Seabrook Crinkle Cut Salt and Vinegar Crisps, 6 x 25g

Seabrook Crinkle Cut Salt and Vinegar is a sharp, salty crisp with a very short seasoning, and this multipack holds six 25g bags, 150g in total. The full product name on the pack is Salt and Vinegar Flavour Potato Crisps, and the pack names Calbee Group UK Ltd as the maker.

Four seasoning ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (sunflower and rapeseed, in varying proportions), rice flour, sea salt, and acidity regulators (sodium diacetate and citric acid). That is the whole list.

Where the vinegar comes from

There is no liquid vinegar on the list. Sodium diacetate is a compound of sodium acetate and acetic acid, the acid in vinegar, and it gives a sharp, vinegary tang and smell in powder form. Citric acid adds a brighter sharpness on top. Rice flour carries the salt and acids so they spread evenly, and sea salt provides the salt. With nothing else to soften it, the flavour is direct: sharp, salty and clean.

Why powder, not liquid

Liquid vinegar would soften a crisp, and a damp crisp cannot keep its crunch in a sealed bag. Powdered acids solve that: sodium diacetate is a dry crystal that releases acetic acid when it meets moisture, so it gives the smell and sharpness of vinegar while the crisp stays dry.

Why it makes your mouth water

Sharp acids such as acetic and citric acid prompt the mouth to produce saliva, which is why a salt and vinegar crisp makes your mouth water and why the tang seems to linger after the last crisp.

The salt figure

Sea salt and sodium diacetate both contribute sodium, and the label gives 2.5g of salt per 100g, the highest of the Seabrook crisps we stock and red on the front of pack scale, where anything above 1.5g is high. Per 25g bag that is 0.6g, about 10% of an average adult's daily reference intake. The multipack keeps each portion to one small bag, which suits a flavour this salty.

Numbers for one bag

The label gives 125 kcal (520 kJ), 7.2g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 13.1g of carbohydrate, 0.1g of sugars, 1.5g of protein and 0.6g of salt for each 25g bag. Per 100g it is 499 kcal (2081 kJ), 28.7g of fat, 2.5g of saturates, 52.2g of carbohydrate, 0.2g of sugars, 5.8g of protein and 2.5g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 28.7g is red and salt at 2.5g is red. Saturates at 2.5g are amber and sugars at 0.2g are green, with nothing sweet in the seasoning.

Vegan and gluten free

The pack says the crisps are approved as vegan by the Vegetarian Society, and carries a gluten free claim with the Crossed Grain symbol, the gluten free mark licensed by Coeliac UK. No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients, and the listing gives no may contain advice. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

What a crinkle cut adds

The wavy blade gives ridged slices that are firmer than flat crisps, and the grooves hold more of the acid seasoning. With a sharp flavour, that means every bite is properly tangy.

How the crisps are made

Washed potatoes are sliced with a crinkled blade, rinsed and fried in the sunflower and rapeseed blend until the ridged slices are firm. The seasoning is tumbled on while they are warm, and the pack says the bags are packaged in a protective atmosphere.

Six bags for the week

Six bags cover a week of lunches with one to spare. Pair each with something plain or rich, such as a cheese or egg sandwich, and a drink of water. For a vegan or coeliac lunchbox, it is one of the simplest labels in our range.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a sharp, gluten free crumb for fish goujons or a topping for mushy peas. Use a little, since the seasoning is salty.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place away from bright light. The published recycling guidance says the bag can be recycled with carrier bags at large supermarkets and should not go in home recycling.

Other Seabrook flavours

Sea salt and vinegar is in the Seabrook Crinkle Cut Variety box, with sea salted and cheese and onion. In the same six bag format we stock Seabrook Crinkle Cut Sea Salted, Cheese and Onion, Beefy, Prawn Cocktail, Cream Cheese and Chives and Tomato Ketchup; Sea Salted shows 1.32g of salt per 100g on its label.

Other 6 x 25g packs of Seabrook 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.