What is life without cereal? | MEGA-POST!

I feel like I have gone through a rite of passage with regards to the type of cereal which I eat.

Before coming to London, if someone mentioned 'cereal', I would think of Nestlé's Honey Stars, Cookie Crisp, or something sweet and crunchy which involves chocolate. (Click here for my first post, in which this mindset is demonstrated perfectly.) In my household, the normal cereal in the main cupboard was for my third brother and I, while the wheat-nut-leaves-whatever-stuff-grown-in-a-field-sort-of-thing cereal in the corner cupboard was eaten by mum and my second brother. I never cared to find out the difference between 'muesli' and 'granola' – I was happy with the Honey Stars.

This whole cereal business has become a different story ever since I came to London. The supermarkets' cereal aisles are filled with so many boxes of different brands and varieties, with font sizes getting bigger and bigger as they boast about their health benefits and energy releasing-powers.

There are choices of granola, muesli, oats, shredded wheat, puffed rice, cornflakes, porridge, bran, pillows – and half of them come in grab & go sizes, such as cereal bars, and even biscuits.

This post is going to be as long as the cereal aisle in a Tesco Extra.

These White Chocolate and Strawberry Cereal Bars from Tesco is an awesome buy, at 76p per box. Although each bar is relatively small, (20.8g) they taste fantastic. The bar is more chewy than crunchy, and sweet, with strawberry-flavoured bits, plus white chocolate chips – delightful.

This Kellogg's Special K Red Berry Cereal Bar tastes great too, and is slightly bigger than the previous one, but costs a lot more, at £2 for 5 bars (Tesco), and has a drizzle of yogurt for a topping instead of white chocolate chips, which doesn't do much for the bar, when you can really enjoy the white chocolate chips in the other one. It may be Special K, but doesn't have much calorific difference from the 76p option offered by Tesco.

While the cereal bar is yummy and sweet, I could not stand having more after the first serving of Kellogg's Special K 'Red Berries' cereal, which is made of rice and wheat flakes, with added dried red berries.

I had the impression that the cereal was going to be really good, because it is famous, and, gosh, just look at those generous, dried fruits. I had this cereal with milk, and all I tasted was the sourness of the dried berries, together with the bland cereal – needless to say, I did not like it at all. It would probably be edible with yoghurt, but it was just so unsatisfying with milk. I gave the rest of the box to a friend, in exchange for this:

Jordans Country Crisp with Chunky Nuts is probably one of the best cereals around.

This box of sweetened granola with hazelnuts, pecans, brazil nuts and almonds flakes just makes the world go round. They stay crunchy in milk, and the combined nutty flavours, with the perfect level of sweetness, make the cereal extremely moreish. 

It took me a while to realize and register that 'porridge' in this country does not refer to rice cooked in broth with meat, ginger, peanuts and sesame oil, but oats soaked in warm milk or water, until it all becomes creamy mush.

I have the impression that oats are pretty bland things, so I was a tad sceptical about Quaker's Oat So Simple porridge with Golden Syrup, but I trusted the promise of a Golden Syrup flavour.

I ended up really liking this porridge pot by Quaker Oats. After pouring boiling water into the pot, an aroma of golden syrup causes those nearby to turn their noses curiously. The taste isn't strong, but the porridge is satisfyingly creamy and yummy, and also very filling!

Source

Weetabix is barely edible until you know what to surround it with. Made from wheat, they come in "biscuits" which are basically round blocks which soften and separate in liquid. I have this in the mornings, as they warm me up in the ridiculous "spring" weather of two degrees celsius. After microwaving half a bowl of milk, I stir in two tablespoons of hot chocolate powder (Waitrose's own brand – my favourite so far), then drop in the biscuits and mush them around, making a warm, delicious chocolatey porridge. Golden syrup, honey, or sugar is also a popular choice of topping.

Tesco's Maple and Pecan Crisp is more in crumb-form than it is in cluster-form, and the pecans are barely distinguishable, but they're there among the crisped rice.

But mother of god, this is one good box of cereal. The maple and pecan flavours are so perfect and satisfying, you really can't help but want ten more spoonfuls.

Sainsbury's sells the same kind of cereal, and although it looks more promising, with whole pecans, solid clusters and all, its taste pales in comparison to the awesomeness of Tesco's version. There's just something in the fragrance of Tesco's Maple and Pecan Crisp which ruins it for the rest of the supermarkets' own brands.

I used to take horseback riding lessons when I was 10, so when I see the word 'bran', the first thing that comes to mind are the plain, brown pallets which serve as horse food. Needless to say, I was sceptical of anything on the shelves which call themselves 'bran'.

However, these snack packs of Kellogg's All-Bran Golden Crunch was on offer at Tesco, so I decided to give it a go. Boy, were they good. These were honey-coated or something, and each bite was sweet and yummy.

