One person taking a short break
An individual bag makes the quantity clear, but bag sizes differ. Compare the grams and nutrition for the pack you intend to eat.
Who are you buying for?
People sharing a break
A larger bag can be divided between people. Check its stated servings and instructions for keeping any crisps left after opening.
Shoppers checking ingredients
Compare salt or check dietary and allergen information on the exact flavour’s current pack. A flavour name does not establish its ingredients.
What should you check?
Choose the flavour and format first, then compare labels for the amount you expect to eat.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour | Read the named seasoning and ingredients. Compare exact flavours rather than assuming every recipe from a brand is alike. | For this break, I might prefer cheese and onion, vinegar or a more distinctive seasoning; there is no single flavour everyone will want. |
| Bag size | Check grams and stated servings per bag. Tyrrells lists its 40g Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar bag as one serving and its 150g bag as five 30g servings. | A bag just for me is different from one I plan to pass around. If several people are sharing, I need to consider how to divide it. |
| Nutrition | Compare salt per 100g across different bag sizes, then check the amount for your portion. The NHS describes more than 1.5g salt per 100g as high and notes that a maker’s portion may differ from yours. | I want to compare labels on the same weight basis, while also seeing what the amount I expect to eat contains. |
| Ingredients | Read the exact pack’s ingredients, emphasised allergens and any precautionary statements. Check product-specific vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free wording where relevant. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, a flavour name or a statement about another crisp in the range will not answer my question. |
| Texture and storage | Look for a stated style such as crinkle-cut or hand-cooked. For a bag that may remain open, follow its own storage and after-opening instructions. | Texture may decide between two flavours I like; with a sharing bag, I also need to know what to do with any leftovers. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating the flavour name as an ingredients guarantee
McCoy’s lists milk ingredients in its Flame Grilled Steak flavour while describing that product as suitable for vegetarians. Tyrrells lists barley malt vinegar and a may-contain-milk statement for its Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar crisps.
Read the ingredients and allergen statements on the exact flavour and pack you buy.
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Comparing bags without checking their contents
The cited individual formats range from 25g to 40g, while Tyrrells states that its 150g Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar bag contains five servings. One bag is not a consistent serving measure.
Check net weight, stated servings and nutrition per portion as well as per 100g.
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Applying one taste-test result to every flavour
Which?’s July 2025 blind test covered ten premium salt-and-vinegar varieties and a panel of 72 crisp enthusiasts. Its findings do not establish how other flavours would compare.
If vinegar flavour appeals, consider the particular recipe rather than treating a brand name or a limited test as a verdict on every crisp.
Brand and flavour references
These examples show why it is worth checking the particular flavour and format, rather than relying on a brand-wide assumption.
Walkers
Its UK Cheese & Onion information provides ingredients and nutrition per 25g pack and per 100g.
- The labelled 25g quantity helps when considering an individual break.
- That Cheese & Onion recipe contains milk and has may-contain allergen statements; check other Walkers flavours separately.
Tyrrells
Tyrrells lists Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar crisps in 40g and 150g formats.
- The manufacturer identifies one serving in the 40g bag and five in the 150g bag.
- This recipe contains barley malt vinegar and carries a may-contain-milk statement; Tyrrells lists 1.8g salt per 100g.
Kettle Chips
Its documented seasonings include Mature Cheddar & Red Onion and Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar.
- Kettle Chips describes its balsamic-vinegar recipe as vegan and gluten-free.
- The cited cheddar recipe contains milk. Product-specific dietary descriptions should not be extended to the whole range.
Seabrook
Seabrook’s crinkle-cut range lists flavours including Cheese & Onion and Sea Salt & Vinegar.
- The stated crinkle-cut style gives texture-focused shoppers a format to look for.
- Check the individual flavour’s pack for its ingredients and nutrition.
McCoy’s
Flame Grilled Steak is one named seasoning for shoppers considering a meat-style flavour.
- McCoy’s describes this particular flavour as suitable for vegetarians.
- Its ingredients include milk, and its manufacturer lists possible soya, gluten and mustard cross-contact. Check the exact pack.
REAL Crisps
REAL lists Ham & Colman’s Mustard as a 35g bag.
- The stated bag weight helps distinguish this format from 25g and 40g alternatives.
- The manufacturer lists milk-derived lactose and describes this particular flavour as suitable for vegetarians.
Flavoured options on Joybuy
These multipacks offer named cheese, vinegar and mixed-flavour options for individual morning breaks or a group choosing separate bags. Discos is a variety snack pack rather than a single-flavour crisp pack.
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McCoy’s Ridge Cut Cheddar & Onion 6 x 25g
Six separate 25g bags suit a break where people want their own bag. Choose this named cheddar-and-onion flavour if ridge-cut crisps appeal, and check the pack’s current ingredients if allergens matter.
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Walkers Salt & Vinegar Crisps 6 x 25g
This salt-and-vinegar option has six individual 25g bags for separate breaks or several people. Compare its exact pack label with other vinegar flavours rather than assuming their ingredients are alike.
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Discos Variety Pack 6 x 25.5g
A variety pack allows people at a shared break to choose separate bags rather than agree on one flavour. It contains six 25.5g bags; check each flavour’s pack details for ingredients that matter to you.
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Walkers Oven Baked Cheese & Onion 6 x 22g
Consider this oven-baked cheese-and-onion option if that named style appeals. The multipack contains six 22g bags, so compare its per-bag and per-100g labels with differently sized packs.
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McCoy’s Ridge Cut Salt & Malt Vinegar 6 x 25g
This combines a named malt-vinegar seasoning with a ridge-cut style in six separate 25g bags. Check the exact pack’s ingredients and salt figures when comparing it with other vinegar options.
Questions about buying and keeping crisps
How can I compare salt in different-sized bags?
Compare salt per 100g first, then check the amount for the portion you expect to eat. The NHS describes more than 1.5g salt per 100g as high and cautions that a manufacturer’s stated portion may differ from yours.
What if the product page and pack disagree about allergens?
If an allergen matters to you, seek clarification before eating rather than assuming the recipe is unchanged. UK government guidance identifies packets of crisps as prepacked food and says regulated allergens used as ingredients must be clearly identified in the ingredients list; check the pack you receive.
How should I keep a sharing bag after opening?
Follow that bag’s storage and after-opening instructions. The Walkers 150g Cheese & Onion listing says to store it in a cool, dry place and consume it within three days of opening; that timing should not be assumed for other crisps.
Does a best-before date mean crisps are unsafe immediately afterwards?
No. UK government guidance says best-before dates concern quality, whereas use-by dates concern safety, and notes that crisps can become stale. Follow the pack’s storage directions as well.