Balls Smokin’ Cheese. Only I haven’t seen any of these and I don’t propose to buy them off eBay. But you could if you wanted to. Probably for a limited time only.

You all know what Walkers crisps are like. Usually very reliable. I’m not sure this is one of their best offerings. I didn’t like them.

PS Unbelievable but true, my silly crispy snack blog which I only began because the weather on our summer holiday was very wet, has hit over one million views. 

Walkers Quavers Red Leicester

I,  and more than 4,000 other people, were extremely offended by an Instagram post recently where a family of Americans thundered round a UK supermarket and basically mocked everything in the shop for being “wrong”. Because everything was a UK product or a UK flavour… well, of course: they were in the UK. The family had much to say about Walkers having the wrong name (because they aren’t called Lay’s in the UK) and criticising the flavours for being wrong. Doh! Products in different countries have different names and different flavours. Imagine that.

So I hope if any readers visit an American (German/Icelandic/Peruvian/Korean) supermarket any time soon they will be polite enough to notice that the products are different, and not wrong.

And here’s a snack from Walkers who are, yes we admit it, owned by Lay’s: Quavers. A much loved snack in the UK. Yes, I think we are probably all prepared to admit that they are made of 100% expanded polystyrene (not actually), but basically the main ingredient, potato starch, has been manipulated into a crispy snack that pops on the tongue and might just as well be polystyrene (not really). So they’re definitely not a crisp. Or chip. Look, don’t @ me.

Although Quavers claims to be a cheesy snack, and does have a nice crunch, and a lovely pop, they really only taste of pretend ultra processed not really cheese. Not to worry, I like them very much despite this. And they’ve been going for quite some time so I guess a lot of other people like them too.

Anyway, I saw a packet of Red Leicester Quavers the other day, so I thought why not. A bit more cheesy than the original flavour I think. Rather tasty. 

I would definitely eat another packet of these.

NB Don’t forget Leicester is pronounced Lester.

Walkers Sensations Oven Roasted Peanuts Honey and Salt Flavour

Here we go again, another year, another snack to write about, and just for a change (not) here’s another packet of nuts. Because I wanted to compare Honey Roast Peanuts with Honey and Salt flavour nuts.

You might suppose that they would be pretty nearly identical but you would be wrong. The Honey and Salt are much less sweet than the Honey Roast, and considerably more salty. Much more to my taste. Lots of delicious flavour dust. Very nice. 

But sadly the peanuts are not so good. Smaller and harder than KP nuts usually are. 

However, this is a good option if you fancy a sweet and salty nut.

I wonder why Walkers chose Californian honey? Surely there is plenty of honey produced in the UK, or failing that, Europe?

Walkers Heinz Tomato Ketchup

 

 I’m pretty sure I haven’t tried these crisps before. And I’m not very sure I should have bothered.

Tomatoes are quite sharp and almost citrusy, and ketchup can be quite sharp too. So we need something to sort out the flavour. And in many cases, a spoonful of sugar will do the job.

I think the flavour of these crisps is just too thin. And the crisps themselves are quite thin. Not a lot of crunch really.

Not bad, not nasty, perfectly edible but just not quite right. They just don’t seem to taste of ketchup. Honestly, Walkers, I think you could do better.

There are even TV ads for this flavour. That’s not going to change my mind, Sorry Walkers.

What other ketchup flavours have we tried? What about this one?

Walkers Wotsits Crunchy R-R-Really Cheesy

I’m not really sure what to say about this r-r-really cheesy flavour from Wotsits Crunchy. Strangely, if you ask me or the Chef, we think this crispy snack tastes less cheesy than a regular Cheesy Wotsit. 

I suspect the basic Wostsit Crunchy recipe tastes different to the basic Wotsit recipe, and the cheesy tasting flavour dust doesn’t have the same effect on these crunchy snacks. It might be the exact same cheesy flavour, it might be extra r-r-really cheesy but there we are.

Here’s what we thought about another flavour of Wotsits Crunchy.

Honestly I really don’t know why Walkers thought it would be a good plan to mess with the fabulous traditional Wotsit recipe. Yes, of course, this newer crispy snack may appeal to some… but I think I will stick with the original. 

And if you really want to know, yes they are cheesy, but I am not convinced they are r-r-really cheesy.

I don’t know why anyone thought to put this crispy snack in a Hallowe’en themed packet. Who knows? No bat or ghost shaped snacks here. And as so often these days, quite half the packet was filled with nothing but air. 

