Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Business
Courtney Pochin & Julia Banim

'I compared Crunchy Nut to supermarket versions - and £1 box with less sugar was better'

New Government rules set to come into force in England in October will see certain everyday products displayed less prominently in supermarkets.

These restrictions aim to limit the promotion of food and drink that is high in fat, salt and sugar and mean items deemed unhealthy won't be featured at checkouts, aisle ends or store entrances.

Among the products being cracked down on is Crunchy Nut cereal - and Kellogg's are launching legal action against the Government as a result.

The breakfast treat contains 11g of sugar per 30g of cereal without milk and 35g sugar per 100g.

As such, we decided to put several popular supermarket versions - more commonly known as Honey Nut Corn Flakes - to the test to see if we could find a tastier alternative with less sugar.

We tested out cereal from Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's to see if we could find a new favourite - and we did.

We tried cereal from Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sansbury's and Tesco (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here.

Kellogg's Crunchy Nut - 11g of sugar per 30g serving, price varies between supermarkets

This cereal is a breakfast staple for many and it's not very hard to see why. Satisfyingly crunchy, full of flavour and very sugary - with my sweet tooth, I could easily get addicted to this stuff.

The price of Kellogg's product varies between supermarkets, but to give you an idea it currently costs £1.99 for 300g from Asda and £3.30 for a 500g box from Tesco.

As well as being the most expensive box to buy, it's also got the highest amount of sugar of the lot. So while I would love to give it a 5/5 for taste, some points are being lost for these reasons.

Rating: 4.5/5

Aldi's version was a good contender (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Aldi Harvest Morn Honey Nut Cornflakes - 8.25g sugar per 30g serving, 89p for 500g

This cereal made for another strong contender, and - had I not just munched my way through a vat of crunchy nut - I would have poured myself another bowl.

Although this one didn’t taste as similar to the real Kellogg's, it was delicious in its own right, and very more-ish.

The well-balanced flavours hit all the right honeyed notes, with a subtly salty nuttiness that set my tastebuds zinging.

I have to say, this bowl felt much more like a special treat than a discount option, and for 89p for a 500g box, you just can't go wrong.

Rating: 4/5

Asda's were the star of the show (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Asda Honey Nut Corn Flakes - 8.4g sugar per 30g serving, £1 for 500g

In all honesty, you could have served me up a bowl of this and told me it was Kellogg’s and I would have believed you. The flavours are remarkably similar and it’s only the slightly less substantial flakes that give it away.

With 8.4g sugar per 30g serving, this again makes for quite a sugary bowl, but it's still coming in at less than the branded version.

I would argue that this box is the best option for hardcore Crunchy Nutters who want the same distinctive taste while sticking to their weekly budget.

Rating: 4.5/5

Lidl's had the least sugar (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Lidl Crown Fields Honey Nut Flakes - 6.6g sugar per 30g serving, 85p for 500g

After digging in, I found it to have a very crunchy texture, which felt a little sharper than others on the list.

Unfortunately, I found this cereal to be a little bland in comparison to its contenders, and nowhere near as sweet as Kellogg’s version.

Of course, this is notably the least sugary cereal of the bunch, with a relatively low 6.6 g sugar per 30g serving, and so makes for a far more sensible option day-to-day.

At 85p for a 500g box, this is also the most purse-friendly option of the lot.

While still a very pleasant breakfast cereal in its own right, this bowl sadly didn’t quite fill Kellogg’s golden boots.

Rating: 3.5/5

Morrisons was perfectly enjoyable (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Morrisons Honey Nut Corn Flakes - 8.4g sugar per 30g, £1.50 for 500g

These had a very strong peanut aroma as you open the box, so I was surprised that the nutty taste was very subtle.

I'd say in terms of taste, these were much closer to a bowl of Corn Flakes or Frosties, than Crunchy Nut.

Not my new favourite, but a perfectly enjoyable bowl of cereal, with the same amount of sugar as in Tesco's version - although these ones are sweeter.

Rating: 3/5

Sainsbury's didn't impress us much (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Sainsbury's Honey Nut Cornflakes - 8.5g fat per 30g, £1 for 500g

Shockingly, these were the worst of the bunch, with smaller flakes than all the others and a lot less flavour.

The first mouthful felt difficult to chew and I couldn't detect much of a peanut or honey taste.

As a breakfast, this wouldn't have started my day off right - and they're not even particularly low in sugar.

Rating: 2/5

Tesco had a different taste from the others - but we liked it (Courtney Pochin Mirror Online)

Tesco Honey Nut Corn Flakes - 8.4g sugar per 30gs, £1.30 for 500g

Tesco's take on the cereal was a stand out option, with a distinctly nuttier flavour than all the others and nice little kick of sweetness.

If you love peanuts, this is definitely the breakfast cereal for you as there were plenty of large clumps of nut in this one and a strong nutty aroma.

The flakes were slightly more chewy than Crunchy Nut, but it still worked well.

I'll definitely be keeping a box of this in the cupboard and giving it a go again.

Rating: 4/5

Overall verdict

Asda was the clear star of the show, with less sugar and a slightly cheaper price than the branded version - but an impressive taste that we might have mistaken for Kellogg's.

But if that's not for you, this taste test proved that there are plenty of great alternatives out there for breakfast if you're looking for something a little healthier.

Will you be giving any of these a go? Let us know in the comments below.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.