Tudor Crisps was founded in Sunderland in 1947. They moved to Newcastle in 1961 when the brand was acquired by Smiths Crisps.
Tudor became known for its unusual (at the time) choice of flavours including Tomato Ketchup, Hot Dog & Mustard, And Pickled Onion.
Tudor’s packets were colour-coded: Cheese & Onion sold in blue packets, Beef Barbecue in brown, Tomato Sauce in red.
During the 1970s, sales of Tudor crisps soared thanks to the company’s memorable advertising campaign. It featured a paper boy, bribed with a “canny bag of Tudor” to deliver papers to a Gateshead tower block.
Those adverts were re-referenced in the 1980s, with the now adult paperboy returning in a Rolls Royce and eating a bag of Tudor Specials.
The Tudor brand was phased out in 2003, along with Smiths crisps, now both part of Walkers Crisps.
As Tudor no longer exists, we haven’t been able to verify all of these flavours. The unverified ones are in italic. We’d love to hear about the flavours from former Tudor Crisp eaters!
- Beef
- Beef Barbecue
- Brown Sauce
- Cheese & Onion
- Chocolate
- Cream Cheese & Chives
- Fried Onion
- Fried Tomato & Bacon
- Gammon
- Gammon & Pineapple
- Hot Dog & Ketchup
- Hot Dog & Mustard
- Kipper
- Mild Curry
- Mint Sauce
- Pickled Onion
- Pork & Apple
- Prawn Cocktail
- Ready Salted
- Roast Beef & Pickle
- Roast Chicken
- Roast Chicken & Mint Sauce
- Roast Lamb & Mint Sauce
- Salt & Vinegar
- Saucy Sausage
- Smoky Bacon
- Spare Rib
- Spicy Chicken
- Spring Onion
- Sweet & Sour
- Tomato Sauce
- Turkey & Stuffing
Museum of Crisps 
Is it possible to get any of these product ie the gammon crisps I would be eternally grateful if it was possible
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Hi Ann, I don’t think it is at the moment, but people are always campaigning to get Walkers to bring back Tudor crisps, so we can live in hope!
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I can remember a Worcestershire sauce flavour. It was a firm favourite of mine in the mid to late 70s. I could only get them from the BonAccord swimming baths situated in Justice Mill Road, Aberdeen.
Sadly the baths closed (i think in the 2000s), but they are under restoration at present.
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I’m trying to date the Gammon flavour Tudor Crisps that are showing in the middle row, far right of you photo of 15 Tudor flavours. I have just picked up some (packet say New flavour) in a litter pick along with other decades old items, mainly 1980s. Unfortunately the best before date is not visible. Would love to hear from you 🙂
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Hi Ella, That’s amazing! I think the Gammon flavour packet here must be from the 1970s (not sure exactly when). There was a famous advert (“I’d climb a mountain for Tudor Crisps!”). They changed the packaging later, and reissued the advert with the boy actor in it now coming back as a grown man. It’s a bit hard to see from the version that’s online, but they seem to have made a switch in the advert to show the 1980s packaging instead of the 1970s. You can find out more about the advert here https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/tudor-crisps-north-easts-very-10109888
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Continuing my litter pick in Guisborough I today found a 1975 packet of ready salted Tudor crisps!!! I was able to date them as they had a promotion on the packet for “International Gems” with a closing date of 30th March 1975. Mind boggling really, how long that has waited to be picked up
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I remember the ‘Gammon Flavour’ tasting almost exactly like Walkers Smokey Bacon. I cannot ever remember there being an actual ‘Smokey Bacon Flavour’ marked packet of Tudor Crisps, from my 80’s Newcastle child hood.
Pickled Onion Flavour were the BOMB!
Curry Tudors were my first taste or culture LOL
And Chocolate Tudors I bought at the shop opposite Haymarket Metro in Newcastle and I almost vomited on the Metro on my way to school hahahahaha!
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Thank you lizzieben42. It is frustrating that the packets in the advert are difficult to make out. It’s likely that this is the oldest item I’ve found but can’t be sure! Don’t know if you’re interested to see photos? It’s been laid in brambles at the edge of a playing field for 3 or 4 decades!
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Hi Ella, I’d love to see the photos – it’s a bit shocking that crisps packets can survive for so long!
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I have found an empty prawn cocktail crisps dated 1990 while litter picking today.
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I can remember my personal favourite which was Tudor savoury vinegar in blue and yellow bag with a large Tudor King on the front. They were so strong that my cheeks almost met each other in the middle!
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My favourite to, I thought dark blue bag, and only know them as vinegar crisps. And yes wow did they wake the taste buds up
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Me mother gave me a packet of them bad boys when I was about 3. I was running round the house shouting ‘Sore lips’ repeatedly. God knows what they had in then to burn a child’s skin hahahahahaaaaa
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PICKLED ONION, ARE THE BEST EVER PRODUCED BY TUDOR, CRAZY THAT THEY ARE GONE
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Dont forget, Cheese and Pickle flavour.
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I’m looking to recreate a Tudor bag of crisps for a stage play, do you have the dimensions of a packet of the crisps, circa 1978?
