Kelkin Honeycrunch Muesli
€5.49 for 750g, €7.32 per kg
This muesli had us at "honey crunch", but its main selling point is also its biggest letdown. If you are expecting a bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes with a few raisins and a handful of oats thrown in, prepare to be disappointed: this is a regular muesli, long on the wheat and oats and short on the sweet cornflakes. It is made with 25 per cent fruit, although, with only dates, raisins and sultanas, there is not a great variety. The resealable bag is great, price not so much.
Verdict: A bit of a let-down.
Star rating: ***
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Spar Muesli
€1.99 for 500g, €3.98 per kg
This should be better than its rivals on so many levels. It is comparatively cheap, widely available and each bag contains more fruit than in some of the higher-end options, with a proportion of 35 per cent. Along with the raisins, sultanas and dates that are in many products, Spar have chucked in some banana chips, which add texture and extra sweetness to the mix. Despite all the positives, the product is underwhelming. It was too dense, and it makes breakfast seem like hard work.
Verdict: Dense.
Star rating: ***
Alpen
€6.29 for 1.5g, €4.19 per kg
For many of us, Alpen is the elder statesman of the breakfast table, and while it might have seen its place at the top of the muesli world taken by younger upstarts, it is hanging in there and still takes a lot of space on supermarket shelves. It is made by Weetabix, which explains the large amount of wheat flakes in the mix: 37 per cent. Some of that wheat is taking up space that might have been better going to the fruit: there is just 12.5 per cent fruit in the mix, the lowest proportion of all four cereals. It has a comfortingly familiar taste, and, while very sweet, quite nice.
Verdict: Pleasingly familiar.
Star rating: ****
Infinity Foods Organic
€3.99 for 500g, €7.98 per kg
We assumed this one, which was sourced in a health-food shop, would be excessively good for us and pretty heavy going as a result. We were wrong. This is a great product and we are delighted to have found it. It is organic – which is a plus – and, even better, it was made by a workers' co-op. Best of all, however, is the taste. It is sweet but not too sweet, has a lovely array of dried fruits and whole nuts and doesn't cost much more than some of its mass-produced rivals. It might not be the easiest product to come by, but if you happen across it, snap it up.
Verdict: Superb.
Star rating: *****
