NOW CLOSED Walkers Sunbites - feedback thread for testers

[NewGirlHelenMumsnet]

This thread is for all the MNers who have been trying Walkers Sunbites. Below are some questions to get you started but please feel free to add other comments too. Everyone who adds their feedback on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one winner will get a £250 high street voucher.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Collected them from the Post Office Yesterday (Monday 5th Sept 2011) after being away for the weekend. We decided to empty all the bags into a bowl and try the luck dip method and guess the flavour. Most of the time guessed correctly. Enjoyed the Chedder flavour the most. Would discribe to a friend as an enjoyable snack as a alternative to normal crisps. Sunbites are a healthier option to normal crisps but are just as enjoyable.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

nice packaging the crisp themselves looked a bit strage but they had a nice crunch which a lot of healthy snacks dont and good flavour and I enjoyed eating them,

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

a healthy replacement for crisps.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

Chilli was my favourite and for me it was strong enough

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

They're crunchy and wholewheat

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

yes I would becasue they are tasty but low calorie, something you dont find often

My overall impression of the product is that they are a pleasant, tortilla chip style crisp that are good because they contain wholegrains and less fat than a standard crisp, but not necessarily healthy because they contain sugar and are still a fried snack.

I think the packaging and overall styling of the range is very good, Walkers obviously have a very good marketing dpt and I appreciated the fact that they'd properly printed an introductory leaflet for MNers as it was very professional. If I'd have seen them in a shop I'd probably have bought them to give them a try but I'm not sure I'd buy them again. The main reason for this is that I really like crisps to be savoury and I felt that the added sugar made a real difference to all the flavours. Maybe I'd put a few out at parties, just because they're something different.

I doubt I will recommend them but certainly wouldn't slate them either and think a lot of people would like them. Would be good as a snack for those that don't really like potatoes.

My favourite flavours were the cheese & onion and lightly salted as they were less sweet, but to be honest I felt they were all a bit samey and there wasn't much distinction between the lot of them. Something stronger like Worcester sauce would be nice.

My toddler had a couple and they seemed to go down well with her :)

Many thanks for letting us try them.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

The packets look very nice and would definitely have tempted me to buy and try even though I rarely buy crisps as I like the pastel shades of the packs and they are like nothing I've personally seen on the shelves before.

I have eaten part packs of each of the flavours and overall, I enjoyed them. I did find them quite dry though.
Dd (4.8) has enjoyed them as well and I will be giving the remainder to Ds (13.1) when he's home from school.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

Crunchy, very natural tasting and tasty.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

Sweet chilli :) this was the most flavoursome IMO.

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

The very obvious taste and texture of wholegrain.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would, because with just the reduction in fat as a plus point, they are a better choice than regular crisps.

I found the lightly sea salted flavour tasted very plain. These were my least favourite.
I was (as I am with every packet of crisps) very disappointed with the amount in each packet. 25g isn't even an ounce...very disappointing.

I tested these by sharing with my 9yr old dd.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

The packaging looked good. the strapline " tiny moments of extraordinary pleasure" promised a lot - probably an overstatement, sadly. I enjoyed eating all of them except the sweet chilli, which seemed a bit insipid. Not many in a pack

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

crunchy wholegrain crackers

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

sour cream and black pepper were the best for me, closely followed by cheddar. dd liked the sour cream best, but hated the cheddar nearly as much as the sweet chilli

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

Lower fat

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

probably, though I was surprised at the sugar content. I like the natural flavourings and I think they make a good alternative to crisps

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Nice packaging, overall impression was of a healthier option to crisps. I enjoyed eating them as a snack, I liked the texture and taste. My only criticism is that they were a little too salty - however as I don't add salt to food when cooking, I may be more sensitive to the taste of salt than some people.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

I would describe them as a savoury snack you could eat instead of crisps, with a wholemeal texture and taste.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

I liked the chili flavour the most - it had more "bite" than the other flavours. The ready salted were particularly bland.

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

The wholemeal texture/taste.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend them as something a bit different - possibly as a slightly healthier option to crisps.

Q1 - Yes I (and my eldest son) enjoyed eating them. Very tasty (although the cheddar and caramelised onion ones left a bit of an after taste).
Q2 - I'd describe them as the Burgen bread of the crisp world. Whole grain, but tasty.
Q3 - We liked the sour cream and cracked black pepper flavour best. In terms of other possible flavours anything with cheese in them is a winner with my son - perhaps pecorino cheese and parma ham flavour??
Q4 - The fact that they are whole grain - so a bit of a healthier version.
Q5 - It depends what my friends were looking for. I'd definitely recommend them in place of crisps, but as a snack they are still not that healthy. They contain quite high levels of fat and salt. Obviously better than regular crisps, but to be honest I wouldn't eat crisps or give them to my kids very often (more of a special occasion thing).

