Thursday 13 August 2015

Simply Sumptuous Granola

Price: £1.79

Score (out of five): 4 (fruit and nut); 5 (fruit)

Review: well, as I've written here before, the thing I like about Lidl, unlike Tesco, is they rarely confuse you, or make you feel short-changed by having special offers (apart from the occasionally reduced price), but here I'm offering you a BOGOF.

The Lidl granola was a review I'd been promised by a friend for months but they'd never got round to it*. When we got back from our recent holiday I took my partner and we did our first proper big shop entirely (just about) at Lidl. He was after something new for breakfast so I suggested this granola as my friend had mentioned it was very nice. Eventually my branflakes ran out (thank god) so I got to try the fruit and nut. It was so nice I bought the fruit one to try as well. 

And they're both very nice indeed. I prefer the fruit one myself. Granola is always one of those breakfast cereals that makes you feel like you've used more calories chewing the stuff than you get from it and the extra sweetness of the fruit granola makes up for that. But, like all granola it leaves you with that slightly smug feeling that you've worked for your breakfast and it's tasty. I've not checked the nutrition information, but it's therefore probably laced with added sugar. Hey-ho. 

As well as having it with milk, it's also very nice with the Lidl yoghurt - they now sell more one litre pots of flavoured yoghurts. I can recommend the Scatiatelli (or scratch-your-telly as I call it) and passionfruit and peach.  

* Jenny, I'm still waiting for those reviews of the perfume and mascara. There's a limit to what a man can review...

Sunday 9 August 2015

Crownfield Bran Flakes

Price: 45p (reduced)

Score (out of five): 0.5

Review: oh reader, the things I do for you. There's no photo with this post, even though I did actually go back and buy a second pack of these branflakes just to take a photo even though I really didn't like them. Alas, I forgot before the pack was finished.

I've eaten bran flakes for my breakfast for quite a few years after getting sick of dried coconut and raisins in fruit and fibre. I've become quite the expert in the various supermarket own-brands as it always seemed a tad pointless forking out for Kellogg's bran flakes when they essentially have three ingredients. I'd eventually settled on Tesco Everyday Value (89p for 750g).

I thought I'd give Lidl's brand a whirl. Oh deary me. The flakes become mush very quickly after you pour on the milk and they are far too sweet. After the first spoon it's a bit like eating over-sugared Weetabix mush combined with Ready Brek. Really not a pleasant texture or flavour. After the second packet I was just about getting used to them. You might like this texture/flavour combo (I can imagine they'd be a good way to get kids to eat a vaguely healthy cereal) but it's definitely not for me. Sorry, Lidl, on this one Tesco beat you.

However, after coming back from holiday, I've discovered Lidl granola.

Review coming up!