Golden Wonder Transform-A-Snack Spicy

Somehow, I'd managed to make it all the way to 2023 without having heard of Transform-A-Snack. They were, I assumed, a relatively recent addition to the crisp world when I found a packet of their Spicy variety in the local shop. But I was wrong. Transform-A-Snack had, in fact, been launched in the early 1990s by Red Mill Snack Foods and now fell under the Golden Wonder brand. Well, I thought, it's clearly time for British Crisps to make up for lost time, and promptly bought a packet for 39p.

The packet design is relatively basic and seems indebted to the graphic design stylings of the value market. But it features a futuristic robot, and when are robots anything less than awe inspiring? The packet also manages to underline the snack's raison d'être: you can literally transform a snack into something else, in this case a very basic car with a body and wheels.

Opening the 30g packet, I was relieved to see it was generously filled and that the low price hadn't resulted in any meagre serving sizes. However, upon the sniff test, barely anything registered in my olfactory system aside from a mild maize aroma. And, remember, these Transform-A-Snacks labelled themselves as Spicy, but at present they appeared as spicy as a water biscuit. 

Crunching down on the individual Transform-A-Snacks was a pleasing sensation, they're nicely baked with a texture which generated a decent crunch. But the flavour, what of the flavour? Well, this is where they struggled. There was some onion, a little garlic and an acidic tang, but it was all very mild. I guess, that for 39p, you can't expect an explosion of rich, harmonious flavours, but I was hoping for something more interesting. And these contain MSG, so God only knows what they would taste like without that.

But, and this is a huge but, they are a FUN snack, exceptionally fun. It's always good to get to grips with your food for a more tactile experience - hence why everyone loves crisps - but Transform-A-Snack takes this to another level. Our parents always told us not to play with our food, but it's impossible to avoid with Transform-A-Snacks. You may struggle to get all four wheels balanced on the car body, but this only heightens the experience and goes some way in making up for the lack of flavour.

So, the Transform-A-Snack Spicy didn't tick any boxes for me in the taste department and, in all honesty, these are more suited for the less developed palate of a child (my daughter loved them).  However, for the price, these are cheap, cheerful and fun, so if you want to liven your snack time up, consider reaching for a pack of these.