Walkers Heinz Tomato Ketchup Crisps, 6 x 25g

Chips and ketchup is a long standing British pairing, and Walkers Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour crisps put the two together in a bag. This multipack holds six 25g bags, 150g in total. The full product name on the pack is Tomato Ketchup Flavour Potato Crisps, and the Heinz name sits alongside the Walkers one.

What the seasoning is made of

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower and rapeseed oils in varying proportions, a tomato ketchup seasoning and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid). The pack says the potatoes are 100% Great British potatoes.

The seasoning lists sugar, flavourings, potassium chloride, salt, tomato powder, citric acid and paprika extract for colour. It is a short list, and it follows the shape of the sauce: sweetness first, then the savoury and salty notes, then tomato and a sharp acid to finish. The list does not include ketchup itself, because a wet sauce cannot go on a crisp; the seasoning is built from dry ingredients to taste like it.

How a dry seasoning tastes like ketchup

Tomato ketchup is sweet, sharp, salty and savoury at once. Here sugar does the sweet part and comes first on the list. Citric acid provides the sharpness that vinegar gives the bottled sauce. Salt and potassium chloride give the salty part, and the flavourings round out the spiced, savoury side. Tomato powder, dried tomato ground fine, brings the fruit. Paprika extract gives the seasoning a red tint, closer to the colour you expect from the name.

The numbers for one bag

The label gives 128 kcal, 7.3g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 13g of carbohydrate, 0.7g of sugars, 1g of fibre, 1.6g of protein and 0.17g of salt for each 25g bag. Per 100g that is 511 kcal, 29g of fat, 2.3g of saturates, 2.6g of sugars and 0.66g 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 6% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 3% of the salt.

Even with sugar first in the seasoning, the whole crisp carries only 2.6g of sugars per 100g, because the seasoning is a small part of each crisp's weight. The salt, at 0.66g per 100g, is a little over half the 1.2g of the Walkers Cheese and Onion and Ready Salted bags.

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 states they are suitable for vegetarians and made with no added MSG or artificial colours. No vegan or gluten free claim is made, so we would not describe them as either. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

How the crisps are made

Under the seasoning is the thin Walkers slice: washed potatoes cut thin, rinsed to take off surface starch, and fried in the sunflower and rapeseed blend until the water has cooked out and the slice snaps. The seasoning is dusted over the warm crisps so the oil on each slice holds it.

Where it fits

Ketchup crisps suit the foods ketchup suits. They go with a bacon sandwich, a sausage roll, a fish finger sandwich or a plate of cheese on toast, and they are a natural bag for children who like the sauce. They open sweet and have no heat, so they suit anyone who wants a flavoured crisp without the sharpness of salt and vinegar. In a lunchbox, they pair naturally with a cheese or ham sandwich where the sauce would usually go.

The sauce flavours together

Walkers Lea and Perrins Worcester Sauce is the other sauce named flavour in the same six bag format, and the two make an easy pair to try side by side: one sweet and tomato led, the other darker and tangier. In the same six bag size we also stock Walkers Cheese and Onion, Salt and Vinegar, Prawn Cocktail, Roast Chicken, Smoky Bacon and BBQ Sauce.

Keeping them fresh

The pack advises a cool, dry place. Keep the bags in the outer pack until needed and finish each bag once it is opened. Shake the bag gently before opening so the seasoning is spread through it.

Other 6 x 25g packs of Walkers we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin and names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd 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.