You may remember a couple of weeks ago, I hosted a giveaway where one lucky winner won a 3-month's supply of Special K's new multi-grain porridge. Well, I also received a box of each variety - Red Berries, Simply Original and Almond & Honey - to try out myself too. With the recent cold, wind and rain, I've been loving trying them all out, for breakfast but also lunch and even a comforting snack to warm me up when I get home, totally drenched, from the school run. Jumping straight into snuggly pyjamas and slippers and munching on a steaming bowl of porridge (or a mug of hot chocolate for the kids) is our new way of keeping cheerful, whatever the weather, when we get home !
Special K use a three grain recipe made from oats, barley and rye, proudly declaring that their porridge conatins 30% less fat than other porridges and is naturally high in fibre. It is also fortified with seven vitamins and iron and is available in sachets and pots.
Well, they do all taste very nice and they're really quick and simple to prepare. The individual serving-sized sachet has a convenient line on it to help you measure out the right quantity of milk and they just need a couple of minutes in the microwave. The almond and honey flavoured one has a lovely texture with a slight crunch from the nuts, and the freeze-dried strawberries and raspberries in the red berries variety are lovely and tart, contrasting nicely with the creamy porridge. The Simply Original one could be eaten on its own - it's already quite sweet - or used as a base for your own additions - cinnamon, coconut, banana, blueberries, chocolate flakes - whatever takes your fancy really !
The only negative point in my view is the portion size. I like my porridge to be chunky rather than runny so I added an extra minute or two in the microwave until it got to the thick texture that I like. The bowl above shows you how much you get from one sachet - about 5 tablespoons full - which isn't a lot. I know it's targetting slimmers, but even so, they could be a bit more generous with the portion size. I was very tempted to put two sachets in together and, as each one contains just over 100 calories, that would still be a very reasonable, low calorie meal.
It's a lovely warming breakfast (or quick lunch or evening meal), great as a guilt-free option if you're watching your weight, although I'm pretty sure it would work out cheaper to buy a big box of loose oats and probably doesn't have a huge difference in the calories !
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £1.99 for 7 x 27g sachets Original and 6 x 27g sachets Red Berries and Almond & Honey varieties
Disclosure : I received the product in order to write an honest review.
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I might try, as I always watch my weight!
ReplyDelete@Dorothee77