Discos Salt and Vinegar Crisps, 105g

Discos are round, crisp discs from KP Snacks, made from a wheat and potato dough rather than a sliced potato, and Salt and Vinegar is the classic flavour. This is the 105g sharing bag, which the label suggests serves three to four. The full product name on the pack is salt and vinegar flavour wheat snack, and the pack gives a freepost address for KP Snacks.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from wheat starch, dried potato, sunflower oil, wheat flour (with calcium, niacin, iron, folic acid and thiamin), a salt and vinegar flavour (natural flavouring, rice flour, salt, potassium chloride, citric acid, malic acid, dried barley malt vinegar extract and dried yeast extract) and an emulsifier (mono and diglycerides of fatty acids).

A wheat snack, not a crisp

The first ingredient is wheat starch, with dried potato second, so a Disco is a formed snack made from a dough, not a slice of potato. That is why the pack calls it a wheat snack, and why every disc is the same round shape and even thickness.

The emulsifier

Mono and diglycerides of fatty acids are an emulsifier that helps the starch, potato and oil dough hold together and set evenly, giving the discs their smooth, regular crunch.

Malt vinegar

The vinegar is dried barley malt vinegar extract, the brown vinegar of the chip shop, and it is why barley is highlighted as a cereal containing gluten. Citric and malic acid sharpen the tang, and natural flavouring leads the seasoning.

No MSG

The pack says no MSG, and none is on the list. Dried yeast extract is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride sits in the seasoning beside salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium. The label gives 1.7g of salt per 100g and 0.51g for a 30g serving.

Numbers per serving

The label gives 157 kcal (655 kJ), 9g of fat, 1.7g of saturates, 17g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 0.8g of fibre, 1g of protein and 0.51g of salt for each 30g serving. That is about 8% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 13% of the fat and 9% of the salt. Per 100g it is 522 kcal (2182 kJ), 30g of fat, 5.5g of saturates, 58g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 2.6g of fibre, 3.3g of protein and 1.7g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 30g is red. Saturates at 5.5g are red too, just over the 5g line. Sugars at 0.5g are green. Salt at 1.7g is red.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight wheat, in the wheat starch and wheat flour, and barley, in the malt vinegar extract. The allergy advice says the snacks may contain milk. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What the pack leaves out

The pack says there are no artificial colours or flavours, and there is no colour on the list at all.

Fortified flour

UK wheat flour is fortified with calcium, iron, niacin and thiamin, and this list adds folic acid, which is why those five appear in brackets.

The crunch

A formed disc has a smooth, even crunch, lighter and more regular than a fried potato slice, and every one is the same shape.

The pack

The blue bag carries the Discos name in a glitter ball, with rays of light behind it, salt and vinegar in yellow, a red more to share band across the top and the 105g weight.

Who it suits

A sharp, even crunch suits anyone who likes a salt and vinegar snack that is the same in every bite. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten.

Serving the bag

Tip a serving into a bowl for a film night or a party, or beside fish and chips at home. It goes with a cold lager.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the discs make a sharp, fine crumb for fish goujons or the top of mushy peas.

Three to four servings

The label suggests three to four servings of 30g. Tip a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place and, once opened, an airtight container. The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other Discos

The same recipe comes in a 50g grab bag and a six pack of 25.5g bags, and Salt and Vinegar is one of the three flavours in the Discos Variety six pack.

Sizes of Discos Salt and Vinegar Crisps we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.