Walkers Lea and Perrins Worcester Sauce Crisps, 45g

Worcestershire sauce is the dark, tangy, savoury sauce named after the city of Worcester, the one that goes into a Bloody Mary, a shepherd's pie or a plate of cheese on toast. Walkers Lea and Perrins Worcester Sauce flavour crisps put that taste on a thin potato crisp. This is the 45g single bag. The full product name on the pack is Worcester Sauce Flavour Potato Crisps, with the Lea and Perrins name alongside Walkers.

A vegetarian version of a fishy sauce

The traditional sauce is made with anchovies, which is why it is not usually suitable for vegetarians. This seasoning lists no fish. According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, sunflower and rapeseed oils in varying proportions, a Worcester sauce seasoning and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, a tocopherol rich extract and citric acid), and the pack says they are suitable for vegetarians.

What the seasoning does

The seasoning lists flavourings, citric acid, sugar, potassium chloride, salt, fructose, spices, cocoa powder and paprika extract for colour. The flavourings lead and carry the sauce's savoury, fermented character. Citric acid gives the tang, standing in for the vinegar in the bottled sauce. Sugar and fructose supply the gentle sweetness that balances it, and the spices add warmth. Cocoa powder is the surprise on the list; in a small amount it brings a dark, roasted, slightly bitter note that deepens the flavour, much as tamarind and molasses do in the sauce itself. The paprika extract at the end of the list is there for colour, giving the crisps a warm tint rather than any heat.

What the bag adds up to

The label gives 229 kcal, 13g of fat, 1g of saturates, 24g of carbohydrate, 0.7g of sugars, 1.9g of fibre, 2.8g of protein and 0.3g of salt for the 45g bag. That is about 11% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 5% of the salt. Per 100g it is 509 kcal, 29g of fat, 2.2g of saturates, 1.6g of sugars and 0.67g of salt. On the UK front of pack scale fat is high, saturates and salt are medium, and sugars are low.

The salt figure is a little over half that of the Walkers Cheese and Onion 45g bag, which the label puts at 1.2g per 100g. Potassium chloride, which tastes salty without adding sodium, takes on part of the salty job.

Allergens and diet

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

How the crisps are made

The crisp is the thin Walkers slice. Washed potatoes are cut thin, rinsed of surface starch and fried in the sunflower and rapeseed blend until nearly all the water has gone. The dark seasoning is dusted over the warm crisps so the oil holds it, and the pack says the bag is packaged in a protective atmosphere, with the air replaced by a gas mix to keep oxygen away from the oil.

Worcester or Worcestershire

The pack calls the flavour Worcester sauce, and the bottled sauce is usually labelled Worcestershire sauce, after the county around the city of Worcester. Both names are in everyday use for the same dark, tangy style of sauce, so if you are searching for Worcestershire sauce crisps, this is the bag.

Reading the front of the pack

Per 100g, fat at 29g is above the 17.5g line, so it shows red, as it does for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 2.2g are amber, sugars at 1.6g are green, and salt at 0.67g is amber but in the lower half of that band, helped by the potassium chloride in the seasoning.

When to reach for it

Worcester sauce crisps suit savoury, cheesy food. A cheese and pickle sandwich, a ploughman's lunch, cold roast beef or a bowl of tomato soup all work, and Worcestershire sauce and cheese on toast have gone together for generations, so the crisps suit a cheesy lunch. It is tangier than roast chicken and darker than ketchup, with no chilli heat.

Other sizes and relatives

For lunches, the same flavour comes as a six bag multipack of 25g bags. Walkers Heinz Tomato Ketchup is the other sauce named flavour, in a six bag pack. In the same 45g size we stock Walkers Cheese and Onion, Salt and Vinegar, Ready Salted, Prawn Cocktail and Roast Chicken.

Keeping it crisp

The pack advises storing it in a cool, dry place. Once opened, finish the bag the same day, because damp air softens crisps quickly once the seal is broken.

Sizes of Walkers Lea and Perrins Worcester Sauce Crisps we stock

Figures as published on each pack's label.

The published listing gives the United Kingdom as the country of origin, and Walkers Snack Foods Ltd is the maker named on the pack. The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.