Walkers Monster Munch Pickled Onion Snacks, 40g

Monster Munch are the Walkers baked corn snacks shaped like monster claws, and Pickled Onion is the sharp, tangy one of the two classic flavours. This is the 40g grab bag, which the listing says is one serving. The full product name on the pack is pickled onion flavour baked corn snack, and the pack names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the snacks are made from maize, rapeseed oil and a pickled onion seasoning of flavourings, whey permeate (from milk), onion powder, sugar, flavour enhancers (monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotide), salt, potassium chloride, garlic powder, hydrolysed soya protein, citric acid and spices.

Pickled onion without vinegar

There is no vinegar and no vinegar powder on the list. The sharp, pickled tang comes from the flavourings, which lead the seasoning, and citric acid, with onion powder and garlic behind.

Onion and garlic

Onion powder is the only onion on the list, and garlic powder rounds it out, the two giving the savoury, allium base under the tang.

Whey permeate

Whey permeate, a milk ingredient left when the protein is taken out of whey, softens the sharpness and is the reason milk is highlighted.

MSG and soya

The flavour enhancers are monosodium glutamate and disodium 5'-ribonucleotide, and hydrolysed soya protein adds more savoury depth, so these are not for anyone who avoids MSG or soya.

Claws

Each piece is a monster's claw, with a hole to poke through, and the grab bag shows the claws spilling around a grinning monster.

Baked corn

The full product name says baked corn snack. Corn snacks like these start as a maize meal that is cooked under pressure and pushed through a shaped opening, where it puffs as it meets the air, and the rapeseed oil and seasoning go on after. Baked does not mean without fat: the label gives 25g of fat per 100g.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride sits in the seasoning beside salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium. The label gives 1.55g of salt per 100g and 0.62g for the bag.

Rapeseed oil and sugar

Rapeseed oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 2.1g of saturates per 100g. Sugar is in the seasoning, but sugars are 3g per 100g, green on the front of pack scale.

Spices

The spices are named only as spices, and there is no chilli on the list.

Numbers for the bag

The label gives 197 kcal, 10g of fat, 0.8g of saturates, 24g of carbohydrate, 1.2g of sugars, 0.7g of fibre, 2.4g of protein and 0.62g of salt for the 40g bag. That is about 10% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 14% of the fat and 10% of the salt. Per 100g it is 492 kcal (2061 kJ), 25g of fat, 2.1g of saturates, 60g of carbohydrate, 3g of sugars, 1.7g of fibre, 6g of protein and 1.55g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 25g is red. Saturates at 2.1g are amber. Sugars at 3g are green. Salt at 1.55g is red, just over the 1.5g line.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey permeate, and soya, in the hydrolysed soya protein. The allergy advice says the snacks may contain celery, cereals containing gluten and mustard. The listing says they are suitable for vegetarians; they are not vegan, because of the milk, and there is no gluten free claim. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

A grab bag

At 40g, the grab bag holds twice a 20g multipack bag: 197 kcal against 98 kcal. It is one serving for a hungry afternoon, or two small handfuls to share.

The pack

The purple grab bag carries a red grab bag band, the Walkers logo and the green and red Monster Munch name over a grinning monster with a red nose, with claws scattered around and a pickled onion label beside the 40g weight.

Who it suits

A sharp, tangy corn snack suits anyone who likes pickled onions and a crunchy, airy bite. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk, soya or MSG.

Serving ideas

A pickled onion snack goes with a cheese sandwich, a ploughman's lunch or a pint of bitter, where the tang cuts through the cheese.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the claws make a tangy crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese or a cheese and onion pasty filling.

Storage and packaging

The listing advises a cool, dry place and points you to the Walkers website for how to recycle the packet.

Other Monster Munch

The same recipe comes in a six bag pack of 20g bags, and Pickled Onion is one of the three flavours in the twelve bag Monster Munch Variety pack. For the other classic, there is Monster Munch Roast Beef in six bags.

Sizes of Walkers Monster Munch Pickled Onion 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.