Golden Wonder Beef and Onion Crisps, 6 x 25g

Beef and Onion is one of the classic British meaty crisp flavours, and Golden Wonder makes it with no meat at all. This multipack holds six 25g bags, 150g in all, and the pack says each bag is one serving. The full product name on the pack is beef and onion flavour potato crisps, and the pack names Golden Wonder Ltd of Corby, Northamptonshire, as the maker for Great Britain.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (rapeseed and sunflower in varying proportions) and a beef and onion seasoning of rice flour, onion powder, a flavour enhancer (monosodium glutamate), yeast extract powder, flavouring, salt, sugar, potassium chloride, citric acid and paprika extract for colour.

Beef without beef

There is no beef on the list. The beefy taste comes from yeast extract powder, the flavouring and monosodium glutamate, the savoury trio behind most meat flavoured crisps, and the pack says the crisps are suitable for vegans.

Onion

Onion powder is the first named flavour in the seasoning, after the rice flour that carries it, so onion leads, with the beef note behind it. A little sugar rounds the onion.

Rice flour

Rice flour heads the seasoning. It carries the flavour so it spreads evenly over each crisp, and it contains no gluten.

MSG and yeast extract

The flavour enhancer is monosodium glutamate, and yeast extract powder is naturally rich in glutamates too. Anyone who avoids MSG should choose another flavour; Golden Wonder Cheese and Onion also uses it, so read each list.

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 1.32g of salt per 100g and 0.33g for each bag.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 129 kcal (538 kJ), 7.7g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 12.8g of carbohydrate, 0.3g of sugars, 0.9g of fibre, 1.7g of protein and 0.33g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 11% of the fat and 6% of the salt. Per 100g it is 516 kcal (2151 kJ), 30.8g of fat, 2.8g of saturates, 51.3g of carbohydrate, 1.1g of sugars, 3.5g of fibre, 6.7g of protein and 1.32g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 30.8g is red, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 2.8g are amber. Sugars at 1.1g are green. Salt at 1.32g is amber, in the upper part of its band.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients, and the published listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the crisps are suitable for vegans, which covers vegetarians too. There is no gluten free claim, though no gluten containing cereal is on the list. 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, flavours or preservatives. The colour is paprika extract.

The oils

The crisps are fried in rapeseed and sunflower oils, in varying proportions. The label gives 2.8g of saturates per 100g, amber on the front of pack scale.

The slice

The crisps are classic thin slices of potato, fried and seasoned, with a crisp, clean snap.

Salt across the range

At 1.32g of salt per 100g, Beef and Onion sits between Cheese and Onion at 1.23g and Tomato Ketchup at 1.38g among the Golden Wonder six packs we stock; Salt and Vinegar has the most, at 1.68g.

More punch per crunch

The front of the pack carries the line more punch per crunch, and the seasoning is generous, with the onion coming through strongly.

The pack

The brown bag carries the red Golden Wonder name with the line more punch per crunch around it, a crisp beside the figure 6 and the words beef and onion.

Six bags

At 25g, each bag is one serving, 129 kcal. Six bags cover a school or working week with one to spare.

Who it suits

A meaty flavour with no meat and a vegan statement suits a mixed table, including vegans who miss a beef and onion crisp. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding MSG.

Serving ideas

Beef and onion goes in a cheese or ham sandwich, beside a bowl of oxtail or French onion soup, or with a pint of bitter.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a savoury, oniony crumb for the top of a cottage pie or a bean chilli.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place.

Other Golden Wonder flavours

In the same six bag format we stock Golden Wonder Cheese and Onion, Salt and Vinegar and Tomato Ketchup. Beef and onion is also one of the four flavours in the Golden Wonder Meaty box of sixteen bags.

Other 6 x 25g packs of Golden Wonder we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.