Walkers Wotsits Crunchy Sweet & Spicy Flamin’ Hot

Hmmn…. If you ask me, calling this crispy corn based snack a Wotsit is somewhat disingenuous. Honestly, these are not corn puffs and they aren’t at all like the fabulous corn based puff that is a Wotsit. I feel a bit cheated.

Yes, I know, I shouldn’t take taste testing crispy snacks so seriously, but Wotsits are wonderful and this snack isn’t.

It reminds me a little of the Italian Fonzies the Chef and I tried once, or if you are a fan of Australian snacks, think Twisties. But tasting rather different and quite orange.

But not to worry, at least not too much, because they are crunchy. And they are covered in lots of tasty orange flavour dust. And they are quite spicy, but unless my taste buds have had a major personality transplant, I really don’t think they can be described as flamin’ hot. Except, wait, wait, it appears that flamin’ hot is not a description but rather a flavour. Which includes all manner of ultra processed ingredients such as acidity regulators, disodium 5’-ribonuceotide, hydrolysed vegetable protein and sulphite amonia caramel. Yes, I imagine your guess is as good as mine.

I can’t put my finger on what this crispy corn (maize) based snack actually tastes of. A bit sweet and sour. A bit of a kick. Sort of paprika.

However, do you genuinely want flamin’ hot? Let me introduce you to the impossibly volcanic Takis Fuego snack I found in Switzerland earlier this year. That’s what we in the taste testing trade call much too hot.

Walkers Squares Ready Salted

And here, plucked from a multi pack, is the unadulterated version of Walkers Squares. Well, it’s what we in the UK call ready salted. Because in the olden days, the first years of crisp manufacturing, you got a packet of fried potato slices and a little blue bag of salt which you untwisted and added the salt yourself. Only then was the huge technological leap of the ready salted crisp invented. Or indeed the ready salt & vinegared or ready cheese & onioned crisp, but of course we don’t call them that.

Anyway, with just salt as the flavour, you can taste just how different reconstituted potato products are from potato crisps. Nice texture, easy to eat. I rather like the flavour but would I want to eat them every day? I think not.

Here’s another square snack I think I must have liked better, from Marks & Spencer.

In other matters, recently someone was referred to this blog by Wikipedia. I wish I knew how that happened. Oh look at that… it’s here. Scroll down. I wasn’t expecting ever to be a reference on Wikipedia. 

Walkers Squares Cheese and Onion

Way back in 2014 I tried a packet of Walkers Squares Salt & Vinegar flavour. And it looks as though whoever got a taste, as well as me that is, quite enjoyed them. 

But it seems I have never thought of trying any other flavour of Walkers Squares. So, at last, slightly more than 10 years later, here we have the Cheese & Onion version. It’s interesting that Squares seem to be going strong, because in the last 10 years many crispy snacks, including lots reviewed on this blog, have disappeared from sight.

And what did we think? Well, Squares aren’t the same as potato crisps. They aren’t slices of potato, but made of reconstituted potato granules, and they taste quite different. So as a base for a flavour, Squares give quite a different result. And I don’t think that Cheese & Onion works. It’s fine to start off with, but as you snack through even a tiny 22g packet, the flavour works less and less well.

I asked Ski Instructor Taste Tester who ate a whole packet, because he was hungry, but he admitted he wasn’t that impressed. The Chef tried some too but he’s gone to sleep so I can’t ask what he thought.

Not bad but not tip top.

Article in The Guardian newspaper about crisp flavours (worth a look)

 

Oh dear! I hadn’t realised I had abandoned all of you crisp fans for so long. There have been so many other things to keep up with. I must write up some more crispy snacks very soon.

But forgive me and do read this article from The Guardian this weekend. It’s very interesting, well, I say very interesting, and of course to me it is…. So let’s say you might find it an interesting read. It’s about crisp flavours.

See what you think.

Walkers Baked Wotsits Giants

Really cheesy. Well, not exactly tasting of actual cheese, but definitely tasting of the fabulously fake ‘cheese flavour’ of so many crispy snacks. But don’t take this as a criticism. I love cheese flavour snacks and this is a very good one.

Yes, they are just like the original Cheesy Wotsits, just about three times the size. And they taste the same and are just as moreish (which someone from Ohio once told me is not a word used in the United States - can that really be the case?).

 Very moreish indeed. Very hard to avoid having another one. 

