Kellogg's Froot Loops

Product name: Kellogg’s Froot Loops
Purchase details: £0.79 for a 350g box (Home Bargains)
Calories: 117 per 30g serving (159 per 30g serving with 125ml skimmed milk)
Country of origin: UK

I’ve got two different memories of Kellogg’s Froot Loops from my childhood. The main one is Woody sticking his head in a bowl of them (or something that was supposed to hint at them!) in Toy Story (see the end of this clip if you don’t know what I’m talking about). The other one, though, was being told that the different colours were artificial and all the additives made kids hyper. As a result, as much as I wanted to try the cereal, I never did.

 

As an adult, although I’ve been tempted to buy a box previously, I’ve always been put off by the high prices. That’s why, when I saw this amazing offer as part of Home Bargains’ ‘Spotted on Star Buys’ promotion, I was straight in there – the limited shelf life wasn’t going to bother me. As it happens, the ‘multi-grain cereal’ specified that it was made with natural colours and flavours...so there!

 

The ‘mixed cereal fruit flavoured loops’ were designed for kids and effectively looked like colourful Nestlé Cheerios and came in a red box that featured a toucan as its mascot. In addition to the positivity surrounding the lack of artificial colours and flavours, the cereal (made from corn, oats and wheat) also contained folic acid and various vitamins and minerals (including at least half of the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C). On the downside, each 30g serving contained 14g of sugar...not so great.

The box contained around 11 servings and contained green, purple and yellow loops that were hard, lightweight and a little sticky to the touch. Combined, they produced a slightly juicy, fruity scent when dry, but smelt more of general cereal when covered in milk.

I assumed that the different colours represented different flavours so I tried each one on its own first. They all appeared to have a slightly sweet coating and they did taste pretty similar but with subtle differences. The yellow rings tasted like fairly plain cereal and, if anything, reminded me of Kellogg’s Corn Pops. In comparison, the green loops were sweeter and, although there was no immediately obvious fruity taste, they did seem to have a minimalist apple tang in the aftertaste. This was noticeable when dry but stronger when wet. The purple loops remained sweet but, again, there was no fruity flavour. At this stage, I couldn’t help but wonder why they were called 'Froot Loops'!

I obviously did proceed to eat combined spoonfuls of the cereal to get a proper idea of what it tasted like. To be perfectly honest, I was a bit disappointed by the lack of flavour, but the green’s fruity hint definitely came out the strongest. However, just when I was thinking that the overall flavour was the same as any other sweet cereal, I found that an apricot taste emerged as more milk was absorbed. This was pleasant but I still wouldn’t have said the bowl screamed ‘fruit!’.

Texturally, the Froot Loops were very good. They remained nice and crispy, even when wet – their surfaces got a little soggy over time but this never affected the structure.

This cereal was definitely nice enough, and I enjoyed the sugary milk it left behind, but I’m glad I didn’t pay over the odds for a box since I didn’t find them very fruity at all. Coincidentally, I saw that Erin reviewed the American version over at Guilt Free Veggie yesterday, and it turns out our recipe is different...maybe I’d prefer the strength of flavour on offer in the USA?

Appearance: 7.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7/10
Texture: 8/10
Overall score: 7.38/10

Nakd Berry Cheeky

Product name: Nakd Berry Cheeky
Purchase details: £0.60 for a 30g bar or three for £1.20 (tesco.com)
Calories: 100 per bar
Country of origin: Britain

Next up in my reviews of the Nakd range from Natural Balance Foods is this ‘yummy’ Berry Cheeky bar that was made from raw fruit, oats and nuts. As with the Strawberry Crunch and Banana Bread, it contained no wheat or dairy.

The wrapper had the same design as the Banana Bread but used a red theme and pictures of a strawberry and a close-up raspberry. On reading the ingredients, I decided that it had been named ‘Cheeky’ because it was a bit misleading! The only berries in the bar were raspberries and strawberries which each contributed to 2% of the overall vegan product. In contrast, 37% of the product was dates, 26% was oats, 12% was raisins, 9% was peanuts, and even apple juice concentrate took up 8%. Almonds and walnuts also provided another 2% each, and there was some natural flavouring too. I don’t know about you, but that didn’t sound like berries were the main feature to me! On the plus side, I was pleased to see the different varieties of nuts that had been included.

The healthy snack was, again, brown in colour, and this variety looked more bitty and less pre-digested than the others – the nuts, in particular, were very evident through the baste of the bar. It also looked and felt a bit dry. It produced an earthy scent and, although there was an added ‘zing’, I didn’t find it very appetising.

As suggested by the appearance, the Nakd Berry Cheeky had a very different texture from the other types I’ve tried so far. It was soft and dry with a slightly rubbery crumble, but I liked how this was broken up with little chunks of nut, as well as the odd raspberry seed!

My initial thoughts on the taste were not good but, after a couple of chews, I found that the tangy berries really did make an impact on the flavour. Furthermore, the nuts all made a contribution, and I particularly enjoyed how the the almonds combined with the berries. Unfortunately, I wasn’t as keen on the aftertaste, as this left a bit of a muddy taste in my mouth.

As you’ve probably gathered, this wasn’t my favourite Nakd snack, although it was perfectly edible. I wouldn’t buy it again because there are so many other tastier flavours on offer in the range but, if that weren’t the case and I were in need of a healthy treat, I wouldn’t need much convincing to have another one of these!

