30 Facts About Crisps That Will Blow Your Mind

The UK eats more crisps per person than any other country in Europe, spends over £3 billion a year on them, and has been obsessed with them since Smiths started selling plain potato slices in greaseproof bags in 1920. Here are 30 facts about UK crisps that actually check out.

The history of crisps

1. The first crisp recipe appeared in a British cookbook in 1817

William Kitchiner, a London celebrity chef, included a recipe for “Potatoes fried in Slices or Shavings” in his bestselling cookbook The Cook’s Oracle in 1817. That makes the first documented thin fried potato recipe British, predating the famous American George Crum origin story by decades.

2. Commercial crisp production in the UK started in 1920

Frank Smith founded the Smiths Potato Crisps Company in Cricklewood, London in 1920. He sold plain fried potato slices in greaseproof paper bags with a small twist of salt tucked inside so customers could season their own. By the late 1940s, Smiths crisps appeared in virtually every pub in the country.

3. Flavoured crisps arrived in the 1950s, not the 1960s

Tayto, based in Ireland, created the world’s first flavoured crisp in 1954 with cheese and onion. Golden Wonder followed and helped drive the flavour boom across the UK through the late 1950s and into the 1960s.

4. Walkers was founded by a butcher

Henry Walker started Walkers in Leicester in 1948. Post-war meat rationing hit his butchery hard, so he pivoted to making crisps instead. That decision turned into the UK’s biggest crisp brand.

5. Smiths crisps were a staple in British soldier ration bags during World War II

Before supermarkets, before multipacks, Smiths crisps were already embedded in British life. By the early 1940s they featured in military rations, which is one reason the brand became so firmly established across the country.

Production and packaging facts

6. The air in crisp packets is actually nitrogen

Crisp packets look half empty because they are filled with nitrogen gas, not air. Nitrogen is inert so it does not react with the crisps and prevents them going stale. It also cushions the crisps against being crushed in transit. The packet is doing a job.

7. Walkers produces over 10 million packets of crisps every single day

From its base in Leicester, Walkers runs one of the largest snack food operations in Europe. Over 10 million packets leave the production line daily, making it easily the dominant force in the UK market with around 50% market share.

8. The UK crisp industry employs over 10,000 people

According to industry data, the potato crisp and snack manufacturing sector in the UK employs approximately 10,500 people across around 47 businesses. The sector has consolidated significantly over the past decade.

9. The world’s largest bag of crisps was made in Cambridgeshire

In September 2013, Corkers Crisps in Pymoor, Cambridgeshire set a Guinness World Record for the largest bag of crisps ever made. The bag stood 5.5 metres tall and weighed 1,141 kg. It took over 20 hours to fill and the first attempt failed when the bag split.

10. Pringles are legally not classified as crisps in the UK

Pringles contain less than 50% potato content, so they are classified as a potato snack rather than a crisp for VAT purposes. Procter and Gamble actually argued this in court to avoid paying VAT, then lost the appeal and had to pay it anyway. Pringles launched in the US in 1968 and arrived in the UK in 1991.

Flavour and brand facts

11. Cheese and onion is the UK’s most popular crisp flavour

According to YouGov polling, cheese and onion is the UK’s favourite crisp flavour at 31%, followed by ready salted at 28% and salt and vinegar at 23%. Prawn cocktail comes fourth at 11%. Our full breakdown of the UK’s favourite crisp flavours goes into more detail on the data.

12. Walkers put cheese and onion in blue packets, which most brands consider wrong

Traditionally, cheese and onion came in green packets and salt and vinegar in blue. Walkers reversed this when they launched. The debate has never been resolved and remains genuinely heated among British crisp fans. Read more about why Walkers salt and vinegar bags are green.

13. Walkers has produced some genuinely strange limited-edition flavours

Walkers has run public votes to choose new flavours, producing some memorable results including Cajun squirrel, fish and chips, builder’s breakfast, and onion bhaji. Most disappear quickly but the campaigns generate significant attention.

14. Prawn cocktail crisps contain no actual prawns

The prawn cocktail flavour is created entirely from flavourings, with no real prawns involved. It is also a distinctly British flavour, far less common in crisp markets elsewhere in the world. Read our post on what prawn cocktail crisps are actually made from for the full breakdown.