Except… and for me I’m afraid this is a very big except, they really do gum themselves to your teeth like cement. With a regular sized Wotsit you can rid yourself of the squished puffed corn sogginess gummed to your teeth with your tongue. The giant version required much poking and prodding with a searching finger. So that is a bit of an issue for me.

I should have photographed the glossy blue packet before it got all scrumpled up but never mind, you’ve all seen a crisp packet before.

Walkers Quavers Salt & Vinegar

Quavers, a light curly potato snack, are usually flavoured with cheese. And I like them very much. I love the texture, I like the taste. 

But earlier this week, stopping off at a motorway service station in Kent, the Chef and I came across Salt & Vinegar flavour Quavers. It’s possible they’ve been available for ages but, for whatever reason, we haven’t come across them before.

And the verdict? Delicious. Really very good indeed. Although I wouldn’t recommend them if you don’t generally like salt & vinegar as a flavour. 

Highly recommended for everyone else. 

The Chef doesn’t really go for salt & vinegar, but he was pleased to admit they weren’t too bad.

I notice that grab bags have got a lot smaller since I last looked.

Monster Munch Roast Beef

Isn’t this a great way to use a crisp packet design? I found this work of art on Instagram recently. You can buy Little Fish Designs from Art Republic.

Here’s a review of from Monster Munch Pickled Onion flavour from 2013. I have never been mad keen on these crispy snacks; perhaps because I never came across Monster Munch as a child. But I do know a big fan, in fact it’s (now ex-)Managerial Taste Tester’s wife. She has never quite recovered from the most exciting day of her life (except for giving birth to her two children, but apparently not including her wedding day): the day the Monster Munch taste testing team visited her primary school! She and her friends got to trial a bunch of new flavours! Amazing.

Also now available Monster Munch Giants shown here in Roast Beef flavour.

Walkers Sensations Hickory Smoked Cheddar & Crispy Bacon

Ski Instructor told me that he and Farmer’s Daughter had poured over this blog the whole evening before the Chef and I went round for a drink and to admire their new garden. He claimed they wanted to be sure I had a fresh crisp to try. 

I am quite certain he completely made that up but in fact Farmer’s Daughter did manage to find a crisp we hadn’t seen before.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the actual crisps, and the crunch is just fine, but I am not too sure about the flavour. The cheesiness isn’t tip top; I am not certain that smoked cheese is the way to go with a flavour for crisps. And the crispy bacon? How can you create a crispy flavour? Well obviously you can’t.

Not nasty at all, just not particularly special.

The packet says “new” but we don’t know how long that label has been around.

Walkers Max Strong Hot Chicken Wings

Photo by Tech Taste Tester (stolen off Instagram)

Tech Taste Tester contacted me with news that he had just tried this crinkle cut crisp from Walkers. And he can confirm the taste is as hot as indicated on the packet. I am waiting for news on whether the taste is chickeny or not. It might not be. 

However, he points out that this is another crisp which suggests you pair it with beer. And therefore we think it qualifies as a “man crisp”. Tech Taste Tester, an actual man, deplores this. He says, in a swift Instagram message, “ladies do drink beer, but there’s a few too many other macho stereotypes and symbols used [on the packet]”. Why Walkers? Why do you do this? Does it really matter who enjoys this flavour? For goodness sake: it’s 2020 not 1975.

I looked in my local supermarket and discovered that both this Walkers Max flavour, and Jalapeño & Cheese, which the reluctant taste testers tried a couple of years ago, are on special this week. I wonder if they’re not very popular?

Anya Hindmarch: Anya Brands Walkers Clutch Cheese & Onion

Not a packet of crisps at all, but an astonishingly fabulous clutch from British handbag designer Anya Hindmarch. The design of course is taken from the classic (possibly even iconic) Walkers Cheese and Onion crisp packet all decked out in sequins and jewels. Wow! What more could the true crisp fan ask for?

Unfortunately because this bag is so fabulous it is also rather expensive. So I haven’t got one, and I honestly don’t think I could justify buying one. Especially as I don’t exactly frequent the sort of fancy function where you might carry a bag like this. However, a girl can dream.

So why not take yourself over to anyahindmarch.com and check out her other gorgeous bags. Or her slightly more affordable leather stickers (look under accessories).

This design is in blueberry. The bag also comes in dark teal (salt & vinegar), black (barbecue), and magenta (prawn cocktail).

