Walkers is back with its restaurant-inspired ‘Taste Icons’ range and this time it has released four brand new limited-edition flavours to celebrate and support local eateries. To create the range, the crisp brand selected four local community hero restaurants from around the UK – all with different cuisines – and turned their most popular dishes into limited-edition flavours.
Available from the 9th August, the four new flavours include: the fragrant Madras Curry inspired by The Radhuni in Edinburgh; classic and crispy Fish and Chips from Yorkshire-based Wetherby Whaler; creamy Thai Green Curry with a hint of zingy spice from Mantra Thai Dining in Newcastle; and flavoursome Chicken Burrito from Yucca in London.
What’s more, each new pack of Taste Icons offers a £5 off food code for diners to use at their local restaurants. With 3,000 restaurants to choose from, Walkers is aiming to help crisp-lovers give back and support their favourite local eateries which have played such a vital role in everyone’s lives over the past year or so. All shoppers need to do is buy a pack, go to www.walkers.co.uk/local and select a participating local restaurant near them. They will then receive a QR code voucher which they can enjoy in any of the restaurants and give back to their local.
Katherine Cook from Walkers said: “Over the past 18 months, we have seen that, no matter what, local restaurants have been there for us as a nation. This year, Walkers is supporting and celebrating local restaurants by re-creating the flavours of the delicious dishes of four, much-loved local restaurants on our crisps and telling their iconic stories on our packs. We have also enlisted thousands of restaurants across the nation to participate in the offer to drive footfall to local restaurants (within five miles of every diner). At Walkers, we are proud to be able to give back to local businesses.”
Independent Yorkshire-based restaurant chain, The Wetherby Whaler has had its most popular dish, Fish and Chips, transformed into a new flavour of crisps by Walkers. The moreish new flavour has been selected by Walkers to be part of its new ‘Local Taste Icons’ range, joining just three others from restaurants across the UK that have been hand-picked in a move that looks to celebrate local restaurants.
Founded by Phillip and Janine Murphy in 1969, The Wetherby Whaler has been serving residents of Yorkshire its famous fish and chips for over 50 years. Living by the motto of good, honest food bringing people together, it proudly serves dishes made from sustainably sourced ingredients cooked in its own traditional way.
Caroline Murphy from The Wetherby Whaler said: “We are proud that what started as a small chip shop serving local residents back in 1969 has now grown to become a group of five, family-owned restaurants and takeaways serving over 750,000 portions of haddock per year. To have a Walkers crisp flavour inspired by our fish and chips is such an honour. We’re looking forward to proudly displaying the crisps in our restaurants, alongside serving what we consider to be the finest value fish and chips in Yorkshire.”
The new flavours, inspired by local meal favourites, will be available nationwide in single serve, grab bag and multi-packs at all major retailers. All flavours are suitable for vegetarians.
To claim £5 off the food bill and for more information, including how to find local restaurants participating in the scheme, simply follow the instructions on the packet and visit www.walkers.co.uk/local. The promotion is live until 15th February 2022 and the discount is only valid on meals, not drinks.
The Wetherby Whaler-inspired Fish and Chips Crunchy and fresh, like crispy battered fish, and tangy, like chips doused in salt and vinegar, the Walkers Taste Icons Fish and Chips crisps are inspired by the British classic served at the family-owned Wetherby Whaler. The Murphy Family who owns the fish and chip restaurant has served its namesake Yorkshire town for over 50 years. They believe good, honest food brings people together; that’s why they proudly serve dishes made from sustainably-sourced ingredients and cooked in their own traditional way.
The Radhuni-inspired Madras Curry
The new Walkers Taste Icons Madras Curry crisps are inspired by the popular curry dish served at award-winning, family-owned restaurant, The Radhuni, in Loanhead near Edinburgh. The crisps are packed with fragrant spice and authentic flavour, with hints of garlic, chilli, and ginger.
The Radhuni owner, Habibur Khan, has proudly served authentic Indian and Bangladeshi dishes to the community for over 10 years and was the youngest restauranteur in the UK to win at the British Curry Awards in both 2019 and 2020. In the last year, Khan and his team raised £10,000 for the NHS and served thousands of free meals to front line workers before and during the pandemic.
The Mantra-inspired Thai Green Curry
Influenced by the spicy and creamy coconut curry served at The Mantra restaurant in Newcastle, the Walkers Taste Icons Thai Green Curry crisps have hints of chilli, lemongrass and fresh coriander leaf.
The owners, Jeab and Sunye Prapunwong – whose mantra is: ‘food is an art, cook from the heart’ – have over 30 years restaurant experience and pride themselves in serving authentic, modern Thai dishes with quality customer service. Their passion for food and commitment to support their local community led to them delivering weekly meal donations during the pandemic.
Yucca-inspired Chicken Burrito
The Walkers Taste Icons Chicken Burrito crisps are bursting with smoky paprika and cooling sour cream, much like in the Tex-Mex dish served at Yucca in Fulham, West London. After a challenging year, the team are excited to be open again so they can continue to provide delicious and high quality Mexican food to their local community.