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Hi there – I’m afraid I don’t know, but from the size of the packets I’ve seen online they look a similar width to Smiths/Walkers single packets of crisps, but possibly a bit shorter in height (this one gives a fair idea http://www.ayrshirehistory.com/sweetie_papers/tudor_sweet_sour.jpg). The picture here might be useful too http://theincrediblekulk.blogspot.com/2018/05/my-crisps-journey-10-packets-of-crisps.html
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I have several 70s Tudor packets from litter picking that I’ve measured: 155 × 123 mms (to be exact 😉
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@lizzieben42 @Ella Towers Thank you so much! Ros xx
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We’ve been asked a question about the value of a 1990s Tudor crisp packet. The packet in question is a 1995 Worcester Sauce flavour one. Does anyone have any idea what it would be worth?
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Finally, proof of kipper flavour crisps nobody has believed me for years 😂😂
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Always happy to oblige!!
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Hi there, my mum was a rep for Tudor crisps back in the 1970’s and I used to love it in the school holidays when she would have to take me with her in the car and let me eat some of the samples she was bringing to sweet shops. My favourite were Tudor Rashers. They are very similar to todays Bacon Fries mmmmmmmm……..
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Bacin fries were made Seperate from the crisp in what was called the mini
i factory
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I grew up on Tudor Crisps and seem to remember a flavour called French Onion! Although it could have been Fried Onion I suppose… Being honest though I’m about 80% sure it was French…..
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Am I bonkers or was there a “Cheese Flavour”, the early 70s?
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Couldn’t tell you mate however I believe there are more flavours that existed than are listed here or on Wikipedia…
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I bet there are! We’re trying to track them all down, so if you know of any we’ve missed, I’d love to hear about them!
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Tudor were always inventing new flavours they had there own lab
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You might well be right – I’d love it if you can find out for definite! We only include flavours we can verify and the more Tudor Crisp flavours we know about the better!
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I can’t confirm whether Tudor did a solely cheese flavour, George, but XL still make superb cheese flavour crisps, in a light green bag. Thing is, I never see them anywhere other than on both sides of the Solway Firth coast!
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Are these brands of crisps still available
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Sadly, no – they disappeared in the early 2000s
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My favourite to, I thought dark blue bag, and only know them as vinegar crisps. And yes wow did they wake the taste buds up
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any one got info or complete list of Tudor crisps give a way promotions such as Flutterbyes, fish, wallcharts medals games plastic cars etc etc also wanted packets for these as well many thanks
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I recall Tudor Kipper flavour crisps from the mid- to late 1960s. The bag was printed the other way around to normal, with a purple cartoon fish in front of light blue and white stripes which represented the sea. The fish was clearly the reason why the packet was printed landscape rather than the normal portrait, with the openings effectively on the sides.
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Tudor definitely did Roast Lamb and Mint sauce flavour crisps.
I never saw any Roast chicken and Mint sauce – ever.
Totally gutted when Walkers stopped producing them.
Kind regards, Clive.
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I’m trying to get information on who founded the original company before it went to Smith’s.
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What about Tudor HEDGEHO CRISPS in the 90s?
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Correct as well, Janice – not my favourite flavour, but Hedgehog flavour did exist – although no hedgehogs were ever harmed, we were told.
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I’m sure early 80’s the had a curry flavour one, i remember cause they had a promotion that you had to sens in a certain number of packets and you got a kite. the packet and the kite had a little indian guy on a flying carpet eating a bag of tudor
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You’re spot-on, James – there were Curry flavour Tudor Crisps – I recall that when I first saw them that I wondered why it had taken so long for anyone to market them. Well remembered!
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Tudor were always inventing new flavours they had there own lab
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I’m sure that in the mid 70s Sweet and Sour and Hotdog and Mustard came out together. Sweet and Sour I’m sure were rebranded as Prawn Cocktail.
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I believe you’re right, Andy – but I can’t offer an opinion on the Sweet & Sour/Prawn Cocktail rebrand. I do recall that the Hot Dog & Mustard crisps were very tasty!
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Brilliant memories! Some of mine:
Sweet and Sour, Gammon and Curry were certainly offerings from mid to late 1970s. We moved in February 1980 from one Lanarkshire village to an other, and I cannot recall Tudor in New Stevenston at all, though fondly do in Cleland. As for the Sweet and Sour to Prawn Cocktail switch, I personally see this as a reflavouring and not rebounding, as, the old S&S was such an amazing flavour at the time. Gammon and curry very decent, whilst spring onion gets an honourable mention.
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Steak and onion by Tudor had the best flavor I ever tasted in my 50 years of manic crisp eating. Nothing else came close! Really wish they were still available.
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Does anyone remember around 1979/1980 haggis flavoured crisps, in a tartan bag?! I seem to be the only person who does! I’m sure it was a Tudor crisp as my favourite was the spring onion flavour and they came from the same little corner shop. Keeping my fingers crossed someone remembers!!
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Hi all Tudor lovers I collect anything issued by Tudor crisps so welcome items you may have for sale please email me frankmunford@hotmail.com many thanks
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We spent many a break time at middle school, eating them and scavenging empty packets out of the bins. We sent these off to Tudor in return for a “Flutterby” collection, and later for a medallion collection. Happy days! 8)
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