Picture courtesy of Kellogg’s

A few weeks ago I was completely bemused to receive a large box from a courier. I puzzled over it for a while—had I won a competition? was it a late birthday present from someone?—until I noticed it was addressed to me at A Spoonful of Sugar. And then everything clicked into place.

I’d received an email from Kellogg’s asking if I would be interested in tasting their new muesli and as I am a complete sucker for breakfast cereals, I said yes, expecting to receive a few tiny hotel-breakfast sized samples.  I had completely forgotten about it until this behemoth of a parcel arrived.  That’s an awful lot of packaging for a few sample packets, I thought, as I ripped into it and discovered…

…a charming hamper, with rope handles and little hasp clasp that reminded me instantly of a pirate’s treasure chest.  Inside nestled four full-size packs of Nature’s Pleasure as well as a gorgeous wooden cereal bowl and an exceedingly shiny spoon.  How very lovely.

According to the blurb on the packets, Kellogg’s Nature’s Pleasure is a baked muesli: whole grains (wheat, oats, barley) are tossed with raw cane sugar, honey and sunflower oil and baked.  To my mind, it is more of a granola than a muesli due to the baking, but this is the tiniest of quibbles.

It is very clear from the packaging that Kellogg’s are aiming this at health-conscious consumers and while this product isn’t organic, it could well tempt customers who are.  Every ingredient listed on the packaging is recognisable and natural, which is both refreshing and reassuring.

Nature’s Pleasure comes in four delicious flavours: Almond, Pecan & Cashews; Apple & Blackcurrant; Cherry & Raspberry and Almond, Pecan & Raisin.

Almond, Pecan & Cashews
This was my least favourite flavour, however, both Dave and Lucas loved it so I was more than happy to gift the box to them.  I like my cashews to be very salty, very sweet or both—honey-roasted cashews, anyone?—so this was doomed to failure for my tastebuds.  It was packed with nuts and very crunchy, so perfect for any nut-lovers you know.

Apple & Blackcurrant
The first flavour that I tried, and still my favourite.  I love fruit in my muesli and granola, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed here.  There were tons of freeze-dried apple pieces and loads of juicy little blackcurrants.  I loved the hint of spice on the grains which really enhanced the sweetness of the fruit, but I wouldn’t complain if they decided to double up on the spices.  A seriously great cereal!

Cherry & Raspberry
My second-favourite flavour.  It is full of the most gorgeous dried cherries and little freeze-dried raspberries which turn the milk a pretty shade of pink—I’m still a kid at heart!  The tartness of the raspberries balanced out the sweet cherries and the whole thing was just pretty awesome.  I’d be happy to have this on alternate days with the apple and blackcurrant…

Almonds, Pecans & Raisins
The combination of sweet, juicy raisins and nuts made this variation much more interesting (and tasty) than the Almond Pecans & Cashews.  A good bridging point between very fruity muesli and very nutty muesli, in my opinion.  Well worth a second bowl!

Kellogg’s Nature’s Pleasure will be on sale from April from most major supermarkets.

Giveaway time!

Are you tempted by Kellogg’s Nature’s Pleasure? Fancy trying some before it hits the shops? The lovely people at Kellogg’s are offering one fabulous Nature’s Pleasure hamper (as described above) to a lucky A Spoonful of Sugar reader. (Can only be shipped within the United Kingdom—sorry, international readers!)

To win this fantastic and seriously yummy prize, all you have to do do is comment (with a valid email address) and say that you would like to be entered into the draw. A name will be drawn, at random, out of a hat and the lucky winner will be contacted by email.

The competition is for United Kingdom residents only and ends midnight BST (British Summer Time) on the 19th of April 2009.