Mine arrived last week, so naturally they have all been tested now!

My overall impression of the product was good. I liked the packaging - liked the colours of the packets and the descriptions of the flavours. I enjoyed eating them. In fact they were tastier than I thought they would be given the 'multigrain' ingrediants!

I'd describe sunbites as a great alternative to a packet of crisps.

I likes all the flavours, except the cheddar cheese! My DS enjoyed the salted ones, but found the chilli flavour too strong.

Sunbites have fewer calories than a usual packet of crisps, which makes them more appealing.

I would recommend sunbites to a friend, and I probably would buy them myself, but only as an occasional treat as they're not really an ideal snack to have regularly.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Good packaging - contents seemed minimal though. Very nice, good alternative to potato crisps. Liked all flavours except chilli. DD2 (2.5) in particular loved them!

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were? Crisps but not potato. Very crunchy :)

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range? Salted. Woul like to see salt & vinegar

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?
Only v. crunch alternative to potato crisps.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes, very tasty.

Just picked mine up from the sorting office (been in France), dd is very excited about trying them. Will be back with our opinions later!

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
I liked them - not enough in the packet but that is probably good as I love crisps

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?
They are very crunchy alternative to potato crisps with nice flavours

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range? chilli and the rosemary one

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?
Only v. crunch alternative to potato crisps.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not? Yes I would recommend

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

The packaging is very premium. It felt like I had real treat and especially as they arrived on a Saturday morning and I usually like a savoury snack with my Saturday night glass (or two) of wine. I very much enjoyed the Sunbites. They are extremely moreish. I thought the packaging appeared to be a little on the feminine side but maybe this is a strategic decision as you are aiming them at women / mothers or because we tend to do the food shopping.
My daughter who is 4 tried them and she really enjoyed them as did my husband so they do appeal to all.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

I would describe them as a healthier alternative to crisps.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

I think the Soured cream and cracked black pepper as I thought this flavour was the strongest. My least favourite was the lightly sea salted which I thought were a bit bland, but that is probably because you are trying to keep the salt content low. The onion & rosemary one reminded me of traditional sunday roasts.

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

It is probably the wholegrain. Obviously you already do the baked crisps as an alternative to traditional crisps but those are not wholegrain. So we can pretend to ourselves it is ok to eat 3 bags in one day.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes I would recommend them to a friend definitely. Especially as many of my friends are trying to eat a healthy diet but still enjoy the odd treat. I work in a cafe in a gym and we stock baked crisps as a healthier option to traditional crisps and snack a jacks but the feedback I get from customers is that they find these too salty and strong a flavour. Sunbites are definitely milder and have the wholegrain benefit that my customers would appreciate. Perhaps you should send some samples into the large chains of gyms to see if they would be interested in stocking them? We run swimming lessons too and the children are always starving after swimming and I could see this snack being one the Mums would feel ok about giving to the children and more importantly being seen to be giving their children.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Really liked them so much so we ate ALL OF THEM in one sitting !

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?
A sort of good for you crisp

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?
I liked the cheddar flavour the most, didnt particularly like onion and rosemary
but did think all of them were quite sweet

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?
I could convince myself I was getting my fibre for the day

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes I would

Hooray they arrived!! And were soon eaten by family!!!

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

I liked the look of the packets, I thought they sort of looked more grown up than regular crisis. I enjoyed eating them as did the kids, which surprised me! The flavours were fab.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

I'd say they were a crunchy snack, that was healthier than other crisps but tasted just as good.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

I loved the sweet chilli ones. I think a variation of flavours, like branston pickle and cheddar would be delicious, or beef and mustard!!

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

They look and feel more grown up.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

I'd def recommend them as I think they would go quite well with wine!

"Yum", from all the family. We liked all the flavours, particularly the sweet chilli and sour cream ones. The texture was good and they made a nice alternative to potato crisps. The only complaint is that the bags seemed quite small perhaps they could be sold in a 30g bag. I would recommend them to friends.
Thanks Walkers for letting us test them.

