Breakfast taste test: the best smoothies and juices, mueslis and bacon butties

 

 

 

You won't believe this frozen Sainsbury's berry and coconut cheesecake is vegan

You won’t believe this frozen Sainsbury’s berry and coconut cheesecake is vegan; @Sainsbury’s


Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Breakfast taste test: the best smoothies and juices, mueslis and bacon butties” was written by Compiled by Molly Tait-Hyland, tested by Rosie Birkett, for The Observer on Sunday 16th June 2019 10.30 UTC

Orange juices

Marks & Spencer’s fresh orange juice with juicy bits

300ml, £1.50, marksandspencer.com
This tastes like the real deal. Sharp, sweet, fresh and juicy with nice bits of orange in there. It really tastes freshly squeezed. A clear favourite.
★★★★

Asda Extra Special’s freshly squeezed orange juice with bits

1l, £2, asda.com
This is what you want from an orange juice – well-balanced sweetness and acidity. It tastes super fresh.
★★★★

Co-op Irresistible’s freshly squeezed orange juice

1l, £2.95, food.coop.co.uk
It’s got nice bits in it and I like the sharpness but it’s not as balanced as some of the others. It’s refreshing but not particularly memorable.
★★★

Tesco Finest’s orange juice with bits

1l, £2, tesco.com
I’m not very into this one. It’s thinner than the others and doesn’t taste as freshly squeezed . There’s a lingering bitter aftertaste that I’m not keen on.
★★

Green smoothies

Green smoothies

By Sainsbury’s Gut Instinct spinach, ginger and aloe vera smoothie

100ml, £2, sainsburys.co.uk
Delicate, there’s a slightly floral note – I think that’s the aloe. Not too sweet. Good kick from the ginger.
★★★

Pret A Manger’s avo smoothie

400g, £3.69, pret.co.uk
Looks like pea soup. Good sharpness. Thick and creamy, but fresh, not claggy, definitely has some lime or lemon juice in it.
★★

Tesco’s glorious green smoothie

750ml, £1.50, tesco.com
Smells appealing, like it has something tropical going on … much sweeter than the others. Very hard to discern what fruits are in there … Kids will like it, but for me, too sweet.
★★

Leon’s clean green shake

250g, £2.95, leon.co
Wow, this is so thick. You can’t really drink it, you have to take a mouthful. It could be fresher than the others? Reminds me of kiwi … which I’m not mad on. I don’t really love this, it’s pulpy.
★★

Greek-style yogurts

Greek-style yogurts
Photograph: PR Handout

Co-op’s Greek-style natural yogurt

500g, £1.40, food.coop.co.uk
Ooh, this has a really good, lively mouth-puckering sharpness and a lovely freshness. It feels quite virtuous, but it’s also indulgent. Very nice.
★★★★

Marks & Spencer’s unsweetened Greek-style yogurt

500ml, £1, marksandspencer.com
Fresh, smooth and creamy with an excitable tang. Could be great with a fruit compote or some raw honey stirred through – really solid breakfast building block.
★★★★

Yeo Valley’s organic Greek-style natural yogurt

450g, £1.60, ocado.com
Very creamy and smooth with a pleasant, subtle tang and a nice grassy lushness. Really well-balanced flavour.
★★★★

Tims Dairy Greek-style natural yogurt

500g, £1.85, ocado.com
I love the thickness and the freshness, but the texture is a little grainy and lumpy in places.
★★★

Bircher mueslis

Bircher mueslis
Photograph: PR Handout

Benugo’s fruit and nut bircher

220g, £2.35, benugo.com
The blueberries look lovely. Nice consistency, creamy. The dried fruit inside is plump and the flavour well balanced. The warm spice and crunchy almonds place it at the top.
★★★★

Pret A Manger’s tropical bircher

200g, from £2.99, pret.co.uk
Good sharpness. I like the mango-coconut combination. A little runny, needs a bit more grain. Not too sweet. Juicy mango.
★★★

Costa’s berry bircher

160g, £2.35, costa.co.uk
Good crunchy apple going through it. It’s got a pleasing sharpness, creamy too, good texture. I like the crunchy pumpkin seeds and sweet cranberries. Nicely balanced.
★★★

Sainsbury’s on the go summer berry bircher style muesli

190g, £1.60, sainsburys.co.uk
I like the pumpkin seeds. But the texture is not as creamy as the others, a bit gloopy.
★★

Granolas

granolas
Photograph: PR Handout

Eat Natural’s nutty granola

425g, £2.99, ocado.com
Really crunchy, loads of seeds, nuts, flakes. Not sweet but tastes like there’s coconut oil in it. A lovely topping for poached fruit.
★★★★

Tesco Finest’s super nutty granola

500g, £2.50, tesco.com
Clusters, chunky bite-size pieces. Lovely whole nuts. You can really get your teeth into it. It just needs to be a couple of notches less sweet.
★★★

Rude Health’s honey and nuts granola

500g, £4.50, rudehealth.com
The oats and nuts are really nicely golden and toasted and there’s a subtle sweetness, but I think it could benefit from some dried fruit for contrast.
★★★

Asda’s honey and nuts granola and grains

500g, £1.97, asda.com
The whole almonds and puffed grains are nice. Not as much fun as the others. Not overly sweet, nice toasted note to it. I think it would be good on yogurt.
★★★

Bacon rolls

bacon rolls
Photograph: PR Handout

Pret A Manger’s bacon brioche

£2.50, pret.co.uk
The bun has a glossy sheen, buttery, slightly sweet. I’m disappointed how uncrispy the bacon is. But the taste is delicious and smoky. It’s a bit gourmet, I’d have to be in the mood.
★★★

Costa’s bacon sourdough roll

£2.95, costa.co.uk
With the crunchy bun and crunchy bacon, it’s in danger of being dry – needs sauce. A good bog-standard bacon roll.
★★★

Caffè Nero’s bacon ciabatta roll

£3.25, caffenero.com
The roll is nice and crusty and there is plenty of bacon, but it lacks flavour and is slightly sweet, which I don’t love. I wouldn’t rush to eat it again.
★★

Starbucks’ smoked bacon roll

£3.15, starbucks.com
The bun lid is very solid, I can practically play it on my plate. No butter on it either or any fat from the bacon. I’m struggling to taste the bacon … very little flavour.

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