McCoy's Hot Kick Ketchup Crisps, 6 x 25g

Ketchup with a kick: McCoy's Hot Kick Ketchup puts a sweet tomato seasoning and a hit of chilli onto a thick ridge cut crisp. This multipack holds six 25g bags, 150g in total. The current pack is marked as a limited edition, so it may not be on sale for long.

What the seasoning is made of

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower oil and a hot kick ketchup flavour seasoning. The seasoning lists sugar, natural flavouring, beetroot juice concentrate powder, dried onion, chilli powder, potassium chloride, salt, yeast extract, dried tomato, dried garlic, paprika extract for colour, ground spices (allspice and clove) and dried rosemary.

It reads like a spiced ketchup recipe. Sugar leads, as it does in the sauce. Beetroot juice powder adds an earthy sweetness and a deep red colour. Dried tomato, onion and garlic are the base of any ketchup, and allspice and clove are the warm spices that give a traditional ketchup its background note. Chilli powder, fifth on the list, is the kick in the name, and rosemary adds a small herbal lift at the end.

The lowest salt McCoy's we stock

Per 100g the label gives 0.47g of salt, the lowest figure among the McCoy's crisps in our range, level with McCoy's Yellow Mustard and well under half the 1.1g of McCoy's Hot 'n' Spicy. Per 25g bag that is 0.12g, about 2% of an average adult's daily reference intake. Potassium chloride, which tastes salty without adding sodium, sits ahead of salt on the list, and the sweetness and chilli carry much of the flavour.

Numbers for one bag

The label gives 132 kcal (550 kJ), 7.8g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 14g of carbohydrate, 0.7g of sugars, 1.1g of fibre, 1.7g of protein and 0.12g of salt for each 25g bag. Per 100g it is 527 kcal, 31g of fat, 2.6g of saturates, 2.9g of sugars and 0.47g of salt. On the UK front of pack scale fat is high, saturates and salt are medium, and sugars are low. One bag is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients. The allergy advice says the crisps may contain cereals containing gluten, milk, mustard and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians. No vegan or gluten free claim is made. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

The front of pack colours

Per 100g, the label's fat of 31g lands in the red band, above 17.5g. Saturates at 2.6g are amber. Sugars at 2.9g are green, below the 5g line, despite sugar leading the seasoning. Salt at 0.47g is amber, but only just: the band starts at 0.3g, so this is close to the green edge.

Why a ridge cut crisp

McCoy's crisps are cut with a corrugated blade into thicker, ridged slices. The ridges hold more seasoning than a flat crisp, which matters for a flavour with several layers: sweet, tomato, spice and heat. The thicker slice also gives a firmer crunch, and the crisps stand up to a dip without breaking.

How the crisps are made

Washed potatoes are sliced with the ridged blade, rinsed and fried in sunflower oil until the thicker slices have lost their water and set firm. The seasoning goes on while the crisps are warm, so the oil and the grooves hold it. The pack says the bags are packaged in a protective atmosphere.

How hot, and what with

Chilli powder sits fifth on the list, behind sugar, flavouring, beetroot and onion, so the heat is a kick at the end of a sweet flavour rather than a burn from the first bite. A ketchup crisp suits the foods ketchup suits: a bacon or sausage sandwich, a burger, fish fingers or a hot dog. For more heat, McCoy's Hot 'n' Spicy uses cayenne pepper in a 45g bag.

A limited edition

The current pack is marked limited edition, alongside McCoy's Yellow Mustard in the same six bag format. Limited editions come and go, so if you like it, it is worth buying while it is listed. The listing on this page describes the recipe on the current published label for this barcode.

The packets

The published listing says the whole packaging can be recycled with bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Storage

The pack advises a cool, dry place. Keep the bags in the outer pack until needed and finish each bag once it is opened.

Other 6 x 25g packs of McCoy's we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing names KP Snacks as the maker; the country of origin is not stated on the published listing, so check the current pack. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.