Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli Crisps, 40g

This is Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli in the 40g bag, a single serving of the thicker cut crisps in the range's sweet, gently hot flavour. The full product name on the pack is Thai sweet chilli flavour potato crisps, and the pack names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

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

The seasoning

The seasoning lists sugar, soya sauce powder (containing wheat), fructose, flavouring, hydrolysed vegetable protein (containing soya), potassium chloride, salt, dried onion, dried red chilli flakes, dried garlic, dried parsley, dried tomato, paprika powder, red bell pepper powder, citric acid and paprika extract for colour.

Sweet first

Sugar and fructose, a fruit sugar, lead the seasoning, so the first taste is sweet, like the Thai style sweet chilli sauce the flavour is named after. The pack says the flavour opens gently, with sweet onion and a touch of chilli.

Then the herbs

Next, the pack describes fragrant herbs: dried parsley with garlic, onion and flavouring, while dried tomato and red bell pepper give the sauce its fruity body.

Finishing with heat

The pack promises a sweet heat to finish. The dried red chilli flakes bring it, with paprika for a sweet pepper note. It is a gentle, building warmth rather than a fiery one.

Soya sauce and savoury depth

Soya sauce powder and hydrolysed vegetable protein give the seasoning its savoury depth. The pack says no added MSG, and none is on the list; soya sauce and hydrolysed vegetable protein are naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

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 pack gives 0.64g of salt per 100g and 0.26g for the bag.

Numbers for the bag

The pack gives 195 kcal (816 kJ), 10g of fat, 0.9g of saturates, 22g of carbohydrate, 1.5g of sugars, 2.4g of fibre, 2.7g of protein and 0.26g of salt for the 40g bag, which it puts at 10% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake and 4% of the salt. Per 100g it is 489 kcal (2041 kJ), 26g of fat, 2.1g of saturates, 54g of carbohydrate, 3.7g of sugars, 5.9g of fibre, 6.6g of protein and 0.64g 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 2.1g are amber. Sugars at 3.7g are green. Salt at 0.64g is amber, in the lower part of its band.

Allergens and diet

The ingredients on the current pack highlight soya, in the soya sauce powder and the hydrolysed vegetable protein, and wheat, in the soya sauce powder. The allergy advice says the crisps may contain milk, gluten, barley, celery and mustard. The pack says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement, and they are not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten. Recipes and factory arrangements change, so check the allergy advice on the pack you receive.

A bag for one

The pack says the 40g bag is one serving. It is larger than the 25g bags in the five bag multipack, and it suits a lunch on its own.

The pack

The black bag shows a ring of red pepper with its seeds and green herbs in a sweep of red light beside the Sensations name, with the Walkers logo above and a pile of crisps below.

Who it suits

A sweet, gently hot crisp suits anyone who likes a little chilli without much heat. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding gluten or soya.

Serving the bag

A single bag goes with a lunch: a chicken or prawn wrap, a noodle salad or a cheese sandwich, with a cold drink.

In the kitchen

Crushed over a noodle or rice salad, one bag adds sweet chilli crunch for two.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place; the bag is packed in a protective atmosphere, which keeps the crisps fresh until it is opened. Its recycling mark says recycle at store, UK only, and do not recycle at home.

Other sizes and flavours

The same recipe comes in a 150g sharing bag and a five bag multipack of 25g bags, and there is a Thai Sweet Chilli Wavy Cut at 140g. In the 150g bag we also stock Sensations Mature Cheddar and Chilli Chutney, Roasted Chicken and Thyme and Balsamic Vinegar and Caramelised Onion.

Sizes of Walkers Sensations Thai Sweet Chilli Crisps 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.