Dorset Cereals Granola & Porridge Review

This week we were sent some lovely cereals from Dorset Cereals.  And yes, they really come from Dorset!  We received a box of Cherry & Almond Granola, Strawberry & Redcurrant Granola and Proper Raspberry Porridge.

The packaging on all of the Dorset Cereals products is bright and vibrant and really stands out on the supermarket shelves... the cute annotations also make good reading at breakfast time too!

We used the cereals in their "traditional" uses, i.e. for breakfast(!) but we also tried each one in different recipes as an alternative use.

The Cherry & Almond Granola made a lovely granola flapjack.... the Bakewell Tart flavour was loved by all the family.  Here's how we made it:

1. Melt 200g of unsalted butter in a pan with 200g of demerara sugar and 200g of honey (or 100g golden syrup and 100g honey).  Stir occassionally until the butter had melted and the sugar has dissolved.
2.  Add 450g of granola to the pan and stir well.
3. Transfer to a 20cm x 30cm greased baking tray and spread to about 2cm thick.  Place in a preheated oven (180C/Gas 4) for 15-20 minutes, until lightly golden around the edge - the middle will be more soft.
4. Leave to cool in the tin and then cut into squares and serve.  This flapjack will keep for about a week in an airtight container.

We also used both granolas as a base for a quick and easy cheesecake... we topped them with a ready made vanilla dessert mousse, or you could top with yoghurt or mascarpone cheese mixed with lemon juice and icing sugar to taste, if you don't like it too tart!

The third recipe we tried was using the Proper Raspberry Porridge as part of the topping for Apple Crumble... here's the recipe...

•  Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.
• Wipe 1kg of apples and cut into quarters.  Remove the cores and slice each piece into 2.  Put into a pan, add a sprinkling of sugar and a tablespoon of apple juice (or water).  Cook over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until the apples begin to soften.
• Transfer the apples to an ovenproof dish.
• Blend 100g of plain flour and 75g butter in a food processor for a few seconds, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs.  You can use the "rubbing-in-method" to do this by hand if you don't have a food processor.
• Stir in 50g of Proper Raspberry Porridge oats and 100g demerara sugar and sprinkle over the cooked apples in the dish.
• Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until crisp and golden-brown on top.
• Serve warm with lots of custard!

Unfortunately, I did not get a photograph of this as it was devoured VERY quickly!

So, we had great fun reviewing and experimenting with the great flavours!  As a breakfast cereal (as intended!) the flavours work really well together.  The Cherry & Almond Granola really does smell and taste like Bakewell Tart.... but the tip on the box is right, make sure you give the box a shake as all the good bits can sink to the bottom!

The Strawberry & Redcurrant Granola is full of the flavour's of summer... Dorset Cereals do not scrimp on berries!  This one also tasted lovely sprinkled over the top of vanilla ice cream or mixed with natural yoghurt as a tasty healthy snack.

And last but not least, the Proper Raspberry Porridge tasted lovely!  My son asked why it is "Proper" porridge... so we tried it and he decided that it was really "Proper" porridge!  Hubby wasn't fussed on the addition of pumpkin seeds but I think they added a nice to crunch to it!

The porridge comes in handy sachets - a bonus for 2 reasons.... they are easily portioned to take to work and you can measure the milk in the pouch.... and the good bits don't sink to the bottom of the pack so everyone gets there equal share of goodies!

Keep your eye on the Dorset Cereals Facebook page here and the website here.  On the website there's loads of interesting info, competitions and an online shop for those of you who aren't lucky enough to have a shop nearby thats stocks these fantabulous cereals!  With loads of flavours to choose from - single packs and big boxes means that there will definitely be someting to suit your family size and taste buds!

So pop over and have a look... you'll be spoilt for choice!

Preview Review of Nestle Chocolately Cheerios

I was lucky enough to receive a box of the Nestle Chocolately Cheerios before they hit the supermarket shelves next month... my children were delighted at the thought of being important enough to be able to try a new breakfast cereal before anyone else in the world (or so they thought!).

They spotted the box after school one day but I managed to hold them off until the morning when we could all sit together and eat breakfast as a family.  They were well-liked by both of my children and also got the thumbs-up from the parents, i.e. me & hubby!  My daughter quoted, "super magic awesome" with my son having 2 bowls!

 

 

The new cereals have been taked about and promoted on the Cheerios UK Facebook page and some people were saying, "not another chocolate-based cereal!" and seemed of the opinion that their children would be forced to live on chocolate cereals!  But, as parents, we can all make the choice when purchasing cereals for our families. 

In my household, we do buy chocolate cereals for our children but they also enjoy porridge, Weetabix and bran flakes/cornflakes... all without adding sugar!  As part of a healthy diet and lifestyle chocolate cereals are OK in my opinion; Chocolately Cheerios are a source of calcium and have the Wholegrain Guarantee carried by Nestle cereals.  They are also lower in calories and higher in fibre than another "chocolate hoop" cereal... not naming names, but you can guess the brand I mean! 

The Chocolatey Cheerios are slightly smaller than the "other" ones - more "Cheerio-shaped and sized" and also they keep their "crunch" - one of my pet hates is soggy cereal (I actually shouted at a midwife when I was in labour as she was trying to make me eat crisped rice cereal that had had milk put on it for about an hour... not nice!).

Overall, I think these cereals will be a hit with families and will be appearing on breakfast tables all over the country really soon.  As an ex-uni student, I can also see them as a store cupboard essential for those times in need of a (healthy!) energy boost!

Pop over to the Cheerios UK Facebook page and say, "hello" - watch out for their next giveaway of new and/or existing products :)