Walkers Wotsits Really Cheesy Snacks, 36g

Wotsits Really Cheesy is the classic Walkers cheese puff: a light, baked corn puff in a bright orange cheese coating. This is the 36g grab bag, a bigger single bag than the 16.5g multipack bags, which the label says holds one to two servings. 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. 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 0.47g for a 30g serving.

Numbers per serving

The label gives 148 kcal (618 kJ), 9.6g of fat, 0.9g of saturates, 13.9g of carbohydrate, 2.2g of sugars, 0.1g of fibre, 1.6g of protein and 0.47g of salt for a 30g serving. That is about 7% of an average adult's daily energy reference intake, 14% of the fat and 8% 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. The whole 36g bag works out at about 178 kcal and 0.57g 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.

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 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.

A grab bag

The 36g bag holds more than twice the 16.5g multipack bag: about 178 kcal for the whole bag against 82 kcal. Share it or keep half for later.

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.

The pack

The blue bag has a red grab bag band across the top, the Walkers logo over the Baked Wotsits name and a Really Cheesy band beside a pair of puffs.

Who it suits

A grab bag suits an afternoon snack, a journey or a film, and anyone who likes a soft, melting texture more than a hard crunch. It is not suitable for anyone avoiding milk.

In the kitchen

Crushed, one grab bag makes enough bright orange, cheesy crumb to top a macaroni cheese for two, or to coat a few chicken strips.

Storage and packaging

The pack advises a cool, dry place and, once opened, eating the puffs within three days. The listing points you to the Walkers website for how to recycle the packet.

Other sizes

The same puffs come in six, twelve and twenty bag multipacks of 16.5g bags. 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.