Walkers Wotsits Crunchy Really Meaty Corn Puffs, 115g

Crunchy Really Meaty is a firmer Wotsits: a crunchy corn puff with a smoky, savoury meat flavour and no meat in it. This is the 115g sharing bag, which the label says holds three to four servings. The pack names Walkers Snack Foods Ltd as the maker.

The ingredients

According to the published pack listing, the puffs are made from corn (maize), rapeseed oil and a meaty flavour of flavourings, onion powder, potassium chloride, sugar, salt, smoked salt and paprika extract for colour. That is a short list for a flavoured puff.

Meat without meat

There is no meat on the list. The meaty taste comes from the flavourings, with onion powder, and the listing states the puffs are suitable for vegetarians. That makes it a meat flavour a vegetarian can share, though it is not labelled vegan.

Smoked salt

Smoked salt, salt smoked over wood, adds a smoky, barbecued note to the flavour.

Crunchy, not melting

The classic Wotsits puff softens quickly in the mouth; this one is sold as crunchy, with a firmer bite that holds up in a sharing bowl.

Fat, compared with the cheese puff

The label gives 21g of fat per 100g and 1.5g of saturates, against 31.9g of fat and 2.9g of saturates for Wotsits Really Cheesy. Saturates at 1.5g sit on the green side of the front of pack line.

Corn, not potato

Wotsits are made from corn (maize), not potato. A corn puff has a lighter, more open texture than a potato crisp, and the crunchy version is denser than the classic puff.

Onion and sugar

Onion powder is the only named seasoning besides the salts and sugar, and it gives the meaty flavour a savoury onion base. Sugar is in the flavour too, but the label gives only 2g of sugars per 100g and 0.6g in a serving, green on the front of pack scale.

The colour

The orange colour comes from paprika extract, a natural colour from sweet peppers. It adds colour rather than heat, and there is no chilli on the list.

Rapeseed oil

Rapeseed oil is the only oil on the list, and the label gives 1.5g of saturates per 100g.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride sits in the flavour beside salt and smoked salt. It tastes salty but contains no sodium, and the salt figure on a UK label is worked out from sodium. The label gives 1g of salt per 100g and 0.31g for a 30g serving.

Numbers per serving

The listing gives 145 kcal (610 kJ), 6.3g of fat, 0.4g of saturates, 0.6g of sugars and 0.31g of salt for a 30g serving, which it puts at 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 9% of the fat and 5% of the salt. Per 100g it is 485 kcal (2034 kJ), 21g of fat, 1.5g of saturates, 66g of carbohydrate, 2g of sugars, 2.5g of fibre, 5.9g of protein and 1g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 21g is red. Saturates at 1.5g are green, right on the line. Sugars at 2g are green. Salt at 1g is amber, in the middle of its band.

Allergens and diet

No allergens from the UK list of 14 are highlighted in the published ingredients. The allergy advice says the puffs may contain milk, soya, wheat and other cereals containing gluten. The listing says they are suitable for vegetarians; there is no vegan statement and 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 listing says there are no artificial colours, the colour is paprika extract, and no added MSG, and none is on the list.

Made in Portugal

The listing gives Portugal as the country of origin, unlike the Wotsits Really Cheesy bags, which give the United Kingdom.

The pack

The dark red bag shows the Wotsits name over the word crunchy, with really meaty below and a scatter of puffs beside the 115g weight.

Who it suits

A crunchy, smoky puff suits anyone who likes a meaty snack without meat, and anyone who prefers a firm bite to a soft one.

Serving the bag

Tip it into a bowl for a film night or a gathering, beside a cheese dip or a bowl of salsa. It goes with a cold lager or a cola.

A mixed bowl

For a gathering, serve these beside Wotsits Really Cheesy so guests can choose between soft and crunchy, cheesy and meaty.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the puffs make a smoky crumb for the top of a bean chilli or a macaroni cheese.

Three to four servings

The label says the 115g bag holds three to four servings of 30g. Tip a serving into a bowl rather than eating from the bag.

A 30g serving

A 30g serving is a generous handful. At 145 kcal, it sits just under the 148 kcal of a 30g serving of Wotsits Really Cheesy.

Storage

The pack advises a cool, dry place and, once opened, eating the puffs within three days.

Other Wotsits

For the classic soft cheese puff, we stock Wotsits Really Cheesy in six, twelve and twenty bag multipacks and a 36g grab bag. For a sweet and warm puff there is Wotsits Sweet and Spicy.

The tasting notes on this page are our own editorial assessment against the current pack format and the brand's published description.