15. Golden Wonder launched in Edinburgh in 1947

Golden Wonder started as a Scottish brand and grew rapidly through the 1960s by innovating with new flavours before Walkers eventually dominated the UK market. Golden Wonder is now owned by Tayto Group.

Regional crisp brands

16. Tayto is the dominant crisp brand in Northern Ireland

While Walkers dominates Great Britain, Tayto holds the top spot in Northern Ireland. Tayto also invented the first flavoured crisp in 1954 and has a theme park in County Meath. The brand carries significant cultural weight in Northern Ireland that goes well beyond snack food.

17. Seabrook Crisps has been making crisps in Bradford since 1945

Seabrook is one of the UK’s longest-running regional crisp brands, founded in Bradford in 1945 and still known for their crinkle-cut potato crisps. They remain popular across the North of England.

18. The UK is home to dozens of smaller regional crisp producers

Beyond the major brands, the UK has around 47 businesses involved in crisp and snack manufacturing. Brands like Pipers in Lincolnshire, Tyrrells in Herefordshire, and Burts in Devon all built strong followings on regional identity and quality ingredients.

Crisp culture facts

19. The average UK resident eats around 150 packets of crisps per year

That works out at roughly three packets a week per person. Younger adults eat considerably more, with 16 to 29 year olds consuming around eight packets a week according to survey data.

20. The UK eats more crisps per capita than any other country in Europe

British people consume more crisps per head than any of their European neighbours. The UK crisp market is worth over £3 billion annually, with potato-based crisps still accounting for the majority of sales despite growth in popcorn and vegetable-based snacks.

21. The crisp sandwich is a legitimate British meal

Crisps placed between two slices of buttered bread is widely eaten across the UK, particularly in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Ready salted and cheese and onion are the most common fillings. It is not considered unusual.

22. Monster Munch has been around since 1977 and has shrunk over the decades

Monster Munch launched in 1977, originally made by Smiths and now produced by Walkers. The crisps were noticeably larger in their original form, and the reduction in size is a long-running complaint among loyal fans. You can browse the full Monster Munch range on the site.

23. Frazzles have used the same basic shape since 1975

Frazzles launched in 1975, and the distinctive stripe on each piece required a machine designed specifically for the job by a tool maker at Smiths’ West London factory. They are still made to the same shape today by Walkers under the Smiths brand.

24. Space Raiders originally cost 10p and held that price for years

Space Raiders launched in 1986 at 10p per bag and held that price for an unusually long time, becoming famous as one of the cheapest crisps on the market. The price has since risen but the brand still trades on value. Browse the Space Raiders range if you want to stock up.

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25. Walkers has a crisp packet recycling scheme

Standard crisp packets are made from metallised plastic film that most councils do not collect at the kerb. Walkers introduced a scheme allowing consumers to post back empty packets for recycling, addressing a genuine gap in household waste collection.

Dietary and allergen facts

26. Most plain crisps are vegetarian, but not all flavoured varieties are

Plain potato crisps are typically suitable for vegetarians, but flavoured varieties can contain dairy, meat extracts, or animal-derived ingredients. Always check the pack for flavoured crisps. Our guide to vegan crisps in the UK covers which brands and flavours are fully plant-based.

27. Very few mainstream crisps are genuinely gluten free

Despite being potato-based, many crisps are manufactured on shared lines with wheat-containing products. Walkers confirms their crisps are not gluten free. Our gluten-free crisps guide covers which mainstream brands are genuinely safe for coeliacs.

28. BBQ Popchips are both vegan and gluten free

Popchips are one of the few mainstream snack brands where the BBQ flavour is certified vegan and gluten free. They are popped rather than fried, which also gives them around half the fat content of a standard fried crisp.

Record-breaking and unusual facts

29. Walkers once sent a crisp into space

Corkers Crisps launched a bag of crisps into near space via a weather balloon in 2013, the same year they set the world record for the largest bag. The stunt was part of a broader campaign to establish the brand’s credentials.

30. The Smiths brand name lives on despite being owned by Walkers since 1989

PepsiCo acquired both Smiths and Walkers in 1989. Rather than retire the Smiths name, they kept it as a sub-brand for products like Frazzles and Chipsticks. Smiths Snaps were discontinued in October 2025, leaving Frazzles and Chipsticks as the last surviving products under the Smiths name.

If you want to stock up on your favourite crisps, browse our full range of crisps available to buy in bulk and save money on the brands you actually eat.