McCoy's Salt and Malt Vinegar Crisps, 6 x 25g

The McCoy's Salt and Malt Vinegar multipack holds six 25g bags of thick ridge cut crisps, 150g in total. The full product name on the pack is Salt and Malt Vinegar Flavour Potato Crisps. Small bags suit a flavour this strong: a 25g bag is enough of a sharp, salty crisp for one sitting.

The seasoning

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower oil and a salt and malt vinegar flavour seasoning of salt, natural flavouring, sugar, dextrose, citric acid, rice flour, dried yeast extract, maltodextrin, a stabiliser (potassium phosphate) and dried barley malt vinegar extract.

The flavour comes in three parts. Salt, first on the list, gives the strength. Citric acid and the dried malt vinegar extract give the sharpness, the vinegar adding a malty depth that plain acids lack. Sugar and dextrose soften the edges, and yeast extract makes it taste seasoned rather than simply sour. Rice flour and maltodextrin are carriers that help the powder coat the ridges evenly.

Gluten, clearly marked

The malt vinegar is made from barley, so the published ingredients highlight cereals containing gluten. For a household with a coeliac member or anyone avoiding gluten, these are the bags to keep apart. That matters in the McCoy's Classic Variety boxes too, where salt and malt vinegar bags sit beside cheddar and onion and salted. The allergy advice adds that the crisps may contain milk, mustard and soya. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Numbers for one bag

The label gives 132 kcal (552 kJ), 7.8g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 14g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 1g of fibre, 1.6g of protein and 0.53g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 9% of the salt. Per 100g it is 529 kcal, 31g of fat, 2.5g of saturates, 1.9g of sugars and 2.1g of salt. On the UK front of pack scale fat and salt are high, saturates medium and sugars low.

Salt is the number to watch. At 2.1g per 100g it is above the 1.5g line where the scale turns red, and it is the highest salt figure among the McCoy's crisps we stock. The 25g bag keeps the amount to 0.53g, which is where a multipack earns its keep for a flavour like this.

Front of pack colours

On the UK scale, per 100g, fat at 31g and salt at 2.1g are both coloured red; saturates at 2.5g are amber and sugars at 1.9g are green. The salt figure is the one to note: it is above the 1.5g line where the scale turns red, and it is the reason a small bag suits this flavour.

A tip for salt watchers

If you like the malt vinegar flavour but want less salt, keep a bag of McCoy's Cheddar and Onion in the same cupboard for the days you want a milder crisp: its label gives 0.24g of salt per bag against 0.53g here. For a salt and vinegar with far less salt, Walkers Salt and Vinegar shows 0.64g per 100g on its label.

How the crisps are made

McCoy's are ridge cut: washed potatoes pass through a corrugated blade, and the thick slices are rinsed and fried in sunflower oil until the water has cooked out. The seasoning is tumbled on while they are warm, and the grooves hold plenty of it. The pack says the bags are packaged in a protective atmosphere.

Six bags for the week

Six bags cover a working week with one to spare, and each sealed bag stays crisp until the day it is opened. Pair each with something plain or rich, such as a cheese or egg sandwich, and a drink of water. In the kitchen, a crushed bag makes a sharp, crunchy coating for fish goujons, with the malt vinegar doing the job of the vinegar you would shake over fish and chips. It also works as a sharp crumb over mushy peas, pea soup or a fish pie, bringing the flavour of the chip shop to the plate.

The boxes it shares

Salt and malt vinegar is in both McCoy's Classic Variety boxes: two bags in the six bag box and four in the twelve bag box. The same flavour also comes in a 45g bag and a 140g sharing bag. In the same six bag format we stock McCoy's Cheddar and Onion, Flame Grilled Steak and Thai Sweet Chicken, and the limited edition Hot Kick Ketchup and Yellow Mustard.

The packets and storage

The published listing says the whole packaging can be recycled with bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling. The pack advises storing it in a cool, dry place; keep the bags in the outer pack and finish each bag once opened.

Sizes of McCoy's Salt and Malt Vinegar Crisps we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

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