Cheese and onion is UK's top crisp flavour

Crumbs - ready salted crisps have been crunched and cheese and onion is Britain's new favourite flavour.

Market research firm Mintel said sales of cheese and onion crisps had soared by 15 percent in the last two years to 256 million pounds.

Long-time bestseller ready salted fell to second place in the hearts and stomachs of the nation despite a five percent rise in sales between 2006-8, while traditional favourite salt and vinegar saw its popularity slip with sales down seven percent.

However, overall sales of the three most popular crisp flavours still dominate the market, accounting for almost two-thirds of 1.47 billion pounds worth of crisps Britons chomped their way through last year.

"Despite the ongoing development of new and exciting flavours, the traditional favourites still win hands down," said Mintel analyst Emmanuelle Bouvier.

However, Mintel said while recent sales had risen impressively, the market was unlikely to grow in the next five years as the credit crunch cut the amount people munched.