Yay they arrived (and were a lot nicer than I expected :) )

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
They look like a healthy snack from the pack design and the crisp itself certainly looked like it should be healthy. I have to admit they tasted much nicer than they looked. I definately enjoyed them. They looked like they would be grainy and taste like rivita but they had more of a crisp taste than i expected and the flavours were subtle but just right

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?
I would describe them as a liter version of doritos. Would go down well with a glass of wine :)

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?
The whole family preffered the sour cream flavour with the sea salt coming in second. The least favourite was the Onion and Rosemary. They tasted too much like garlic. I would not buy that flavour again

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?
I think they are somewhere inbetween potato crisps and tortillia ones. They are a much lighter, crispier version of tortillia though which to me is a bonus

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes i would and have already recomended these. I think as snacks go they are just right. They are not too heavy but just enough to satisfy any crisp cravings. I will be buying these in future

1. the packaging looked smart In Matt finish, enjoyed eating them as they were crunchy like a crisp with a malty rich taste
2. they are like a cross between tortilla chips and crispl

Sorry my lil one decided to jump around!! Grr!!!
2) cont....very tasty and satisfying!!
3) I loved the cheese flavour best followed closely by the salt...to have any hope of getting my husband to eat them there would need to be a salt and vinegar flavour....that's all he ever eats!!!
4)30% less fat and a whole lot of wholegrain...a very good texture too! Sorry it's more than one!
5) I have already recommended them to family and friends as I have found them to be very tasty!
Thank you for the freebies

Northern monkey I agree to the dorito comment

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Not keen on the pastel coloured packets. I enjoyed eating them. Thought they were high in fat considering how small the pack is.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

Crisps that people can delude themselves with thoughts of healthy eating with.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

Loved onion and rosemary, and cheddar flavours. Was very meh on the rest

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

They are very small packets!

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

Possibly, but on the grounds of taste rather than that they are healthy.

Just had the onion and rosemary flavour. Yum yum yum.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?
Yes I did enjoy the snacks, but thought that the flavours were a bit too subtle- I prefer a stronger flavour. I liked that they were crunchy, and liked that they were fewer calories than crisps. However, they were higher calorie than a similar product on the market (snack a jacks if I'm allowed to say!). I thought the portion size was a bit stingy too!

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were? A wholemeal, lower (not low) calorie alternative to crisps.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?
I liked the sour cream one the best.

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?
The fact that they are wholemeal

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?
Maybe, it would depend on what they were looking for. I would not say this is a healthy snack, but I might say it is a healthier alternative to crisps.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Packaging: The pastel colours seemed different (from most crisps), but I think they would be very recessive on shelf. I think the front of the packs are very cluttered. The Walkers branding is very subtle, I guess to not be too associated with the unhealthiness of the rest of the crisps. The cutesy pics of birds and butterflies seems a little contrived: I get the association between nature and no artificial colours etc, but only when I think about it.

Contents: I did enjoy eating them, but would not buy all the flavours again. I enjoyed the crunch, and the lack of greasiness that you'd get with crisps. I also liked that they did not leave all those bits in your teeth, like crisps do!

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

Crunchy, crisp-like snack, not greasy.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

LOVED the sweet chilli, although would have liked a bit more heat, as would my 6yo daughter. Also liked the Cheddar and Onion and the Sour Cream and Black Pepper.

I found the salted ones really bland, although I don't really eat ready salted crisps either. I found the (salty) Sunbites less salty than Walkers REady Salted.

Not sure what other flavours I'd like. Perhaps something smokey - eg smoky bacon or chipotle chilli, or something fresher, with tomato - eg tomato and basil, poss with mozzarella. Salt and vinegar seems like a missing from the range, although this does not appeal to me personally.

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

The crunchiness. I liked the crunchiness, and liked that it was delivered without much grease - unlike, say, Frazzles.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

Yes, definitely the sweet chilli ones.

Q1 What was your overall impression of the product? Did you enjoy eating them or not? If so, why? If not, why not?

Lovely! Loved the texture and lightness. Not at all 'greasy'.

Q2 How would you describe Sunbites to a friend who didn't know what they were?

A grown up sort of crisp. Light texture, very crunchy and great flavours.

Q3 Which flavour did you like the most? Are there any other flavours you'd like to see in the range?

Sea salt

Q4 Thinking about Sunbites in comparison to other snacks, can you think of one feature which makes Sunbites different? If so, what is it?

The light and crispy texture.

Q5 If it came up in conversation, do you think you'd recommend Sunbites to your friends? If so, why? If not, why not?

yes, definitely.

We liked the crunchiness of the Sunbites very much indeed.

A light and crunchy snack with good flavours.

The onion and rosemary went down very well!

They are light and crispy, and not greasy.

Yes I would recommend, they are very nice.

Thanks!