Nik Naks Nice 'n' Spicy Snacks, 6 x 20g

This is the classic Nik Naks in the original Nice 'n' Spicy flavour, in six 20g bags: knobbly, irregular sticks of corn with a sweet, curried seasoning. The listing says each bag is one serving. The full product name on the pack is Nice 'n' Spicy flavour corn snack, and the pack gives a freepost address for KP Snacks.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from maize, sunflower oil and a Nice 'n' Spicy flavour of sugar, yeast extract, natural flavourings (containing barley malt vinegar, barley malt extract, soya sauce and wheat flour), salt, dried onion, citric acid, curry powder (spices, rice flour and salt), malic acid, spice, paprika extract for colour, spice extracts and garlic extract.

Knobbly sticks

The brand calls them knobbly sticks of corn: each piece is an irregular, lumpy stick, crunchier and denser than a puffed corn snack, with plenty of nooks for the seasoning.

Sweet first

Sugar leads the seasoning, so the first taste is sweet, followed by the savoury depth of yeast extract. Even so, the label gives 4.3g of sugars per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

Then the spice

Curry powder, spice and spice extracts give the warm, curried character, with dried onion and garlic behind. The heat is mild to medium: warm and building rather than hot.

Curry powder

The curry powder on the list is a blend of spices with rice flour and salt. The pack does not name the individual spices, so expect a warm, rounded curry note rather than one spice leading, and no chilli is named on its own.

The tang

Barley malt vinegar in the natural flavourings, with citric and malic acid, gives a sharp, pickled tang, and soya sauce and barley malt extract add depth.

Barley malt

Barley malt vinegar and barley malt extract come from malted barley, which is why barley is highlighted as a cereal containing gluten.

No MSG

The listing says no MSG, and none is on the list. Yeast extract, soya sauce and malt extract are naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Numbers for one bag

The listing gives 113 kcal (472 kJ), 7.2g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 0.9g of sugars and 0.36g of salt for each 20g bag, which it puts at 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 10% of the fat and 6% of the salt. Per 100g it is 566 kcal (2361 kJ), 36g of fat, 3.3g of saturates, 53g of carbohydrate, 4.3g of sugars, 0.5g of fibre, 6.1g of protein and 1.8g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 36g is red. Saturates at 3.3g are amber. Sugars at 4.3g are green. Salt at 1.8g is red. The small 20g bag keeps each portion to 113 kcal.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight barley, in the barley malt vinegar and malt extract, wheat, in the wheat flour, and soya, in the soya sauce, all within the natural flavourings. The allergy advice says the snacks may contain eggs, milk and mustard. The listing says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten or soya. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What the pack leaves out

The listing says there are no artificial colours or flavours. The colour is paprika extract.

Sunflower oil

Sunflower oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 3.3g of saturates per 100g.

Six small bags

At 20g, each bag is a small portion, 113 kcal, less than half the 255 kcal of the 45g grab bag. Six bags cover a school or working week with one to spare.

The pack

The orange outer bag carries the Nik Naks name in white with a red Nice 'n' Spicy flash beside the figure 6.

Who it suits

A sweet, curried corn stick in a small bag suits a lunchbox or an afternoon snack. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten or soya.

Curry night

Nik Naks sit well beside a curry night spread: tip a few bags into a bowl with poppadoms, mango chutney and a raita.

Salt

The label gives 1.8g of salt per 100g and 0.36g in a bag, the same as Nik Naks Rib 'n' Saucy in the same six bag format.

In the kitchen

Crushed, a couple of bags make a curried crumb for chicken or the top of a cauliflower cheese.

Storage and packaging

The listing advises a cool, dry place. The published recycling guidance says the whole packaging can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other sizes

The same recipe comes in a 45g grab bag and a 130g sharing bag. In the same six bag format there is Nik Naks Rib 'n' Saucy, and for a twisted shape, Nik Naks Twisters.

Sizes of Nik Naks Nice 'n' Spicy Snacks we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

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