The UK crisp market has lost some absolute legends over the decades. From Brannigans to Spicy Tomato Snaps, plenty of bags have been discontinued and never brought back. Here’s our tribute to the ones we genuinely miss.
Some crisps don’t get to retire gracefully. They just vanish from the shelves one day and nobody tells you. You reach for a bag at the newsagent, it’s not there, and eventually you accept they’re gone. For good.
This is for those crisps. The ones that were brilliant, that had no obvious reason to disappear, that people still search for online decades later. If you’ve ever found yourself asking “whatever happened to…” about a crisp brand, you’re in the right place.
The All-Time Greats That Got Discontinued
Brannigans
Brannigans were different. That chunky, ridged texture and the genuinely bold flavours (Roast Beef and Mustard being the standout) made them unlike anything else on the shelves. KP Snacks made them for years before discontinuing them, and the reaction online when people realised they were gone was… not calm.
Petitions were signed. There are Reddit threads about them that are years old and still getting replies. If you need proof that a crisp can build a proper fanbase, Brannigans is it. Unfortunately, they haven’t come back.
Spicy Tomato Snaps
Before Pringles took over, Spicy Tomato Snaps were the go-to stacked crisp. Light, uniformly shaped, and with that specific spicy-but-sweet tomato flavour that nothing else has quite replicated. Smith’s made them, and then they quietly disappeared.
Part of what made them special was the texture. They shattered in a particular way that felt satisfying. Modern alternatives exist, but none of them are the same thing.
Chipsticks (Original Format)
Chipsticks technically still exist in some form, but the original Smith’s Chipsticks from the 80s and 90s had a different character entirely. Saltier, more aggressively flavoured, and with that moreish quality that made a single packet feel genuinely inadequate. If you grew up eating them, you’ll know exactly what’s different now.
Crisps That Vanished in the 80s and 90s
Tudor Crisps
Tudor Crisps were a proper regional brand, big in the north of England, and had a loyal following that Golden Wonder and Walkers never quite replaced. Their salt and vinegar flavour was notably sharper than the competition, which some people loved and some didn’t. When the brand was absorbed and eventually discontinued, northern crisp fans took it personally.
Our article on 80s crisps covers some of this era in more detail, including other brands that defined the decade.
Banshee Bones
Banshee Bones were a Halloween staple. Bone-shaped crisps, vaguely cheese flavoured, aimed squarely at kids and seasonal buyers. They came and went periodically, and the last confirmed sighting was around the early 2000s. Every few years someone posts about them online convinced they’ve seen them in a corner shop, and every time it turns out to be something else.
Golden Wonder Transform-A-Snack
These were something else entirely. A crisp that changed shape when you put it in your mouth, expanding from a flat disc into something bigger. The gimmick worked, the flavour was decent, and kids went absolutely mental for them. Golden Wonder eventually pulled them, and the Transform-A-Snack category page on this site still shows what Golden Wonder products we do stock.
Why Do Crisp Brands Get Discontinued?
Falling Sales
The most common reason is simple: not enough people buy them. Crisp manufacturers work with tight margins on physical retail, and if a product is taking up shelf space without generating enough revenue, it gets cut. It doesn’t matter how beloved it is by the people who do buy it.
Ingredient and Supply Issues
Some flavourings become harder to source. Some ingredient costs go up to a point where the product stops being viable at its retail price point. This happened with several flavours that used specific spice blends or food colourings that later became restricted.
Brand Consolidation
When big manufacturers acquire smaller ones, portfolios get rationalised. PepsiCo bought Walkers. KP has changed hands multiple times. Every acquisition usually means some products get cut because they overlap with something else in the new combined range.
The Ones People Campaign to Bring Back
Nik Naks Cream Cheese and Onion
Nik Naks is still very much alive (you can buy Nik Naks online here), but the Cream Cheese and Onion flavour is long gone. The current range (Nice ‘N’ Spicy, Rib ‘N’ Saucy, Scampi ‘N’ Lemon) is solid, but the flavour profiles have been consistent for years and former fans of the old variants occasionally make their feelings known.
Monster Munch Original Pickled Onion (Old Recipe)
Monster Munch still exists in multiple flavours, including Pickled Onion. But long-term fans argue the recipe changed at some point and the current version isn’t quite what it was. This is a common complaint across many classic brands. Whether the recipe genuinely changed or nostalgia is doing the heavy lifting is genuinely hard to say.
Space Raiders in More Flavours
Space Raiders are still available and still brilliant, but the range used to include more flavour variants than it does today. Beef is the hero flavour, but older versions of the range had options that quietly disappeared without announcement.
What Actually Happened to Some Famous Brands
Some discontinuations aren’t forever. Hula Hoops launched and relaunched several variants. Discos, which you can still buy here, have had their range shrink and grow at different points. Quavers have had experimental flavours that came and went. The crisp market moves faster than people realise.
Golden Wonder still exists as a brand, which surprises people who assumed it was gone. The history of how it survived is worth reading if you grew up with it.
If you’re after crisps with proper heritage that are still in production, our retro and bulk crisp range includes a lot of the brands that have been around since the 80s and never left.
Shop Classic Crisp Brands While You Can
The brands that are still here deserve support. Browse everything we stock at One Pound Crisps and pick up a box before the next one disappears.
What happened to Brannigans crisps?
Brannigans were made by KP Snacks and were discontinued. Despite significant online demand for their return, they have not been brought back to the market. Their Roast Beef and Mustard flavour remains one of the most searched-for discontinued crisps in the UK.
Are Spicy Tomato Snaps still made?
No. Spicy Tomato Snaps by Smith’s were discontinued and have not returned. No direct replacement exists, though several stacked crisp brands occupy a similar product space.
What were Tudor Crisps?
Tudor Crisps were a UK crisp brand particularly popular in the north of England. They were eventually acquired and discontinued. The brand had a notably sharp salt and vinegar flavour that long-time fans remember fondly.
Did Golden Wonder get discontinued?
No. Golden Wonder still exists as a brand and still produces crisps. Some individual flavours and sub-brands from their range have been discontinued over the years, but the company itself is still trading.
Why do crisp brands get discontinued?
The most common reasons are falling sales, ingredient cost increases, and brand consolidation after acquisitions. If a product doesn’t sell enough to justify its shelf space or production cost, it gets cut regardless of how much a loyal fanbase loves it.
Are there any discontinued crisps that came back?
Yes. Several brands have relaunched discontinued flavours in response to consumer demand or as limited-edition nostalgia products. Monster Munch and Walkers have both brought back old variants at various points, though not all of them stay permanently.