Kingsmill Oatilicious

You can't beat the smell and the taste of freshly baked bread, and, since buying a bread-maker a couple of years ago, I hardly ever buy bread from the shops any more. Especially here in France, where the baguette you bought in the morning will be so hard it could be classed as a lethal weapon by evening ! However, sometimes, you just need shop-bought finely sliced bread to get what you want ... a bacon sandwich with homemade bread just somehow doesn't hit the spot !

Well, if you like the taste and health benefits of wholegrain bread but you (or more likely your children) don't like the "bitty" texture, Kingsmill's newest addition could be just the answer because it combines the nutritional advantages of wholegrain oats and wheat flour with a totally smooth texture comparable to white bread. Big smiles all round - Mum's happy because of the extra roughage and the kids won't be turning their nose up at their packed lunches any more !

Unlike lots of brown or wholewheat breads I've tried in the past, this bread isn't all hard and scratchy when you eat it, and it doesn't have the stale look and feel that some brown loaves have. It actually reminds me vaguely of the bread we used to have when I was a kid called Mighty White (although I seem to remember that did have "bits" in it). Oatilicious is classed as "healthier white" bread so it's a good compromise that should keep everyone in the family happy.

The added oats offer a whole host of health benefits. The Kingsmill website explains that "oats contain fibre, vitamins, minerals, antioxidents and phytonutrients, but oats are probably best known as a source of soluble fibre". Even more impressive is the fact that "oats are a good source of beta glucans, a soluble fibre that can actually help to lower cholesterol levels". Not sure that would work if I use it to make that bacon sandwich I was talking about though !!

If one of your New Year's Resolutions this year was to start eating more healthily or to try to get in shape, trading in your usual white loaf for the equally soft and great-tastings new Kingsmill bread could be one easy way to get on track. Go on, get your oats - you know you want to !!

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.39