BOWL-A-GRANOLA
€4.95 for 450g, €11 per kg
We are generally well-disposed towards local artisan products. But we would love this Galway-made granola regardless of where it came from, because it tastes great. The lightly toasted, organic oats have a lovely crunch, and the gentle sweetness of the honey is lovely. We do not get much of a ginger hit, but that is not a major disappointment. Half the nuts are toasted to enhance the flavour and the other half are added after toasting to maintain their full nutritional benefits. This product can be found in various Supervalu outlets. It is not cheap but it is a price worth paying.
Verdict: Wonderful.
Star rating: *****
KELLOGG'S CRUNCHY NUT GLORIOUS OAT
€4.35 for 380g, €11.44 per kg
This catches our eye for a number of reasons. First of we have a love of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. We are always keen on new things, too, and the presence of caramalised hazelnuts is intriguing. So we try a bowl. It is like eating Ferrero Rocher for breakfast. We are not convinced that that is a good thing – apart from any benefits you might derive from the milk you pour on it. It is also the dearest of the products reviewed.
Verdict: Very sweet. Too dear.
Star rating: **
KELKIN TRIPLE BERRY OAT GRANOLA
€4.39 for 500g, €8.78 per kg
This company really pushes the health benefits of its product. The packaging tells us it is the "healthy choice" and also reassures us that the contents are low in salt. It has 9.1g of sugar per serving, which makes it marginally less sweet than the Kellogg's option. However, it has a troubling amount of pink in it once the strawberries, raspberries and cranberries leech into the milk. Having said all that, it tastes very pleasant. We can think of worse ways to start the day.
Verdict: Pleasant. And pink.
Star rating: ***
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TESCO SEVEN NUT GRANOLA
€4.80 for 500g, €9.60 per kg
This tastes great. It is made with brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios and macadamias, and all that nuttiness is to be strongly commended. The oats have been beautifully toasted and have a decent crunch to them, as do the nuts. It has been lightly sweetened with acacia honey and black treacle. To be honest, were it not up against a Galway product, we would almost certainly award it top prize, but because it is the Goliath up against our David, it will have to make do with second place.
Verdict: Very good indeed.
Star rating: ****
