The perfect addition to a meal deal is – without a doubt – a packet of Walkers crisps.
Although they’re called ‘potato chips‘ by the Yanks, the thin, fried slice of potatoes were, in fact, first created in the UK, according to reports.
Englishman William Kitchiner’s book The Cook’s Oracle was first published in 1817 and it is believed to be the first book to cite the recipe for crisps.
After becoming a best-seller in both the UK and the US, crisps quickly became known around the world.
The question is though, why are our beloved Walkers crisps – founded in 1948 in Leicester – called Lays everywhere else?
While the iconic logo of a yellow sun, with a red ribbon across it, remains the same, the name does not.
Well, it’s a question Reddit users are dying to find out the answer to.
In a thread titled ‘No Stupid Questions’, one person plucked up the courage to try and find out why Lays was born.
They asked: “Why is Walkers called Lays literally everywhere except the UK?”
Let’s take a look at the history books.
In 1970, the Walker family flogged their company to the American food producer Standard Brands.
It changed hands again in 1989, when a division of PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, took ownership of the much-loved crisp brand.
Why are our beloved Walkers crisps called Lays everywhere else? (Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
After a subdivision of Frito-Lays, aka Lays, adopted Walkers, it began selling the products globally under its own name.
Some speculate that the UK clung onto the Walkers name as it was already a well known and established brand in Britain.
Others say there are some slight differences between the two, hence why they differentiate themselves.
According to snack experts at One Pound Crisps, ‘Walkers crisps and Lays crisps are not exactly the same things’.
It explained: “Both brands offer a range of potato chips and savoury snacks, and they are both owned by the same parent company, PepsiCo.
“However, there are some differences between the two brands.
“They offer similar products in terms of potato crisps and savoury snacks, but they may have differences in flavours, packaging, and other aspects of their products.
“The main difference between Walkers crisps and Lays crisps is that they are marketed under different names in different parts of the world.
“Walkers is the brand name used in the UK and Ireland, while Lays is the brand name used in most other countries around the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia.”
While the iconic logo of a yellow sun, with a red ribbon across it remains the same, the name does not. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Some other theories include that when Lays looked to expand the Walkers brand, it realised the name might not work with its new target audience.
One upvoted Quora user said: “Once Pepsi bought the English company Walkers and the American company Lays, they had a meeting on the name and which to adopt.
“They found that the name Walkers was too hard for non-native/fluent English speakers to say due to the W, K and R.
“Many people struggle to pronounce these letters in non-English speaking countries and that made international branding much harder.”
In response to the original Reddit question, one user explained that the Walkers name carried a lot of weight in the UK.
The reply read: “Frito-Lay bought Walkers, a separate company at the time, in 1989.
“Because Walkers had 41 years of brand-name recognition, it was kept as the name… people in the UK already knew and were familiar with that brand.”
Well, there you have it! Now you can impress your pals with this fun fact next time you munch on a bag of Lays on your hotel balcony. Thank us later.