Porridge

We are in the midst of lent and cravings for what we have given up are starting to set in. Some dive into the challenge of 6 weeks without chocolate, others perhaps try and better themselves as a person by going gossip free for 40 days. I, however, have decided to undertake a real personal challenge, giving up cereal for the whole duration of lent. Initially I thought I would make a swift transition from cereal to toast for breakfast, but then I remembered that I don't particularly enjoy eating toast every single morning. This has therefore led to the diversification of my breakfast choices, trying many vast and exciting breakfast foods. So, once a week, I intend to blog about a different breakfast option other than cereal for the whole 6 weeks of lent. After all, variety is the spice of life...

To ease me into this transition I have initially tried and tasted the pseudo-cereal, porridge. This is a hearty breakfast with slow release energy to keep you going until lunch time. It's versatility knows no limits as it can be made exactly to personal preference; it can be made with water, milk, as thick or runny as you like it. And once you have chosen your base you can start on the toppings. Some opt for a classic honey or maple syrup swirl, others like to add fruit and/or jam, and for those of you who believe less is more, porridge can be enjoyed simply as it comes. This morning I chose to have banana and honey upon my porridge and it was delicious. This combination adds a subtle sweetness to the simple base and you feel good because it counts towards one of your five a day. In my opinion, porridge is so great that it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No matter how you choose to have your porridge, I can guarantee that you won't be disappointed; how could you when it's texture and flavour depends upon your own personal preference? I will certainly be eating a lot more porridge  in the coming weeks... 

I would give porridge an overall rating of 4.5/5

Pancake Day

Today is Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday, Le Mardi Gras. Whatever you like to call it, it's one of the few days that many of us actually decide to eat pancakes for breakfast, lunch and even dinner. However, this one day can divide a nation - what sort of pancake to have, what to top it with, sweet or savoury, American style or French crêpe? Unfortunately this year I am unable to participate in my local Olney Pancake Race that has been running since 1445, however, in celebration of this time old tradition, I have decided to scrap cereal for a week in favour of a traditional French crêpe.

Given that I had my crêpes for breakfast, I opted for the classic lemon and sugar to kick start my day, swiftly moving onto a filling of Nutella topped with the finest Spanish raspberries to be found in Aldi. However, there are many more toppings to be had: maple syrup and bacon, banana and toffee or even ham and cheese, to name just a few, the limit is your imagination... No matter what you choose to top you pancake with, the crucial, age old question still remains: to flip or not to flip? Fortunately for me, my flatmate has many talents in the kitchen, saving me from having to scrape my breakfast from up off the floor. But for those of you whose 'tossing' needs a little more practice, I would suggest heading out to some sort of eating establishment to get your pancake fix for the day. 

Obviously pancakes are not a cereal, therefore I won't be able to use my standard ratings today. In my opinion, pancakes are a very versatile food that can be changed according to personal preferences, taste and the time of day. 

Overall I would give pancakes a 4.4/5 stars. 

Nestle Toffee Crisp

These days it seems like all cereal companies are trying to recreate chocolate bars in cereal form. Firstly, Nestle gave us Lion cereal, recently moving onto the transformation of the classic Toffee Crisp Bar into a breakfast cereal. The 'New' banner over the top of the box immediately drew my attention when faced with the daunting prospect of the cereal aisle in Tescos. However, I myself was a little cynical of Nestle's most recent conversion. Yes, it would be like Christmas come early for all Toffee Crisp fans if you could have your favourite chocolate bar in a different form morning, noon and night, but the cynic in me couldn't help but question exactly how does one turn a chocolate bar into a cereal? Therefore, my dear friend Holly took the plunge and bought me a box of Toffee Crisp Cereal on the basis that I would review it. So here it is...

What I couldn't help but ignore was the healthy stance that Nestle are trying to give this cereal. On the top of the box they claim that Toffee Crisp Cereal is a source of whole grain and provides 8 vitamins and minerals, among which is vitamin D. This may all be true, however, it seems like they have employed this technique to make mums, or dads (this is the 21st century) feel less guilty about giving their children a chocolate bar equivalent for breakfast. Personally I feel that there is nothing wrong with starting the day to a bowl of chocolatey goodness, I've been eating all sorts of cereals for the past 19 years and look at me now! But, if it does make you feel slightly better, then I guess you are having a chocolate cereal that is good for you, in a roundabout way. Nestle have just used their pre-existing Crunch cereal but given it a slightly chocolatey-toffee flavour and added a few extra toffee balls. It was my flatmate who drew my attention to the fact that they bare a slight resemblance to maggots, but don't let that put you off; the flavour is quite subtle so it's not too sickly. It also stays crisp for a good 10 minutes meaning that you can eat at a leisurely pace and could even watch the entire soap feature on ITV's This Morning!
Although I enjoyed my bowl of Toffee Crisp, I wouldn't say that it was the equivalent to the chocolate bar per-se. Maybe Nestle should rebrand this as a new cereal in itself, that way perhaps consumers would feel more inclined to try a cereal that isn't a derivative of a chocolate bar.
Here are my ratings for Toffee-Crisp Cereal:

Crunch Factor: 4.5/5

Flavour: 3.5/5


Aesthetics: 2.5/5


Filling: 3/5


Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Kellogg's Coco Pops vs Morrison's Choco Crackles

Valentine's day is fast approaching and instead of heading out for a wonderfully romantic meal with my other half, this year I have turned to another love of mine, the love of cereal. It would only be fitting that on the most romantic day of the year, I chose one of my all time favourite cereals, Coco Pops, but this week I have decided to try something new. Yes, I have already tried and reviewed Kellogg's Coco Pops, gaining an overall score of 4/5, but I thought how would they compare to Morrison's own brand version or the chocolatey cereal, Choco Crackles?

