Breakfast is said to be the most important meal of the day, boosting energy and kickstarting metabolism. However, getting the right nutrients in your first meal is just as vital. Kellogg's Special K is loaded with vitamins and minerals and is one of my favourite cereals. So I wanted to see how the supermarket own brand versions compared.
I bought boxes of red berry special flakes from Tesco, M&S, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury's and Morrisons to see how they fared against Kellogg's, and each other, in terms of price, flavour, fruit content and nutritional value - and I got a bit of a surprise.
Kellogg's Special K Red Berries
Kellogg's Special K Red Berries costs £3.85 for 500g or 16 servings from Morrisons, which works out to 24p per serving. Made with 45% rice, 36% wholewheat, 4.5% barley, 4.5% freeze-dried strawberry, cherry and cranberry, this cereal contains 2g fibre and 2.4g protein per serving, together with vitamins D, B1, B12, B2, B6, folic acid, niacin and iron. Each serving contains 117 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 4.8g sugars and 0.22g salt. This was very crunchy, much crunchier than the supermarket own brands. The flakes were a good size and there were lots of fruit pieces. I loved the malty flavour thanks to the malted barley flour but I found some of the berries a little too sharp. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Tesco Red Fruit Special Flakes
Tesco Red Fruit Special Flakes costs £2 for 375g or 12 servings, which works out to 17p per serving. Made with 46% rice, 34% wholewheat and 5% freeze-dried cherry and strawberry slices, this cereal contains 1.4g fibre and 2.2g protein per serving, together with vitamins D, E, B1, B12, B2, B6, folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid and iron. Each serving contains 111 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 4.5g sugars and 0.10g salt. There were only low fat boxes available in the store I visited, however this seemed to contain the same amount of saturated fat as all the regular brands from the other supermarkets. The only one that was higher in saturated fat was the box from Lidl. The Tesco flakes were really crispy, making this pack the most like original Kellogg's Special K. It had the biggest fruit content too at 5% with large slices of sweet strawberry and cherry slices. The berries rehydrated well but some of them were a bit too sour for my liking. I gave it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Lidl Special Flakes Red Berries
Lidl Special Flakes Red Berries costs £1.79 for 425g for eight servings, which works out to 22p per serving. Made with 59% wholegrain wheat, rice, 4.5% freeze-dried fruit, this cereal contains 3.3g fibre and 4.5g protein. It didn't appear to have any added vitamins or minerals. Each serving contains 191 calories, 0.4g saturated fat, 5.8g sugars and 0.19g salt. This was absolutely delicious. It was packed with large pieces of fruit that rehydrated beautifully - slightly tart cherries perfectly contrasted with the sweetness of the strawberries. The flakes had a great malty flavour and I liked the texture as they weren't too crispy. I found this cereal very moreish, both in the morning and at night and gave it 5 out of 5 stars for flavour.
Sainsbury's Red Fruit Special Flakes
Sainsbury's Red Fruit Special Flakes cost £2 for 375g or 12 servings, which works out to 17p per serving, making it price-matched to Tesco. Made with 54% rice, 40% wheat and 4.5% freeze-dried cherry and strawberry, this cereal contains 2.1g fibre and 2.3g protein per serving, together with vitamins D, B1, B12, B2, B6, folic acid, niacin, iron and pantothenic acid. Each serving contains 110 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 4.4g sugars and 0.09g salt. These flakes were crunchy with a nice malted flavour. However, the berries were very small and there didn't seem to be many of them. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.
Aldi Benefit Red Fruit
Aldi Benefit Red Fruit costs £1.59 for 375g, or 12 servings, which works out to 13p per serving. Made with 49% rice, 37% wholegrain wheat, 5.1% wholegrain barley and 4.5% freeze-dried fruit, this cereal contains 1.9g fibre and 2.5g protein, together with vitamins B1, B12, B2, B6, D, niacin, iron and pantothenic acid. Each serving contains 113 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 4.4g sugars and 0.06g salt. These flakes were a good shape and size and there were really big slices of strawberry, which were super sweet and delicious. The actual flakes were a lovely texture, not too crunchy in the mouth and not overly sweet. They had a nice malty flavour. I gave them 5 out of 5 stars.
M&S Strawberry and Cherry Special Flakes
M&S Strawberry and Cherry Special Flakes cost £3.30 for 500g or 16 servings, which works out to 21p per serving. Made with 69% rice, 23% cracked wheat and 5% freeze-dried fruit, this cereal contains 0.9g fibre, 2.6g protein, folic acid, iron, vitamins B1, B12, B2, B6, D, niacin and pantothenic acid. Each serving contains 111 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 3.6g sugars and 0.14g salt. The high rice content (higher than any of the other brands) gave these flakes a lovely texture that made them softer in the mouth than original Kellogg's. The berries rehydrated really fast and were super sweet. They were the most like fresh berries of all the brands. I gave the M&S cereal 5 out of 5 stars.
Morrisons Special Flakes Red Fruit
Morrisons Special Flakes Red Fruit costs £1.95 for 375g, or 12 servings, which works out to 16p per serving. Made with 47% rice, 35% wheat, 4% freeze-dried strawberry, cherry and cranberry, this cereal contains 1.4g fibre and 2.4g protein per serving, together with vitamins D, E, B1, B12, B2, B6, folic acid, niacin, iron and pantothenic acid. Each serving contains 110 calories, 0.1g saturated fat, 4.8g sugars and 0.09g salt. The flakes tasted a little bit cardboardy and the berries were quite sharp in flavour. It had the lowest amount of fruit content at just 4%. I gave it 2 out of 5 stars.
Overall Verdict
There was quite a difference between the different brands. One of my favourites was Lidl's Special Flakes but it was disappointing they appeared to have no added vitamins and minerals. It would be easy to pick up a box and assume it had all the nutrients of the alternative brands. The Lidl one also had a higher sugar and fat content than all the rest. Morrisons' cereal had the next highest sugar content (matched with Kellogg's) but it had the lowest amount of fruit. Kellogg's was the most expensive, per bowl, closely followed by Lidl, which was a surprise. I was really impressed by the M&S flakes and I would happily eat them again, especially as they were comparable in price to Kellogg's. However, my overall favourite was the Aldi Benefit Red Fruit cereal as it was significantly cheaper - 9p cheaper than Kellogg's per serving - and had a great flavour with lots of fruit too.
