Walkers Lightly Salted Crisps, 6 x 25g

Walkers Lightly is the Walkers range seasoned with less salt, and this is the plain one, lightly salted. The pack puts its salt against the average of regular potato crisps in a roundel on the front. This is the multipack of six 25g bags, 150g in all, and the label gives figures for each bag. The full product name on the pack is lightly salted potato crisps, and the maker on the label is Walkers Snack Foods Ltd.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (sunflower and rapeseed, in varying proportions), salt and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, tocopherol rich extract and citric acid). That is the whole list: potato, oil, salt and the antioxidants.

The salt

The label gives 0.59g of salt per 100g and 0.15g in a 25g bag, amber on the front of pack scale. The standard Walkers Ready Salted carries 1.2g per 100g and 0.3g in a 25g bag.

A plain crisp

With salt as the only seasoning, the taste is the potato and the oil, with just enough salt to lift it.

Great British potatoes

The pack carries a badge with a Union flag reading 100% Great British potatoes.

Antioxidants

Rosemary extract, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), tocopherol rich extract (vitamin E) and citric acid are antioxidants that help keep the oil fresh.

No added MSG

The pack says there is no added MSG and no artificial colours, and there is no colour on the list at all.

Numbers for one bag

The label gives 130 kcal (541 kJ), 7.6g of fat, 0.6g of saturates, 13g of carbohydrate, 0.1g of sugars, 1.2g of fibre, 1.5g of protein and 0.15g of salt for each 25g bag. That is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 11% of the fat and 3% of the salt.

Numbers per 100g

Per 100g the label gives 519 kcal (2165 kJ), 30g of fat, 2.3g of saturates, 53g of carbohydrate, 0.5g of sugars, 4.7g of fibre, 6g of protein and 0.59g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 30g is red. Saturates at 2.3g are amber. Sugars at 0.5g are green. Salt at 0.59g is amber.

Salt alone

Unlike the Walkers Lightly Cheese and Onion, which uses potassium chloride beside the salt, this bag uses salt alone.

Sugars and protein

The label gives 0.5g of sugars and 6g of protein per 100g, and 0.1g of sugars and 1.5g of protein in a bag.

Classic Walkers

The crisps are sliced from potatoes and fried in sunflower and rapeseed oils, like the standard Walkers crisps.

Sealed fresh

The listing says the crisps are packaged in a protective atmosphere, which helps keep them fresh in the sealed bag.

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 says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

Six bags

Six 25g bags make a school week of lunchboxes with one to spare, and the listing counts them as six servings. The listing says the crisps are packaged in a protective atmosphere.

Sunflower and rapeseed oil

The listing gives sunflower and rapeseed oils in varying proportions. The label gives 30g of fat per 100g, red on the front of pack scale, and 2.3g of saturates, amber.

Carbohydrate and fibre

The label gives 53g of carbohydrate per 100g, of which 0.5g are sugars; the rest is starch from the potato. Fibre is 4.7g and protein 6g per 100g.

A crisp for cooking

A plain, gently salted crisp is the most useful one in the kitchen: it brings crunch without a flavour of its own, and less salt to the dish.

The pack

The outer bag is cream with a deep red band, with the Walkers logo, the word Lightly in red script, the word salted, a few crisps, the Union flag potato badge, a red roundel comparing its salt with regular crisps, a large 6 pack mark and a single bag shown beside it.

Who it suits

A plain crisp with 0.15g of salt in a bag suits anyone keeping an eye on salt across the week, and the vegetarian statement suits most tables. Anyone avoiding gluten, milk, mustard or soya should read the may contain advice.

In a lunchbox

A bag goes beside a sandwich, a piece of fruit and a drink.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a plain crumb for fish goujons or the top of a fish pie.

Storage

The listing advises a cool, dry place.

With dips

A plain crisp with little salt suits a salty dip: try a taramasalata or a blue cheese dip.

At a party

Tip a few bags into a bowl beside the Walkers Lightly Cheese and Onion.

A crisp sandwich

A plain Walkers crisp in white bread and butter is the classic crisp sandwich.

Other Walkers Lightly

We also stock Walkers Lightly Cheese and Onion in the same six bag multipack.

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.