Kellogg's Corn Flakes

Easter Sunday marked the end of Lent and instead of celebrating with an easter egg or Lindt Bunny, I couldn't wait to tuck into a huge bowl of cereal. In fact, I was so excited about being able to eat cereal again that I forgot to blog about it last Tuesday and I can only apologise for my own negligence to the cereal cause. But, what did I choose as my first bowl of cereal in 6 weeks, 42 days, 1008 hours, I hear you say. There was no competition, it had to be Kellogg's Corn Flakes.

Sometimes overshadowed by more 'exciting' or 'interesting' cereals, Corn Flakes remain a solid classic that give their contenders a run for their money. Yes, they don't have any particular flavour, but sometimes all you need is something simple. This also means that you have a base upon which you can add whatever you wish, be it fruit, honey or sugar. However, I personally always opt for my corn flakes plain, enjoying the simplicity of the cereal per se, for me, Corn Flakes are the equivalent to the detox option of the cereal world. My only qualm with Corn Flakes is the time that they take to go soggy. Within about one minute of pouring the milk on, you are guaranteed to find a soggy bottom to your cereal (something Mary Berry does not approve of). For those of you who are not fans of  soggy cereal, this means that you may have to consume your breakfast as fast as possible, potentially setting you up for mid-morning indigestion. However, after a few weeks away, I always seem to forget this fact and come crawling back to Corn Flakes, only to be reminded about the speed this transition takes. Nonetheless, apart from this minor glitch, Corn Flakes do remain, in my opinion, an underrated gem of the cereal world - a bowl full of golden sunshine...

Here are my ratings for Kellogg's Corn Flakes:

Crunch Factor: 2.5/5

Flavour: 4/5


Aesthetics: 4/5


Filling: 3.5/5


Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Hot Crossed Buns

I always find myself feeling extremely enthused about seasonal foods such as easter eggs, pigs in blankets and Pimm's. I, therefore, could hardly contain my excitement when I realised that Easter is just around the corner by the sheer quantity of hot crossed buns filling the shelves of Tescos. In a way, hot crossed buns hold a very nostalgic and very dear place in my heart. Every sunday morning of lent my brother and I would clamber into my mother and father's bed, teddy in hand, and devour hot crossed bun after hot crossed bun, only after I had insisted that my dear mother remove every single raisin and currant. I have since grown up and learnt to deal with the raisins, but still enjoy eating hot crossed buns in bed with my teddy, which is exactly what I did this very fine morning. 

The smell of orange, cinnamon and various spices coupled with slightly singed bread fills your house with the unbeatable feeling that spring has finally arrived. However, how you choose to eat your hot crossed bun is a question that can divide a nation. I would personally always eat my hot crossed buns warm (after all, the word 'hot' is in the title), choosing to toast it, but I could understand some people perhaps choosing to heat them in the oven or under the grill. However, I once heard someone say that they heat them in the microwave, needless to say I ended that friendship quickly... But whether you enjoy your buns hot or cold, the next big question is what condiment, if any, to top with? Taking pleasure from the simple things in life, I tend to stick to butter, but I suppose marmalade or maybe even honey would also make good options. It is this versatility that makes hot crossed buns a perfect treat for anytime of the day, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner. This also means that around this time of year I end up devouring them, packet after packet. Perhaps, in the words of Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls, "we're going to need considerably bigger buns".

Overall I would give hot crossed buns a rating of 4/5