We’re going potty for popcorn!

Sales are booming thanks to wacky flavours such as bacon, ginger and wasabi

POPCORn is no longer just for the cinema — sales are up 30 per cent on this time last year, as the treat becomes one of the UK’s most popular snacks.

And forget salty or sweet — now popcorn comes in weird and wonderful flavours, from Waitrose’s bacon and maple sy r up to Metcalfe’s Skinny Wasabi Glaze Topcorn and Propercorn’s festive Sweet Ginger & Orange.

Its ability to take on sweet or savoury flavours, plus the way it fills you up while remaining low in calories and fat, means popcorn answers our desire for products that are healthy and delicious. Katy Squire, M& S popcorn developer, says: ‘ Popcorn is really on trend and is a healthy alternative to crisps or chocolate.’

Tesco’s Jignesh Depala adds: ‘Shoppers can’t get enough of popcorn right now. As soon as each exotic new flavour hits the shelves, they’re snapping them up.’

If you’d rather drink your popcorn, that’s fine, with both popcorn tea and popcorn vodka available.

And if your dog gets green-eyed as you settle down with your wasabi popcorn in front of a DVD, no problem. Waitrose’s new pet website WaitrosePet.com sells Atlantic seaweed-flavoured Billy + Margot Popcorn For Dogs (£1.99).

Here are eight other products worth a pop . . .

Strawberry and White Chocolate popcorn

£2.50 for a pack of five bags, M&S PART of M&S’s ‘ GuiltFree Snacking’ range, this toffee-covered popcorn drizzled with white chocolate and dried strawberry pieces is a delicious sweet treat, and has just 115 calories per bag.

Popcorn cupcakes

90p each or three for two, Sainsbury’s AVAILABLE from the i n- store bakery, these mouthwatering vanilla cupcakes have toffee sauce, toffee icing, and a sprinkling of toffee popcorn pieces.

Oddcorn Salted Caramel Popcorn Vodka

£8-£10, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco THIS ‘ vodka-based liqueur’ was launched in Britain last year, and offers a nice sweet hit, reminiscent of the original toffee vodkas. Best served over ice.

Chips Ahoy Popcorn Candy Chip cookies

£1.99 all major retailers THESE new American cookies have an alluring combination of crunchy candy shells, caramelised popcorn and chocolate chips. Pretty with their colourful candy shells, they went down a storm with children.

Propercorn Fiery Worcester Sauce & SunDried Tomato popcorn

RRP 90p for a single serve pack, Tesco, ocado, £1.69 for a sharing pack, Waitrose, ocado

I TRIED this highly spiced popcorn when I wasn’t hungry, but ended up eating the whole bag, it was so good. With a strong Worcester sauce and spicy tomato flavour, it would be the perfect nibble with a drink.

Chocolate & Peanut Popcorn Bars

£2.50 for pack of four, M&S PACKED with peanuts, chocolate and popcorn pieces, these bars are an indulgent snack with only 138 calories. Good for a mid-afternoon treat or after lunch if you’re still feeling a bit peckish.

Chosen by You Popcorn Seasoning

85p, Asda AVAILABLE in five flavours including nacho, Chocolate, and Chilli and Lime, this is shaken over freshly popped corn (Chosen by You kernels, £1.25).

Teapigs Popcorn Tea

£4.15, Tesco, ocado THIS is a pure green tea with a popcorn flavour, and it smells delicious. Perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up.