Twiglets: The Complete Guide to History and Flavours

Twiglets are a wholewheat baked snack made by Jacob’s, flavoured with yeast extract to give a taste similar to Marmite. They were invented in 1929 by Peek Freans and launched commercially in 1932, making them older than almost every crisp brand in the UK. They are suitable for vegetarians and, despite the dairy sounding cross-contamination warning, the recipe itself is vegan.

Twiglets have been dividing opinion at Christmas parties for nearly a century. They look like actual twigs, they taste like concentrated Marmite, and there is no middle ground on whether that is a good thing. This is the complete guide: where Twiglets actually came from, what is in the current recipe, and the dietary answers that surprise people who assume a Marmite-flavoured snack must be vegetarian or vegan by default.

The History of Twiglets

Invented by accident in 1929

Twiglets were invented in 1929 by J. Rondalin, a French technical manager working at Peek Freans’ Bermondsey factory in London. He added brewer’s yeast to a leftover batch of Vitawheat dough, and the knobbly, irregular shape that resulted became the entire point of the product rather than a flaw to fix.

Launched to the public in 1932

Peek Freans took the idea to market in 1932, three years after Rondalin’s original batch. That makes Twiglets older than Space Raiders, older than Hula Hoops, and a genuine contender for one of the oldest branded savoury snacks still sold in the UK today. Early marketing positioned Twiglets as a sophisticated cocktail party snack, sold in drum-shaped tin boxes from the 1930s through to the 1970s as a step up from ordinary crisps.

How they ended up under Jacob’s

Peek Freans went through several ownership changes over the following decades before the brand ended up as part of the Jacob’s Biscuit Group. Today Twiglets are made in Aintree, Liverpool, at the Jacob’s factory that opened in 1914, under United Biscuits, part of pladis. The same factory produces Mini Cheddars, making Aintree the production home for two of the UK’s most recognisable savoury snack brands.

Flavours that came and went

The original flavour has always been the mainstay, but Jacob’s has tried variations over the years. Worcester Sauce Twiglets launched in the early 1990s and were withdrawn by the end of the decade. A curry flavoured version ran from 1999 to 2001 in collaboration with Indian restaurant chains in Northern England, and Tangy Twiglets returned briefly between 2010 and 2012 to mark the 80th anniversary of the original 1932 launch. None of these stuck around, and Original remains the only permanently available flavour today.

What Are Twiglets Made From

The current recipe, per Jacob’s own listed ingredients, is:

• Wholewheat flour, roughly 80 per cent of the product
• Vegetable oils: sunflower and palm
• Flavouring: yeast extract (from barley), salt, vegetable extract (carrot)
• Additional salt
• Potassium chloride
• White pepper

That wholewheat content is the highest of any major UK savoury snack brand, which is why Twiglets are baked rather than fried and marketed as high in fibre. In 2022 the recipe was reformulated to cut salt content by 60 per cent, in line with the UK’s high fat, salt and sugar regulations, which some long-standing fans noticed as a change in taste.

Are Twiglets Vegetarian?

Yes. Twiglets are labelled suitable for vegetarians. The yeast extract, salt and vegetable extract that make up the flavouring are all plant-derived, and there is no meat, gelatine or animal-derived colouring anywhere in the recipe.

Are Twiglets Vegan?

Yes, with one caveat worth knowing. The core recipe contains no animal-derived ingredients at all: the savoury, Marmite-like taste comes entirely from yeast extract, not cheese or any dairy product. There is no carmine either, the insect-derived red colouring that catches out some other snacks.

The one thing that keeps Twiglets off some strict vegan checklists is a “may contain milk” and “may contain egg” warning on the pack. That warning exists because Twiglets are made on shared factory lines that also process dairy and egg-containing products, not because either ingredient is actually in the recipe. For most vegans this is a personal comfort call on cross-contamination rather than a reason to avoid the product outright, similar to the situation with Skips, which are also accidentally vegan despite a seafood-sounding name.

Are Twiglets Gluten Free?

No. Twiglets are made from wholewheat flour and the flavouring includes barley-derived yeast extract, so both the base ingredient and the seasoning contain gluten. They are not suitable for coeliacs or anyone following a strict gluten free diet. If you need a genuinely gluten free option, the gluten free crisps guide covers which UK snacks are actually safe.

Twiglets vs Other Marmite Flavoured Snacks

Twiglets are not the only yeast extract snack on UK shelves, but they are the oldest and the one most closely associated with the flavour.

• Twiglets vs Marmite flavoured crisps: Marmite crisps use actual Marmite as a seasoning on a fried potato crisp base, giving a more concentrated, single-hit flavour, whereas Twiglets spread the yeast extract taste across a baked wholewheat stick, giving a more gradual, savoury build
• Twiglets vs Bovril flavoured snacks: both rely on the same umami, yeast-derived flavour family, but Bovril based snacks tend to lean beefier and saltier, while Twiglets stay closer to the vegetarian yeast extract taste
• Twiglets vs a standard corn puff: the wholewheat base gives Twiglets a denser, more fibrous bite than a light corn-based snack, which is part of why they hold up well as a dip base at parties

Buying Twiglets in Bulk

Twiglets are a genuine Christmas staple in the UK, and demand spikes hard every December. A multipack of Twiglets is the easiest way to keep a steady supply through the festive season, and a Twiglets tub or full case is worth buying ahead of the party season rather than restocking single bags at the last minute. Twiglets on eBay also regularly has multipack listings if you are comparing prices before Christmas.

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If you are stocking up on savoury snacks generally rather than just Twiglets, the how to buy crisps in bulk guide covers how case pricing works across brands, and pairs well with Mini Cheddars if you are putting together a party snack table.