Long live cheese and onion

The UK’s favourite crisp flavour has changed – with folks now reaching for the blue cheese-and-onion packet of crisps more than any other flavour.

That’s according to Mintel, the market research firm that carried out the study on the subject.

Previously, ready-salted (my own personal favourite) held the title of most-loved crisp. Flavours like prawn cocktail and salt & vinegar have dropped in popularity, though salt & vinegar is still in the top three, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of overall crisps sales.

But is it really a surprise that cheese and onion is the most popular? Crisps aside, it’s a fairly dazzling combination – take, for example, the dinner I had last night featuring red onions and cheddar. Or the greek salad, with crispy red onion and milky feta. In my opinion, cheese’s creamy acidity helps temper the strength of the onion.

Not to mention that the average packet of Walkers cheese and onion has 2 fewer calories than ready salted. That said, I still prefer ready salted as my go-to crisp. Cheese-and-onion breath isn’t really the classiest accessory to sport on a night at the pub, is it? It’s a shallot to think about, I know…