Photo ©️Anya Hindmarch

Walkers Poppables BBQ Rib Flavour

New! Perfectly poppable crispy potato bites says the packet, oh so tasty,  crunchy 3D shape, and Mmmm. Well, let’s give this a try.

Interesting. Looking at the packet you can’t really tell how much latticework is involved in these 3D crispy snacks. Some are round, some a pointy oval. Some coloured with a little red flavour dust, some not so much. And very few breakages which is always a good sign. But you probably know I am a sucker for a lattice snack.

And the taste: BBQ ribs... which doesn’t inspire much confidence in the old fashioned snacker or reluctant taste tester, is considerably more subtle than I was expecting. I am absolutely not sure how  BBQ Rib flavour differs from a BBQ anything else flavour but there you go. The Walkers website tells me this shape comes in Cheddar Cheese and Sweet Chili too. I haven’t seen either to try them.

A nice gentle crunch and a gentle taste too.

Taste the poppabilities!

Walkers Turkey & Stuffing

Here's another crisp from the Walkers 2018 Christmas multipack.

I don't really understand why some flavours make a great crisp while others don't. But turkey always seems to work very well. Usually a limited edition crisp available at Christmastime (at least in the UK); I wonder if they have turkey crisps all year round in the United States? Of perhaps for thanksgiving? Or maybe not at all. I must interrogate my American friends.

Anyhow, the reluctant taste testers were grateful to Slightly Red Haired Bristolian for purchasing the two Christmas multipacks, and therefore this packet of crisps. Because it's a rather good crisp. The stuffing part of the flavour works as well as the turkey.

Not bad at all and snacked up speedily before lunch.

We did taste test this crisp in December. It just fell to the bottom of the list of crispy snacks I had to write up.

Walkers Cheese & Cranberry

Here's another crisp from Walkers' Christmas multi-pack.

Cheese & Cranberry. Is that a thing? If it is, it's not a thing on my horizon so I will just carry on thinking it's a bit of a strange flavour for a crisp. Or an anything.

Hmmn... on the back of the packet it says here at Walkers we've developed a range of delicious festive flavours. What a treat! You've chosen the quintessential festive after-dinner treat. I haven't checked with a dictionary - actually I'm going to do that just now (see below).

So, not convinced that Walkers actually know what quintessential means. But anyhow the reluctant taste testers leaped right in and tried this slightly unusual flavour. And some of them weren't mad keen, but Slightly Red Haired Bristolian was very taken with this crisp. "I might have to buy some more," she said, even though she couldn't detect any cranberry.

I  couldn't detect any cranberry either, and I did think the taste was a bit sharp. I wasn't convinced by this flavour but I can introduce you to a fan.

quintessential

/ˌkwɪntɪˈsɛnʃ(ə)l/

adjective

1. representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class.

   
   

   "he was the quintessential tough guy—strong, silent, and self-contained"

   synonyms:

   typical, prototypical, stereotypical, archetypal, classic, model, essential, standard, stock, representative, true to type, conventional;

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e testers tried this mystery flavour with the accustomed bravery (because some crispy snacks are just plain 

Walkers Christmas Multi-Pack 2018

Turkey & Stuffing, Brussels Sprouts and Pigs in Blankets in the Sprout Lovers Collection

Glazed Ham, Turkey & Stuffing and Cheese & Cranberry in the Sprout Haters Collection

If you haven't yet tried these multi-packs there may still be some in the shops. 

Actual crisps reviewed in other posts. 

Walkers Brussels Sprout

This winter, this Christmas season, Walkers have decided to enliven this crisp market with a Brussels sprout flavour crisp. Spotted in Sainsburys by Slightly Red Haired Bristolian, and kindly donated by her, this is one crisp in a Christmas multi-pack.

Oddly (quite successfully) green, these crisps smelled wonderfully sprouty. Well, wonderfully if you like sprouts. I'm never quite sure whether I like sprouts or not, but I think I am sure that sprout is not a good flavour for a crisp.

The reluctant taste testers who like sprouts were, I think, quite impressed at the sproutiness. But I'm not convinced they actually appreciated the flavour. Those who dislike sprouts would not, of course, go anywhere near them.

Interesting. And a clever marketing move.

Merry Christmas!

"I shouldn't expect them to be green," said the Family Vegetarian... but they are. And she was agreeably surprised at the aroma/taste. But what a disappointment: no actual sprouts in these crisps!