Danone Danio: Honey

Product name: Danone Danio: Honey
Purchase details: £0.89 for a 150g yoghurt (Tesco)
Calories: 123 per yoghurt

I’m not usually one to eat healthier yoghurts but I couldn’t say ‘no’ to a voucher for a free pot of Danone Danio thanks to their Facebook page! I was particularly pleased to be able to opt for the Honey flavour as I think all non-dessert yoghurts I’ve ever had have been fruity.

The strained yoghurt was made for the UK and Ireland market and came in a simply-designed white pot with a clever use of amber at the base and a swirl on the lid to look like the honey within. The packaging also warned that the contents were ‘delicate’ and so it needed to be kept upright. I figured this was because the honey was included as a separate layer so I dutifully obeyed. However, when I retrieved it from the fridge, I found someone else had knocked it over – tut!

This yoghurt was high in protein and contained 0% fat which I was pleased about. It also contained no preservatives or artificial colours or flavourings. Described as ‘super thick’ due to using more milk than standard yoghurts, the ingredients stated that 10% of the product was bakers’ honey whilst 1% was sugar. There was also some natural flavouring.

I can’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed with the yoghurt’s appearance. It looked curdled and very much like cottage cheese. It also had the horrible watery layer that yoghurts sometimes get and it just didn’t look appetising at all. However, I haven’t marked it as harshly as I normally would on the basis that this may have been caused by my pot spending a bit of time on its side – apologies, Danone, if that’s the case! If you’re super-observant, you may have noticed that the ‘use by’ date on this yoghurt has already passed but I did eat it before that date – I’ve just only got around to reviewing it! As a result, I know that the appearance wasn’t caused by the yoghurt having gone bad and so I wasn’t completely put off.

The honey was a very pale yellow rather than the amber colour suggested on the packaging. It did look nice and thick, though, but there was no hint of it in the aroma. Instead, the smell was of natural yoghurt which, taste-wise, isn’t something I enjoy!

Despite my initial concerns, this Danio: Honey redeemed itself once I actually tried it. Its texture wasn’t at all lumpy – it softened nicely in the mouth and there was absolutely no denying how very thick it was.

The yoghurt itself tasted very plain but, to my relief, it didn’t have the tart taste I associate with natural yoghurt. The nice hint of honey that combined with this gave a pleasant breakfast feel (despite being an evening snack!) and I was pleased to find more at the bottom of the tub than there initially appeared to be. I had expected this to be viscous but, instead, it was thin in texture.

Unsurprisingly, the Danone Danio: Honey wasn’t as sweet as I like my snacks to be, and I must say that the honey itself wasn’t as prominent as I’d hoped, but for a product containing no fat, this was a great option!

Appearance: 5.5/10
Aroma: 5.5/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.38/10