Appearance: 6/10
Aroma: 4.5/10
Taste: 6.5/10
Texture: 6.5/10
Overall score: 5.88/10

Nakd Banana Bread

Product name: Nakd Banana Bread
Purchase details: £0.60 for a 30g bar or three for £1.20 (tesco.com)
Calories: 92 per bar
Country of origin: Britain

I really liked the sound of Nakd Banana Bread. Described as a ‘banana flavour raw fruit, oat’ and ‘nut wholefoods bar’, it was the same positively healthy concept as the Strawberry Crunch I’ve previously reviewed.

The bar came in a pale wrapper which, I felt, hinted at a caramel cream-type flavour. However, that may just be because I’ve had a Milky Way French Vanilla and Caramel eying me up from my stash for a few weeks! There was a subtle picture of a banana on the left-hand size of the wrapper, though, to remind me that this was a very different product.

The combination of dates (37%), bananas (23%), oats (21%), walnuts (8%), apple juice concentrate, vanilla and ‘a hint of natural flavour’ resulted in a product that looked...well, healthy! It had a similar appearance to the Strawberry Crunch but was darker. Despite not containing any crispy pieces on this occasion, the bar was certainly full of bits.

I’d mistakenly fooled myself into thinking that this Banana Bread would be like a loaf cake but I realised my error when I discovered the disappointing lack of a banana scent. Instead, it had quite a sharp aroma which I think was caused by the dates. Despite initially thinking I could sense a bit of banana in the mix, I realised that this was just wishful thinking!

Fortunately, the banana flavour did come through on the taste test, starting gently but then getting stronger. The first flavour to make an impact, though, was quite unusual and not the most pleasant, and this also caused a bit of a strange aftertaste. Again, I think it was the dates that caused this (a fruit I’m not a fan of, to be fair!), although the almost bitter taste I find walnuts have may have contributed to this too. That said, I’d never have guessed the product contained walnuts! Anyway, the good news was that the banana flavour was strong enough to lift the overall experience so, as I munched my way through the bar, it did still feel like a treat.

Texturally, the Banana Bread was quite chewy. It was generally soft with the odd tougher bit and the inclusion of the oats was a big plus. It may not sound pleasant as a description, but I really liked how little pieces were left behind at the end of each mouthful as it meant I could pretend I was eating a flapjack instead!

I think the Strawberry Crunch had given me higher expectations for this bar than, perhaps, was fair – I certainly thought I’d enjoy this variety more than I did. However, whilst it was my least favourite of the two Nakd varieties I’ve tried so far, I still thought it was excellent as a healthy snack...I’d just prefer to eat actual banana bread if taste were the only consideration! 

Appearance: 6/10
Aroma: 6/10
Taste: 6.5/10
Texture: 7.5/10
Overall score: 6.5/10

Nakd Strawberry Crunch

Product name: Nakd Strawberry Crunch
Purchase details: £0.75 for a 30g bar or three for two (tesco.com)
Calories: 109 per bar
Country of origin: Britain

Although I eat fruit as daytime snacks, you may have noticed that, whilst I still count calories in the evening, I don’t tend to go for treats that are healthy in themselves. However, I’ve been intrigued by the Nakd range of bars from Natural Balance Foods, containing natural ingredients that had simply been ‘smooshed together’.

This new Strawberry Crunch bar came in an attractive pink wrapper that featured strawberries and various claims. Containing raw fruit, crunchies and nuts, it was also ‘packed’ with 18% protein which did make me a little concerned after my last experience with a purposefully protein-heavy product – Lenny & Larry's Muscle Brownie: Peanut butter. However, the difference here was that the Nakd bar wasn’t trying to be anything except a ‘simply yummy’ but healthy treat. It was free from gluten, wheat and dairy, contained ‘no added sugar’, and was vegan. Overall, it encouraged you to ‘love your body’, and wanted people to look and feel better by helping them to eat nourishing foods. Let’s just pretend I didn’t eat this after a chippy meal...

I wouldn’t normally list all the items on an ingredients list but I was impressed by just how ‘real’ this ‘filling’ product was. It contained 43% dates (I don’t generally like these but I know they’re in sticky toffee puddings which I love!), 17% soya crunchies (made from soya, tapioca, starch and salt), 17% cashews and 17% raisins (one of my favourite fruits!). Surprisingly, only 2% of the product was strawberries, and it also contained 2% apple juice concentrate, along with a ‘hint of natural flavouring’.

The ‘satisfying slice of simple goodness’ was a compressed brown bar with white flecks which I can’t say screamed ‘eat me!’. However, it could have been mistaken for containing cocoa, and it was a refreshing change to have a product that contained no colourings (natural or otherwise). In terms of aroma, I could just about sense raisins mixed in with a slight strawberry tang – I couldn’t wait to tuck in!

To the touch, the bar felt slightly sticky but, bearing in mind the amount of squashed fruit, this wasn’t bad at all. In the mouth, it was soft with a noticeable crisp, and had a rough and slightly bitty texture.

As for the taste, I was surprised at how many of the individual flavours came through. After first tasting the subtly sweet berry flavour, an earthy nuttiness then came through, followed by an almost muddy sweetness on the back of the tongue that was provided by the raisins. It really was nice and didn’t taste too dissimilar from Go Ahead! Fruit Bakes.

I have to say this bar has left me feeling really impressed with the Nakd brand. The product itself was great and I loved the little extra touches on the packaging like introducing the ingredients list in other languages by saying ‘Hello, world’ and ‘Hope we spelt everything right...’. I can’t wait to try the other varieties I bought! 

Appearance: 6.5/10
Aroma: 7/10
Taste: 7.5/10
Texture: 7/10
Overall score: 7/10