Golden Wonder Cheese and Onion Crisps, 6 x 25g

Golden Wonder Cheese and Onion is a classic British cheese and onion crisp, onion first and cheese behind. 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 cheese 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 cheese and onion seasoning of onion powder, sugar, whey powder (milk), salt, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotides), yeast powder, cheese powder (milk), flavouring (milk), citric acid, paprika extract for colour and black pepper extract.

Onion first

Onion powder leads the seasoning, so onion is the first flavour, softened by sugar. Whey powder and cheese powder give the cheese behind it, and citric acid a light sharpness.

Whey and cheese

Whey powder, a dried milk ingredient, sits third in the seasoning, ahead of the cheese powder, and gives the cheese flavour a milky, creamy base.

Sugar

Sugar is second in the seasoning and softens the onion, but the label gives 3.5g of sugars per 100g and 0.9g in a bag, green on the front of pack scale.

Black pepper extract

A little black pepper extract sits at the end of the list. It adds a faint warmth rather than heat, and there is no chilli.

MSG

The flavour enhancers are monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotides, with yeast powder for more savoury depth. The pack says no artificial flavours; flavour enhancers are a separate class of additive, so anyone who avoids MSG should read the list.

Yeast powder

Yeast powder adds savoury depth alongside the flavour enhancers. Yeast is naturally rich in glutamates too, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

The slice

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

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.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 130 kcal (544 kJ), 7.7g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 13.3g of carbohydrate, 0.9g of sugars, 0.9g of fibre, 1.7g of protein and 0.31g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 11% of the fat and 5% of the salt. Per 100g it is 521 kcal (2175 kJ), 30.6g of fat, 2.8g of saturates, 53.2g of carbohydrate, 3.5g of sugars, 3.7g of fibre, 6.6g of protein and 1.23g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 30.6g is red, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 2.8g are amber. Sugars at 3.5g are green. Salt at 1.23g is amber, in the upper part of its band.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey powder, the cheese powder and the flavouring. The published listing gives no may contain advice. The pack says the crisps are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan, because of the milk, and there is no gluten free claim. 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.

Salt across the range

At 1.23g of salt per 100g, Cheese and Onion is the least salty Golden Wonder we stock. Beef and Onion has 1.32g, Tomato Ketchup 1.38g and Salt and Vinegar 1.68g.

More punch per crunch

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

The pack

The green 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 cheese and onion.

Six bags

At 25g, each bag is one serving, 130 kcal. Six bags cover a school or working week with one to spare.

Who it suits

A classic, onion led cheese and onion suits a lunchbox or a pub style snack. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk or MSG.

Serving ideas

Cheese and onion goes in a ham or cheese sandwich, beside a bowl of tomato soup or with a pint of bitter.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make an oniony, cheesy crumb for the top of a cauliflower cheese or a fish pie.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place.

Other Golden Wonder flavours

In the same six bag format we stock Golden Wonder Salt and Vinegar, Tomato Ketchup and Beef and Onion. Cheese and onion also comes in the Golden Wonder Variety box of sixteen bags, four of them cheese and onion.

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.