Kellogg's 'Krave' shouldn't even be classified as a type of cereal. They're more like chocolate-filled biscuit pillows, really.

They're not actually florescent yellow. Lighting issue!

Each biscuit pillow is filled with chocolate hazelnut cream which provides a nice burst of flavour when bitten into. The cream is more of a solid than a liquid, but that can be solved with the use of a microwave. Once you pop a Krave into your mouth, it's impossible to resist a second one. And a third.

Kellogg's Crunchy Nut is apparently voted the best-tasting cereal by, uh, some people, and rightfully so.

The nut in mention is the peanut. Its smell dances under your nose when you open the bag of cereal. Each cornflake is infused with peanut bits, and coated with sugar or something, which goes off into the milk and creates the best after-cereal milk result ever. I often find myself eating Crunchy Nut straight from the bag, unable to stop.

Graze #2

Click here for part one.

I found my second Graze box waiting for me when I got home on Friday evening. I don't remember why, but I remember feeling a little bit down that day.

I opened the box and could not help feeling better when I see four little punnets with cute illustrated fonts and doodles on them, each containing a yummy-looking snack.

Apple & Cinnamon flapjacks - A big YES to this one. I love the hint of cinnamon, and can feel little apple pieces, which don't overpower the almighty golden syrup taste. I've labelled this snack as "Love", which means that Graze will send me these flapjacks more often.

Informative page in my booklet

Cookies & Cream - Creative, but a little bit strange. This snack contains mini chocolate cookies, white chocolate buttons, (there were only four) raw hazelnuts and sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds created a dull background flavour which had nothing to do with the cookies & cream concept, but I enjoyed the white chocolate. The cookies were alright, and although the hazelnuts were probably meant to compliment the chocolate flavours, the fact that they were raw and just there in the box didn't do much for the overall combination. Still a good snack, but just doesn't fit its title that well.

Boston Baguettes w/ BBQ Relish - The 'Baguettes' were crunchy breadsticks with salt and tomato seasoning, and the dip was a good-quality BBQ sauce with tomato chunks. It was delicious, and a good snack to have with just 84 calories to make you feel better about having it fifteen minutes before dinnertime because they were just sitting there on your table for no particular reason.

Toffee Apple - Thank goodness, this one survived the weekend and made it to school on Monday.   I felt that the apples had a strange texture – a dried exterior with rubbery, semi-moist insides. The taste of the apples dipped into the toffee isn't too bad, though, a pretty good snack.

Come on guys. Just order a free Graze box using that code, and I get £1 off my next box! These boxes are really lovely, the snacks are just so satisfying.

Graze #1

So I was buying some cosmetics one night at a nearby Superdrug, and I got a voucher for a "Free Graze Box". The voucher told me that all I had to do was log on to the website, and enter a code, and I'll receive a box of snacks, completely free. Thereafter, they'll send a weekly box (upon payment), unless I cancel it first.

So I got this in the mail today – the dimensions of the box is about that of an iPad, and as thick as an average book, so it fits through the letter slot.

Neat.

After getting an account on the website, you can customize your preferences within over 100 choices, with the options 'love', 'like', 'try' and 'bin', the latter option ensuring that you will never be sent that item. (I 'binned' all the snacks with raisins, dates and sultanas in them because guess why.) There is an additional 'send soon' option which will put the snack's priority first, ensuring that it arrives in the next possible box.

The box has a stunning interior. Four sealed punnets of snacks smile at you with its visible treats and cute illustration and designs, while the insides are printed with nature-related photos. The booklet on the left says 'hello' (yes and so does the one on the right) and includes nutritional details for each one of the four snacks, with  notes indicating several health benefits. There are also expiry dates for each food item. (About 2-3 weeks depending on the item)

I simply love the personalization and warmth of this whole thing – each printed booklet addresses you by name! The brown booklet is a guide to the whole system of Graze, and includes tips on how to rate food items for your preferences, and what to do if you go on holiday and nobody is at home to have the box.

Look, there's even a napkin!

The packaging and service of Graze is top-class and all, but you're probably wondering – are these snacks good, though?

These three rustic honeycomb flapjack cuboids were such a delight. I love how the taste of honey really came through, instead of being simply sweet and sugary.

I forgot to rate this by accident, so it came in the box. I haven't touched it yet, but I'll probably give it to Fuyumi or disperse it into my cereal.

These nuts had a nice touch of saltiness, and were really tasty! It wasn't a stingy amount either – a great snack.

This one was impressive. Very often, I encounter bland crackers and tasteless Doritos, so I was a little bit skeptical about this combination. However, this tub was absolutely enjoyable – the crackers were light and tasty, the cashews crunchy and delicious, the corn sticks delightful and Mexican-inspired.

To be honest, the above picture makes the punnet look smaller than it really is. One punnet is slightly bigger than the width and dimensions of a deck of cards. With four in a box, it really is a good amount of snacks.

