This week, Value for Money tries out four varieties of muesli
Alpen No Added Sugar
€3.45 for 560g, €6.16 per kg
Truth be told, there are few guilty pleasures associated with eating muesli but the sweetness of the original Alpen was perhaps one of them. With this sugar-free option, the company has removed all the guilt and much of the pleasure from their product, which is, to our mind, a terrible pity. What has been left behind is a pretty tasteless, bland muesli that may be better for us but will not be better for our spirits of a morning. It lacked much of the crunch that was found elsewhere and the variety of fruit, nuts and seeds was disappointing.
Verdict: A bit dull
* *
Flahavan's Hi8 Muesli
€4.15 for 1 kg, €4.15 per kg
This is a very good, locally produced product that scores highly when it comes to taste, texture and availability. It has a lovely crunch to it thanks to a healthy (literally) dose of nuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. The fruit content is also pleasingly varied with the apricots, dates and raisins being quite excellent and lending it a sweetness that is both palatable and wholesome. It is also the cheapest of the mueslis tried and very widely available.
Verdict: A top-notch product
* * * * *
Kelkin Honeycrunch Muesli
€3.99 for 750g, €5.30 per kg
This is a well-known brand that makes a range of different mueslis of varying degrees of healthiness. With its promise of honey crunch, this is very sweet, which will probably make it most accessible to children, although that may not be such a good thing. There is a lot of fruit in the mix although some of it was just a little too chewy for our taste and made breakfast harder work than it should have been. The company makes much of the fact that there is no added sugar but, with honey-coated cornflakes in the mix, there is scarcely any need for additional sweeteners.
Verdict: Very sweet
* * *
Southern ALps No 6
€7.95 for 500g, €15.95 per kg
We had a fairly jaundiced view of this product from the get-go because of the price and because, despite its name, it is produced in the UK. We were also concerned about the size of the packet, which would scarcely last one reasonable hungry adult a week. But then we tasted it and all was forgiven. It is amazing. Rolled in syrup, the soft oats have a gentle sweetness that is instantly appealing but it is the fruit that steals the show. It is remarkably good. The apples and figs are filled with flavour, beautifully textured and there are loads of them.
Verdict: Lovely but . . .
* * *
Is there something you would like us to test? E-mail suggestions to pricewatch@irishtimes.com
