NEW! Weetabix Additions: Apple & Raisin Review (ASDA)

Whilst I can't live without my daily dose of porridge in the mornings, my other half struggles to start his day without a bowl of trusty Weetabix. Or at least that was the case until the Golden Syrup flavour disappeared from supermarket shelves towards the latter end of last year. He was so gutted that we couldn't find his favourite cereal anymore that I contacted the company back in November to ask if they were coming back. They said:

"Recent high demand has meant that we have had an increase in orders and we hope are hoping to be back to full capacity in the next few months. Please accept our sincere apologies, we do hope that you will continue to enjoy our products and are assured of our best intentions to get this back on the shelves."

With Bert's hopes intact, we eagerly awaited the return of the Golden Syrup Weetabix and were therefore somewhat surprised to see the two new Weetabix 'additions' lines that launched last month. I guess the company told porkies. Humf.

I tried to see the bright side in all of this and reminded Bert that although he doesn't like coconut (so the coconut and raisin flavour are out of the question) he does like apple and raisin. Maybe this new variety of Weetabix could serve as a valid replacement?

"Delight your senses...
with a nutritious breakfast that's packed with delicious apple, juicy raisins & warming cinnamon ensuring temptingly tasty goodness in every bite."

Whilst I'm not a huge Weetabix fan, I do love apple and raisin and was therefore intrigued to discover how their new flavour fared so purchased the box of 24 biscuits from ASDA for £2.

Whilst their banana and golden syrup (RIP) flavours are strongly scented, I couldn't particularly smell anything other than wheat when popping my biscuits in the bowl before drowning them in cold milk.

Oh. Was that it? Where was the flavour? Cinnamon is a pretty pungent spice -and my favourite one at that- but I couldn't detect it at all amongst the wheaty mush. The apple flavour too was non-existent and I was grateful that I'd had the foresight to top my cereal with cubed apple so that I could at least pretend I was eating flavoured Weetabix.

The only promise that Weetabix delivered on was the inclusion of raisins, but unfortunately I can't say this was a welcome addition. I really love dried fruit, but not like this. Have you ever eaten shrivelled, bullet-hard raisins before? Well that's what is lurking in amongst these biscuits. Rather than the moist, squidgy, flavoursome fruits, these were little dry rascals that stuck between my teeth in a frustrating fashion. Not good.

It wasn't just me either, Bert wasn't a fan either. If we weren't so reluctant to waste food they'd have ended up in the bin by now, but instead I've promised to buy him a couple of boxes of his new favourite cereal (Golden Syrup Wheats) from Sainsbury's when he's got through the Weetabix. You should never have to "get through" food though, should you?

2/10

Chocolate Weetabix Protein Crunch (Poundland)

The Weetabix protein range launched right at the beginning of the year, but I wasn't particularly excited by it, and was far more interested in the new Ancient Legends, Cinnamon Oat Crisp and Avengers cereals. In fact if I hadn't spotted this mega box of the protein crunch in poundland, and -dare I say it-  the chocolate flavour wasn't in stock, I wouldn't have bothered with it at all. 

What is the benefit of the protein range anyway? Well according to Weetabix...

 "Weetabix Protein Crunch Chocolate flavour is the great tasting, nutritious, high-protein breakfast cereal that gives you the energy you need for busy mornings. Packed with protein and a satisfying combination of wholegrain wheat and oats, this is a delicious crunchy breakfast that helps keep you going all morning. 

We think it’s a simple way to enjoy a high protein breakfast and with all the goodness you’d expect of a Weetabix cereal; high in fibre, low in salt and fortified with Iron and Vitamin D. With a delicious chocolate flavour and irresistible crunchy texture Weetabix Protein Crunch is a fantastic breakfast option for active families."

The crunch cereal comes in little tubes, which I can't work out whether I approve of as a nice new shape, or if it just reminds me too much of pasta. 

Despite a lengthy milk soaking, the texture held up reasonably well. Whilst the cereal at the bottom of the bowl had started to soften slightly, the uppermost spoonfuls were as crunchy as promised. The chocolate flavour was so-so, the same as Weetos really. 

In fact there wasn't much difference in terms of either texture or flavour, between the protein crunch and Weetos cereal. For me this was a good thing, as high protein products often have an odd aftertaste, and these offer 2.4x more protein per gram than Weetos. If I was trying to increase my protein intake however, I would prefer to include more high protein yogurts such as the icelandic Skyr I reviewed a couple of weeks ago. 

6/10