From flip phones to scrunchies, things that were considered trendy and cool in the 90s and 00s are slowly making their way back into fashion today.
But this isn’t just happening in the clothes and technology sectors, even certain foods are making a big comeback.
New research has revealed that several former lunchbox staples are proving popular once more, with old school crisps in demand with shoppers.
Online supermarket Ocado.com claims sales of Smith’s Crispy Bacon Frazzles have increased by 48% over the last year, with Prawn Cocktail Skips and Smith’s Salt & Vinegar Chipsticks also on the rise, with sales rising by 47% and 42% respectively.
Other 90s favourites flying off the shelves of late include Discos, with sales up 15% month on month, and sales of Nik Naks Rib ‘N’ saucy are also growing.
According to Ocado, it’s social media that’s fuelling the nostalgia, and crisps are no exception to the craze.
Overall, the retailer has seen multipack sales go up by 20% over the last 12 months as customers opt for the ‘great value’ they offer.
Crisp aficionado and Ocado devotee, Nigella Lawson is thrilled to see the retro crisps coming back, saying: ‘I for one am not surprised by the trend toward classic crisps in their many forms. As my crisp cauldron will testify, I have in store many of the flavours mentioned in Ocado’s list – they are the perfect accompaniment to an evening aperitivo or to snack on during essential TV viewing.’
Nathan Hawker, Buyer at Ocado Retail, added: ‘There’s been loads of innovation within the category in recent years, including a huge growth in demand for posh flavours and gourmet styles, like the M&S Collection Truffle and Olive Oil Crisps and Insta-favourite, the Torres Iberico Ham Crisps. There’s also been an explosion in crisps made from different vegetables and grains, with recent additions to the 500+ strong Ocado crisp range featuring options made from lentils, chickpeas, okra and even seaweed.
‘Sometimes however, only the familiar flavours, value and practicality of the humble retro multipack will do. With many Millennials now shopping for their own families, it looks like they are rediscovering their old lunchbox loves, while the wave of 90s nostalgia on social media is also helping to make old school crisps cool.’
If you’re craving the classics then you might be interested to know that KP Snacks recently launched two new flavours of a childhood favourite, Pom-Bears.
As well as ready salted and salt and vinegar, the bear-shaped crisps now come in cheese and BBQ options. You can nab yourself a packet from the likes of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op, and Asda now for £2.25 for a multipack.
Discontinued crisps we really miss:
Sizzling Steak Wotsits
Walkers confirmed in November 2023 that the popular crisps were no longer part of its product range. Fans were outraged, proclaiming that the meaty flavour was ‘much better’ than the original Wotsits and their hearts were broken.
Worcester Sauce Crisps
The ‘god tier’ level snack was axed in September 2023, with Walkers confirming the tragic news on Twitter. RIP. But Martin Lewis recently found a tasty alternative.
Salt & Vinegar Quavers
This flavour was first created by Walkers back in 1993 and was sold on and off for years, before making a big comeback in 2021 alongside the popular Prawn Cocktail Quavers. Despite their cult following and the successful relaunch, they were discontinued two years later.
Beef & Onion crisps
‘We know there were a lot of people that loved Beef & Onion, but sometimes, sadly the sales just aren’t there, so we have to make changes to our range’, a Walkers spokesperson said on X, formerly Twitter.
They were replying to a customer on the social media platform who had noticed their absence and needless to say, fans weren’t impressed.
This isn’t the first time this has happened, either: the snack was first discontinued in 2015 and then brought back, which one Facebook support group aptly named ‘Walkers Beef & Onion Bring Them Back’ attributed to its campaign.
This comes after Walkers recently teamed up with Heinz to launch three limited-edition flavours inspired by classic lunchtime sarnies.
First up there’s Roast Chicken and Heinz Mayo flavour, then there’s Sausage Sarnie and Heinz Ketchup, followed by Cheese Toastie with Heinz Beanz. Yep, you read that right, baked beans flavour crisps!
Walkers hailed the sandwich inception crisp flavours as ‘mind blowing’, saying they would ‘level up’ people’s lunches.
The new flavours are available in supermarkets nationwide, with 45g grab bags (£1) as well as multipacks of five for £1.65.
The crisp giant hasn’t confirmed how long the limited-edition products will be around for, but they did warn that you’ll have to be quick if you want to try them.
Wayne Newton from Walkers told Metro.co.uk: ‘We can’t think of a better way to kick start our CrispIN vs CrispOUT debate this year than by uniting with one of Britain’s favourite household names to take lunchtimes to a whole new level.’
If this weren’t enough, the crisp giant also recently announced another new flavour, that will likely please fans of an axed 90s favourite.
Barbecue crisps were first launched by Walkers in the 1990s but were quietly discontinued a few years later.
They made a brief comeback in 2023 as a limited-edition special, but then poof, they vanished once more.
On social media, lovers of the flavour have been begging Walkers to bring them back for years, with one superfan on Reddit, known as u/UnreliableChemist writing: ‘Feel like pure s**t just want BBQ Walkers back.’
Similarly, u/Jimbobhas said: ‘The original BBQ flavour were the only crisps I liked as a kid.’ And u/Inner-Thing321 proclaimed: ‘They were the best ever flavour.’
And it seems their prayers might finally have been answered… well, kind of.
This is because the crisp giants have just revealed a new flavour and it’s pretty similar to the old favourite.
Sold in black packets, the new crisps are called Smokin’ BBQ Sauce and the best part is that you don’t have to wait long to try them, as they are available right now in Tesco supermarkets nationwide.
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