A CRISP fanatic from Westcliff could bag himself a cool £1million, but only with the help of the public.

Paul Rothwell, 40, is a self-confessed crisp fiend and when Walkers launched its latest campaign to find a new flavour, he couldn’t resist taking part.

A big fan of American food shows where everything is ramped up to 11, Paul suggested his take on the barbecue favourite, pulled pork.

He said: “I must admit I do like my crisps, there’s a vending machine at work and I get a packet in the afternoon.

“I saw the ‘do us a flavour’ promotion on a pack one day in February and I’d just had my first go at making pulled pork, so I thought of that.

“I heard I’d made it through to the final six a couple of months later, then had to keep quiet until it was announced in July.”

With the £1million prize pot almost within reach, Paul – who works in financial servies – is busy campaigning for votes and dreaming of what he could do with the cash. He added: “It is up to the public to decide the winner, but I am desperately asking for help from the people of Essex to vote for pulled pork.

THE FINAL 6 FLAVOURS

  • Pulled pork in BBQ sauce
  • Cheesy beans on toast
  • Hot dog with tomato sauce
  • Sizzling steak fajita
  • Chip shop chicken curry
  • Ranch raccoon

Paul added: “If I win then I’d love to go to America to experience their barbecue food for myself, and my wife’s brother has moved to Australia, so we’d go out and visit him, too.”

The vending machine that sparked his idea in the first place is now stocking Paul’s very own creation and he admits the bag of 24 packets he was given by Walkers did not last very long.

Given Paul’s love of strong American flavours, his previous preferences in crisps were a little more traditional.

He said: “I do like ready salted and also cheesy crisps, but the big bag Walkers gave us didn’t last long and I’ve been getting really positive feedback from everyone who’s tried my flavour so far.”

To vote for Paul’s flavour, visit www.walkers.co.uk/pork Voting closes on October 17.