Walkers Wotsits Really Cheesy Snacks, 20 x 16.5g

Wotsits Really Cheesy is the classic Walkers cheese puff: a light, baked corn puff in a bright orange cheese coating. This is the biggest multipack we stock, twenty 16.5g bags, 330g in all, and the pack says each bag is one serving. The full product name on the pack is really cheesy flavour corn puffs, and 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 cheese flavour of whey permeate (containing milk), dried cheese (from milk, 6%), salt, cheese solids (from milk), dairy solids (from milk), yeast extract, potassium chloride, lactic acid, a flavour enhancer (disodium 5'-ribonucleotides), two colours, paprika extract and annatto norbixin, and natural flavouring (containing milk).

Baked, not fried

The pack says the puffs are baked, not fried. Corn puffs start as a maize meal that is cooked under pressure and pushed through a shaped opening, where it puffs up as it meets the air; the rapeseed oil and cheese flavour, the next two ingredients on the list, go on after. Baked does not mean without fat: the label gives 31.9g of fat per 100g.

Real cheese

Dried cheese makes up 6% of the puffs, with cheese solids and dairy solids beside it. Whey permeate, a milk ingredient left when the protein is taken out of whey, leads the cheese flavour, and lactic acid adds the tang of a mature cheese.

The flavour enhancer

Disodium 5'-ribonucleotides are a flavour enhancer that deepens the savoury taste. They are not monosodium glutamate, which is not on the list, though yeast extract is naturally rich in glutamates, worth knowing for anyone who avoids them altogether.

The orange colour

The colour comes from paprika extract and annatto norbixin, a natural orange colour made from the seeds of the achiote tree. The pack says there are no artificial colours or preservatives.

Where the sugars come from

Sugar is not on the ingredients list, yet the label gives 7.2g of sugars per 100g, 1.2g in a bag. That comes mainly from the milk sugar, lactose, in the whey permeate and the other dairy ingredients.

Potassium chloride and the salt figure

Potassium chloride sits in the cheese flavour 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 1.58g of salt per 100g and 0.26g for each bag.

Numbers for one bag

The pack gives 82 kcal (340 kJ), 5.3g of fat, 0.5g of saturates, 7.6g of carbohydrate, 1.2g of sugars, 0g of fibre, 0.9g of protein and 0.26g of salt for each 16.5g bag, which it puts at 4% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 8% of the fat and 4% of the salt. Per 100g it is 494 kcal (2059 kJ), 31.9g of fat, 2.9g of saturates, 46.2g of carbohydrate, 7.2g of sugars, 0.2g of fibre, 5.4g of protein and 1.58g of salt.

Reading the front of the pack

On the UK front of pack scale, per 100g, fat at 31.9g is red. Saturates at 2.9g are amber. Sugars at 7.2g are amber. Salt at 1.58g is red, just over the 1.5g line. The small bag keeps each portion to 82 kcal, the figure on the front of the pack.

Allergens and diet

The published ingredients contain milk, in the whey permeate, the dried cheese, the cheese and dairy solids and the natural flavouring. The allergy advice on the pack says the puffs may contain soya, wheat, barley, gluten, 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.

The texture

A baked corn puff is light and airy, with a crisp outside that softens quickly in the mouth, and the cheese coating leaves orange dust on the fingers.

Twenty bags

Twenty bags cover four school weeks of lunchboxes, a large children's party or a month of desk snacks, at 82 kcal a bag.

The pack

The blue outer bag shows the Walkers logo over the Baked Wotsits name, an 82 kcal per pack roundel, a band for twenty bags of Really Cheesy and one of the small bags in the corner.

Who it suits

A light, cheesy puff suits children's lunchboxes and parties, and anyone who likes a soft, melting texture more than a hard crunch. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk.

Party planning

For a party, allow a bag per child and tip a few into a bowl for the grown ups. The small bags are easy to hand out and keep the rest sealed.

In the kitchen

Crushed, the puffs make a bright orange, cheesy crumb for the top of a macaroni cheese, a coating for chicken strips or a topping for tomato soup.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place.

Other sizes

The same puffs come in six and twelve bag multipacks and a 36g grab bag. For a sweet and spicy puff there is Wotsits Sweet and Spicy, and for a crunchier puff, Wotsits Crunchy Really Meaty.

Sizes of Walkers Wotsits Really Cheesy 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.