Shropshire Granola – Deluxe | Gluten Free | Wholegrain | No Refined Sugars | No Palm Oil | Planet-Friendly Spoon included, just add water – 65g (Pack of 12)

I eat granola every day for breakfast so the idea of a portable one for those super-busy days was certainly appealing- and it kind of works.First off, I’m adamant this is more like muesli than granola. The flakes are small and fairly soft and the texture is much more muesli-like. For the travel solution that probably works better in practical terms, but if like me you like the chunky crunch of granola lumps you may be a bit disappointed.The portion size is alright. It’s less cereal than I normally have in my breakfast bowl at home, but I’d say there’s more in here than you get in those tiny little Kellogg’s multipack packets that we give the kids on holiday. The fruit and nut content is nicely generous- plenty of sultanas, walnuts and strawberry pieces which add to the moistness and the flavour which, when you get a dry mouthful, is rather nice.The milk powder is sort-of-OK. I don’t think there’s any milk powder that can really turn a splash of cold water into lovely genuine-tasting milk, and here the effect is mediocre- the water turns into a pale opaque vaguely-milk that taste-wise is certainly the worst aspect of it, but it’s a necessary evil if you’re buying this because you won’t have any access to real milk at breakfast time. Just out of curiosity I tried one pack putting milk in instead of water in and that worked far better.The eco-spoon is an interesting idea that kind of works, but it takes a bit of getting used to. You have to grip it quite tight to stop the nearly-milk from wandering up the handle, and the curvature on the head is just a little too vague so bits are a little bit too liable to flop off, but generally it’s not bad, certainly a way to one small bit of biodegradable card into a spoon that’s smarter than anything I could’ve come up with. But it can’t compete with a real spoon, obviously.It’s not cheap, so it doesn’t make sense as a home cereal solution, this is definitely for ‘on the go’ only. The pack I got in August had a best-before date in November the same year, which was a little bit short- something to bear in mind if you’re thinking of putting these away in the cupboard for occasional use.But if you’re going on a remote camping trip and you don’t fancy sacrificing your morning muesli routine (regardless of cost) then this will work for you.

More of a muesli than a granola, the main problem with this is that it kind of falls between 2 camps - as a bag it's not as stable and convenient as a cup cereal, but the individual portions and pricing is more akin to those than that of boxed cereals.While it's reasonably tasty, the main selling point then seems to be that it's more environment-friendly packaging than individual cups, but if that was really your priority then you'd likely have a boxed cereal with even less packaging and no disposable spoon. And for that you pay an even higher price than many cup cereals while being a less convenient package to eat from.The cereal's fine, the presentation is fine, but the high price and the (to me) slightly off concept of how to do things differently mean it's not a winner for me. I'll applaud efforts to try and do things better and differently, and you can see there's a reason for it, I just don't think it quite works.

SHROPSHIRE DELUXE GRANOLA12 x 65g “On the Go” packThis is quite an appetising “granola” or some would say muesli. It's really neither one nor the other...but quite tasty. It boasts natural ingredients including gluten free oats, hazelnuts, cranberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sultanas, walnuts, dried strawberry pieces, honey and dried skimmed milk. Not spectacular but really quite nice.It only needs 10ml of water (but is better with milk). It is supplied in a heavy/thick plastic bag with a “planet friendly cardboard spoon”. The concept of a convenience pack is OK but firstly I am not sure where you are expected to eat this. On a bus or train ? I think not for that takes convenience to a silly place. Perhaps on a mountain side – yes I can see a lightweight pack being useful but on a trek or in the hills, the portion size is really not enough.Apart from being a pack for “on the go”, it is promoted as being environmentally friendly....they give you a biodegradable cardboard “spoon” and make a headline out of it....and all in a planet killing non degradable plastic bag ! This is a contradiction.The cost varies depending on how you buy it. One pack will set you back an eye watering £5.95 for 65g. Buy 12 x 65g and the price is now £26.24 or £2.19 per bag – still a huge price for only 780g. You can also buy a 500g box for £8.89 or a pack of 2 x 500g for £9.99. At £9.99 for 1k it starts to be a better price option as the 65g portion becomes £0.65 ...a big difference. So it looks like the special convenience packaging will add an extra £5.30 on a single pack or £1.54 based on a 12 bag pack.To be environmentally friendly and still use this “on the go” concept why not buy the 500g box or the two box pack and measure out your own portion into a small plastic “tupperware” type box and carry your own spoon. Both can be used an infinite number of times with out causing additional plastic waste. Since such a small box and a spoon weigh next to nothing it is not an inconvenience to carry either and you take them home afterwards to use again. If such a concept starts to feel awkward, ask yourself “where would you dispose of the bag and spoon ???” Would you take them home for proper disposal or dump them adding to the growing plastic waste ?In the end you make the call, pay an extra £5.30 for a plastic bag (or £1.54 based on 12) to hold a £0.65 serving for a dubious convenience or make your own “on the go” pack and be environmentally responsible ….or get up 20 mins earlier and have it before you leave.