Jacob's Crinklys Cheese and Onion Crisps, 200g

Crinklys are crinkle cut baked snacks from Jacob's, closer to a biscuit than a crisp, and Cheese and Onion is the classic flavour. This is the 200g tube, which the listing says holds eight servings. The full product name on the pack is cheese and onion flavour crinkled snack biscuits, and the pack gives a freepost address for Jacob's; the listing notes Crinklys is a registered trade mark of pladis (UK) Limited.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from flour (wheat flour with calcium, niacin, iron, folic acid and thiamin), dried potato, sunflower oil, modified starch, natural flavourings (containing milk), polydextrose, wheat gluten, lactic acid, raising agents (disodium diphosphate and sodium bicarbonate), an emulsifier (E472e), salt and paprika extract for colour.

A biscuit, not a crisp

The full product name calls Crinklys snack biscuits, and the list reads like one: wheat flour first, with dried potato, a raising agent and an emulsifier, baked in the oven rather than fried. The crinkles give them a crisp, ridged bite.

Oven baked, not fried

The front of the tube says oven baked, not fried. The label gives 16.6g of fat per 100g, amber on the front of pack scale.

The cheese and onion

The cheese and onion taste comes from natural flavourings that contain milk, with lactic acid for the tang of a mature cheese. There is no cheese or onion powder named on the list.

The raising agents

Disodium diphosphate and sodium bicarbonate are the two halves of baking powder: together they release gas in the oven and lighten the dough.

Polydextrose and E472e

Polydextrose is a soluble fibre used to add body, and E472e is an emulsifier used in baking to strengthen the dough and give an even crumb. Wheat gluten adds more strength.

Numbers per serving

The listing gives 116 kcal (488 kJ), 4.1g of fat, 0.4g of saturates, 1.4g of sugars and 0.19g of salt for a 25g serving. That is about 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 6% of the fat and 3% of the salt. Per 100g the label gives 465 kcal (1953 kJ), 16.6g of fat, 1.8g of saturates, 67.5g of carbohydrate, 5.5g of sugars, 5.3g of fibre, 8.4g of protein and 0.75g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, every figure is amber: fat at 16.6g, saturates at 1.8g, sugars at 5.5g and salt at 0.75g. There is no red on the scale.

Salt

At 0.75g of salt per 100g and 0.19g in a 25g serving, Crinklys Cheese and Onion is the least salty Jacob's snack we stock.

Dried potato

Dried potato is the second ingredient, after the flour, so the dough is part biscuit and part potato snack, and the crinkled shape gives it the look of a crinkle cut crisp.

Sugars

Sugar does not appear on the ingredients list, so the 5.5g of sugars per 100g comes from the other ingredients. That is 1.4g in a 25g serving.

Fibre and protein

The label gives 5.3g of fibre and 8.4g of protein per 100g. Polydextrose, a soluble fibre, is part of the fibre figure, and wheat gluten adds to the protein.

Salt and sodium

Salt is near the end of the list, after the emulsifier, and sodium bicarbonate adds a little sodium too; the label's salt figure of 0.75g per 100g is worked out from all the sodium.

Fat

At 16.6g of fat per 100g, Crinklys sit just under the 17.5g line where fat turns red on the front of pack scale.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight wheat, in the flour and the wheat gluten, and milk, in the natural flavourings. The published listing gives no may contain advice. The listing says the snacks are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan, because of the milk, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

No artificial colours or flavours

The listing says there are no artificial colours or flavours. The colour is paprika extract, and the flavourings are natural.

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 tube

Crinklys come in a tube, which keeps the crinkled biscuits from breaking. The listing says the foil, the lid and the tube can all be recycled, and warns that the product may settle in transit.

Eight servings

The listing says the 200g tube holds eight servings of 25g. Put the lid back between servings to keep them crisp.

The pack

The tube in our photograph is a festive edition: green, with a red lid, the Jacob's badge at the top, the Crinklys name inside a large bauble, a cheese and onion flavour banner, an oven baked, not fried bauble, and more baubles drawn as crinkled biscuits. Seasonal designs change, so the tube you receive may look different.

Who it suits

A baked cheese and onion snack suits anyone who likes a biscuit crunch and a gentle seasoning. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten or milk.

Serving ideas

Crinklys go on a cheeseboard, beside a bowl of soup or in a lunchbox. Tip a serving into a bowl for a party.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the biscuits make a crunchy, cheesy crumb for the top of a fish pie or a macaroni cheese.

Storage and packaging

The listing advises a cool, dry place, with the best before date on the base of the tube.

Other Crinklys

Crinklys also come in six bag multipacks of Cheese and Onion and Prawn Cocktail.

Sizes of Jacob's Crinklys Cheese and Onion Crisps 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.