Walkers Sensations Mature Cheddar and Chilli Chutney Crisps, 150g

Walkers Sensations is the thicker cut range from Walkers, and Mature Cheddar and Chilli Chutney is its cheese and pickle flavour with a little heat. This is the 150g sharing bag, which the pack says holds five servings. The full product name on the pack is mature cheddar and chilli chutney flavour potato crisps, and the pack names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the crisps are made from potatoes, vegetable oils (sunflower and rapeseed in varying proportions), a mature cheddar and chilli chutney seasoning, a firming agent (calcium lactate) and antioxidants (rosemary extract, ascorbic acid, tocopherol rich extract and citric acid).

The seasoning

The seasoning lists whey permeate (from milk), sugar, flavourings (containing milk), salt, buttermilk powder, onion powder, acidity regulators (sodium acetates, lactic acid, citric acid and malic acid), potassium chloride, carob flour, garlic powder, cheese powder (from milk), red bell pepper powder, spices (cayenne pepper, ginger powder, ground cassia, clove powder and white pepper) and paprika extract for colour.

Cheddar first

The pack describes the flavour in three steps, starting with a creamy, aged cheddar note. The dairy side of the seasoning is whey permeate, buttermilk powder and cheese powder, with flavourings that contain milk, which is why milk is the allergen to note.

Then the chutney

Next come the warming chutney spices the pack names, clove and ginger, with ground cassia, a close relative of cinnamon. Sugar and onion give the chutney its sweetness, and the acidity regulators, sodium acetates with lactic, citric and malic acid, give the sharp, pickled edge.

Finishing with heat

The pack promises a sweet heat to finish. Cayenne pepper and white pepper bring it, and the heat builds gently rather than burning, so it suits people who like a little warmth with their cheese.

Thicker cut

The pack says Sensations use specially selected potato varieties, cut thicker for a satisfying crunch. A thicker slice holds more seasoning and has a firmer bite than a standard crisp.

Calcium lactate and the antioxidants

Calcium lactate is a firming agent: the calcium helps the potato slice keep its structure through frying. The antioxidants, rosemary extract, vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and tocopherols, protect the oil from going stale.

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 0.65g of salt per 100g and 0.2g for a 30g serving.

Numbers per serving

The pack gives 146 kcal (610 kJ), 7.8g of fat, 0.7g of saturates, 16g of carbohydrate, 1.1g of sugars, 1.8g of fibre, 2g of protein and 0.2g of salt for each 30g serving, which it puts at 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 11% of the fat and 3% of the salt. Per 100g it is 487 kcal (2033 kJ), 26g of fat, 2.3g of saturates, 53g of carbohydrate, 3.5g of sugars, 6g of fibre, 6.7g of protein and 0.65g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 26g is red, as it is for fried crisps generally. Saturates at 2.3g are amber. Sugars at 3.5g are green. Salt at 0.65g is amber, in the lower part of its band.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients highlight milk, in the whey permeate, the flavourings, the buttermilk powder and the cheese powder. The allergy advice on the pack says the crisps may contain wheat, gluten, barley, soya, celery and mustard. The pack 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.

What the pack leaves out

The pack says there are no artificial colours, the colour is paprika extract, and no added MSG, and none is on the list. Mature cheese is itself naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

Carob flour

Carob flour, milled from the pods of the carob tree, sits in the seasoning. It is naturally sweet, and it is not one of the 14 allergens on the UK list.

The pack

The black bag carries a new flash in its corner, with chunks of cheese and slices of red chilli beside the Sensations name and the flavour written in gold.

Who it suits

Cheese and pickle is a classic British pairing, and this suits anyone who likes a ploughman's lunch with a little heat. It is vegetarian, but not suitable for anyone avoiding milk.

Serving the bag

Serve it on a snack board with a mature cheddar, apple slices and a spoon of chutney, or beside a ploughman's lunch. It goes with a pale ale or a dry cider.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the crisps make a cheesy, spiced crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese or a cauliflower cheese.

Five servings

The pack says the bag contains five servings of 30g. Tip a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place and eating the crisps within three days of opening; the bag is packed in a protective atmosphere, which keeps the crisps fresh until it is opened. The pack points you to recycling the packet in store.

Other Sensations flavours

In the same 150g bag we stock Walkers Sensations Roasted Chicken and Thyme, Thai Sweet Chilli and Balsamic Vinegar and Caramelised Onion, and a Thai Sweet Chilli Wavy Cut at 140g. For a poppadom with a chutney flavour, there is Walkers Sensations Mango and Chilli Chutney Poppadoms.

Other 150g packs of Sensations 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.