Quavers

History

Quavers were first made by Smiths at their factory on Newark Road in the Bracebridge area of Lincoln in 1968. The initial advertising slogan was "you get a lovely lot of Quavers in a bag", and they were described as "curly potato puffs". The brand originally came in cheese and smoky bacon flavours, with later additions including Spicy Beef, Sweet and Sour, Prawn Cocktail, and Ketchup. In 1993, the packaging brand changed from Smiths to Walkers, and a Salt and Vinegar flavour was introduced that same year.

Walkers relaunched Quavers in March 1996 with a new look and an advertising campaign by Aardman Animations, featuring mascot Quentin Quaverhead and his family, alongside a new Tangy Tomato flavour. The brand was part of Walkers' short-lived "Snackshack" range in 1997, and saw updated packaging in 1998 with the reintroduction of Prawn Cocktail using a new recipe. A new logo and recipe for the Cheese flavour came in 1999, followed by another branding refresh in 2000.

A "Streaky Bacon" flavour with pink and brown pieces resembling bacon was added in August 2002. Ghost-shaped Cheese Quavers were released for Halloween in September 2004 and again in September 2005. In February 2007, packaging changed to reflect the use of sunseed oil, with multipack bags in landscape orientation and a slightly altered logo. December 2009 saw another packaging change as part of a "99 Calories or Less" range.

By 2012, Prawn Cocktail and Salt and Vinegar flavours were discontinued, while Ketchup and Sweet and Sour were limited-time offerings. In December 2020, Walkers announced the return of Prawn Cocktail and Salt and Vinegar flavours for February 2021 due to popular demand. A packaging refresh and the introduction of a BBQ Sauce flavour occurred in March 2023, and a Red Leicester flavour was introduced in July 2025.

Description

The primary ingredient in Quavers is potato starch. They are deep fried, resulting in a texture similar to krupuk (prawn crackers), but are smaller and have a curled-up rectangular shape with a cross-section resembling a quaver. A 16.4g pack of regular Quavers contains 88 calories, with 44 from fat, and includes 4.9g of total fat (0.4g saturated, 0.6g polyunsaturated, 3.8g monounsaturated) and 170mg of sodium. The Cheese flavour has 86 calories, and Salt and Vinegar has 83.