The packaging of both cereals is very similar, each opting for a yellow background with brown writing accompanied by some sort of cereal critter. Kellogg's have stuck with the well known Coco the Monkey, gracing the boxes of Coco Pops since 1963, whereas Morrison's have created a 'Pac-Man-esque' Choco Crackle Monster. Nonetheless, when placed next to one another on the shelf, you could very easily reach for one and not the other by mistake. But how does the actual cereal compare? Choco Crackles are a lot crispier than Coco Pops. This is perhaps not so great initially, but it does mean that the cereal stays crunchier for longer. However, the actual flavour of the cereal contrasts dramatically. Coco Pops have a much more chocolatey and more enjoyable flavour. On a positive note, both cereals leave the milk tasting chocolatey at the end. For just an extra 70p, I, personally would always go for Kellogg's Coco Pops in the morning, however, if towards the end of the semester when my student loan is suffering from numerous tickets bought for fashion shows and balls, I would be perfectly happy eating Morrison's Choco Crackles as a substitute.
Here are my ratings for each cereal:

Kellogg's Coco Pops             Morrison's Choco Crackles


Crunch Factor: 4/5              Crunch Factor: 4.5/5

Flavour: 4.5/5                  Flavour: 3/5

Aesthetics: 3.5/5               Aesthetics: 2.5/5

Filling: 3.5/5                  Filling: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 4/5             Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Kellogg's Mini Max

This is my first post of 2014 and I can only apologise for letting the cereal world down. During my travels through the land of Koalas, Kangaroos and Kiwis I had only good intentions of trying some new and exciting foreign cereals, but unfortunately a lack of access to technologies such as wifi and a computer was sparse, meaning I was unable to share my findings with you. However, from this week onwards I promise I will return to my weekly blog posts, and may even try out some new features to the blog...
This week I decided to ease myself back into the 'real' world by choosing a cereal that is viewed as being relatively healthy. The box informed me that Mini Max is high in fibre, high in vitamins and iron and is a wholegrain, I couldn't think of a better way to start a day full of lectures and work.
Mini Max is basically a glorified version of Mini Shredded Wheats with a frosted coating, meaning you don't have to feel bad about adding copious spoonfuls of sugar. The cereal does go quite soggy, but it's not unbearable. In fact, this is somewhat of a welcome relief as it could be a bit dry without this added milk absorption. And at the end of your breakfast, you are left with a bowl of normal tasting milk, something I know many people prefer as opposed to the sweet tasting milk left behind by some other cereals.
Here are my ratings for Kellogg's Mini Max:

Crunch Factor: 2.5/5

Flavour: 3.5/5


Aesthetics: 3/5


Filling: 3.5/5


Overall Rating: 3.5/5

Lucky Charms

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. I however, couldn't sleep with anticipation for trying my newest breakfast cereal: Lucky Charms. Having been very kindly given them by my friend, Natasha, at the end of her sister's 21st birthday party, I thought it was only fit that I reviewed them on this year's Christmas eve.
I must admit that this is not my first taste of Lucky Charms, having previously tried them at a USAo'Phile's house, but that was a rather long time ago, and I had forgotten just how bright and how many E Numbers this cereal contained - a real Christmas treat! The actual cereal component of this is rather plain. An oaty based cereal that takes on the form of a number of different shapes. Although frosted, it is still rather salty. However, the little marshmallow's are the redeeming factor of this cereal. They are an array of colour and shapes from pink love hearts to blue and yellow rainbows. In fact, they are so colourful and sweet that they counterbalance the saltiness and plainness of the cereal, making for a wonderfully harmonious, balanced bowlful of breakfast. Lucky Charms claim to be 'Magically Delicious' and I believe that this unity between salty and sweet creates this magic. As time goes on, the cereal remains fairly crisp and the marshmallows soften somewhat, but this is a welcome factor. Perhaps my only qualm with Lucky Charms is the fact that you are left with an unappetising grey/green milk once you've eaten all the cereal, nonetheless, it still tastes fairly sweet, if that's your kind of thing.
I would urge people to put aside their fears of E Numbers and Colourings just for one day and try a bowl of Lucky Charms, treat yourselves, it's Christmas!
Here are my ratings for Lucky Charms:

Crunch Factor: 3.5/5

Flavour: 4/5

Aesthtics: 4.5/5

Filling: 3/5

Overall Rating: 3.75/5

All-Bran Red Berry Crunch

Home again. Christmas time once more. Having finished exams I am finally feeling festive and therefore have decided to try All-Bran Red Berry Crunch. I have been searching for a specifically christmas themed cereal but to no avail, so thought the red berries muddled amongst the All-Bran clusters would suffice for now. 

When I saw the cereal in my bowl, my initial response was that it looked like a hybrid between bird food and rabbit droppings. Thankfully it tastes like neither. The flavour of the cereal is not too sweet or powerful so the berries are a welcome addition, and they leave you with pink milk at the end, even better! The cereal also stays crunchy for the time it takes to eat a bowl full so that's an added bonus. However, those with a more delicate mouth may want to give this cereal a miss as they certainly do live up to the 'Crunch' part of their name. 

All-Bran is perhaps not the most exciting cereal out there but it is not the worst i've ever had. It could probably do with a bit of work on the aesthetics, but i'm glad that it's not overtly sweet, as this is clearly not a cereal specifically for children; it has to appeal to adult tastes too. Although not my favourite cereal in the world, I would not be completely against eating more bowls of All-Bran Red Berry Crunch, however, will probably not be in any hurry to have my next bowl. 

Here are my ratings:

Crunch Factor: 4/5

Flavour: 2/5

Aesthetics: 1/5

Filling: 3.5/5

Overall Rating: 2.5/5