Although the fifth box is free of charge, each box costs £3.89. Considering the amount of effort put into the boxes, as well as the variety and quality of the snacks, I am contented with the price. Graze bills you before sending a box. You can request for a box to be sent everyday, fortnightly, or weekly. If you'd prefer less frequent deliveries, you can manually push back each delivery by a day, two days, or a week, depending on your initial option. I'm planning to have a box every 2-3 weeks, on Mondays, so that I can enjoy the healthy snacks throughout my school week. (I ate all three tubs today...) (But they're healthy so there.)

Did I mention that delivery is free? And accurate, too. But that sometimes depends on Royal Mail's dependency.

All in all, I would definitely recommend the Graze box to everyone. My box came with a voucher code, which I can give to friends, so that they can enjoy a free first and fifth box as well: NYY4VRGD

I'm really looking forward to my next Graze box!

www.graze.com

(Click here for box #2)

Nakd bar

This post is going to be short and brief just like my encounter with the naked nakd bar was.

Before I go on, let me inform you that some of my friends do enjoy this wholefoods bar, so this is my advice – if you're a Christmas pudding, spices-and-raisins-in-goop kind of person, you may enjoy this bar too, so try not to be put off by my rant.

This looks like something put together from a puddle of sick. It has a soft texture which is easy to bite into. There's a lot of raw-ness and spice in there. I ate the whole thing, which proves that it's edible, just not so enjoyable. The banana bread flavour did come through, and I clung on to that while chewing down the strange bar. I did try the coffee flavoured one (I bought two at one go, definitely didn't go back for seconds) which was slightly better but still, the nakd bar was weird and I'm not having more of it.

I went healthy food shopping

There's a tiny little corner shop next to the rail station near my place which sells whole foods – shelves and shelves of them – and I was curious. It was a lazy Sunday (I think) evening, and I was wandering around the area after doing my Tesco shopping for the week's lunch.

I always had the impression that "organic" and "whole foods" translates to "expensive", and I was right, so I went for a few items by the door which were under a pound.

Sea salt flavoured Cofresh Hummus Chips

This intrigued me, but they had too mild of a taste for my liking. They're made of chickpea flour, and the sea salt was minimal, but they were still edible, good for filling the tummy without feeling unhealthy, as there was barely any oil present.

Sunita sesame bar with honey

I'm not a huge nut-bar worshipper, but I know that nothing goes too wrong when coated with honey, and sesame seeds were familiar ground to me.

As you can see, there is no mid-bite photograph available. (ps: I just realized that I have run out of these, and am desperate to get some first thing tomorrow morning.)

Aside from the addictive sweet and nutty taste, it provides loads of energy and is healthy too!

Yes, nuts are high in calories and fat, but they are healthy, and good for you. At least that's what I keep reminding myself when I gorge down a giant mixed nut bar before bedtime. Furthermore, honey is good for your skin, anti-bacterial, and can actually reduce the risk of cancer. In fact, some mornings, I have two spoonfuls of honey with hot water, as a drink – so delicious, and it looks like cancer isn't coming my way anytime soon.

Next up are these things I got from Tesco. First is a belVita breakfast biscuit, sandwiched with yogurt.

It was pretty normal, nothing special about it.

Resembles an Oreo. No? Okay.

And then this baby takes belVita breakfast biscuits to a whole new level.

They sat on the counter of the Cs' kitchen for a few mornings, unopened, because: why have biscuits when you can have toast with chocolate spread, or cereal with yogurt?

There is no question once you have eaten a belVita breakfast biscuit with honey and nuts and little chocolate chips. The biscuit is crisp, sweet and tasty, and as addictive as chocolate digestives, (and anyone who has had those know what I'm talking about) or probably even more. The little chocolate chips are a real treat, and the nuts are just right, neither overstuffed nor scarce. They come in packets of four, which in my opinion is a dangerous quantity, as one can never successfully persuade oneself to eat two and keep the rest for later. They are currently on offer for half-price at Tesco, which makes me very happy.

These 'go ahead!' apple fruit bakes were on offer as well, (I think they still are) and after recently converting from a baked-apple skeptic to a lover of apple pies and cakes, these seemed appealing.

I'm not too sure what the 'bake' is. The closest thing I can compare it to is a shortcrust pastry. The shell is smooth and soft, and it isn't a crunchy biscuit. The apple filling is delicious. It's kind of sticky and paste-y, which makes the whole snack very easy to eat. It's a great bar, I really like it.

The last victim is 'go ahead!' 's strawberry yogurt break, which is a thin, cracker-sandwich filled with strawberry paste, with yogurt spread on top.

The cracker and yogurt combination of textures is slightly strange, but the overall taste is good, except for two things – the sultanas and currants. I absolutely detest raisins and their dehydrated cousins, so the biscuit is alright up to the point when I find myself chewing on something un-strawberry in the filling.

But several of my friends love this snack, so you can ignore my judgement on this one.