Deliciously Ella, celebrity plant-based food writer and creator, recently launched her new multigrain flakes, adding to her stock of granola, porridge, bars and more.
When I first saw the multigrain flakes advertised on Instagram, I thought to myself that the cereal’s appearance, and more specifically, its ingredients, very closely resembled that of Kellogg’s Fruit ‘n Fibre.
So naturally, I had to get my hands on a box or two to see what all the hype is about and whether they’re really worth the splurge.
I went searching around all of the Sainbury’s grocery stores (where they’re meant to be sold) in my area and couldn’t find the cereal anywhere. I ended up ordering two boxes from Planet Organic online (two because they had a buy one get one half off on Deliciously Ella products).
The first thing that shocked me when the cereal arrived was how small the cereal box is. I’m not embarrassed to admit that when I eat a bowl of cereal, I fill it up to the very top. With that in mind, I figured I could probably only get three servings out of this box.
Nevertheless, going in with an open mind, it was time to compare the products based on price, ingredients, nutrition, and taste.
We’ll start with price.
Planet Organic sells the multigrain flakes for £3.99 per box. Note that this is more expensive than Sainsbury’s, where it retails at £3.50.
Fruit ‘n Fibre, which I did find at Sainsbury’s, cost me £2.30 (online it costs only £2.20!). So, obviously much cheaper.
Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes come in a 350g box. The Fruit ‘n Fibre box is 375g. Ok, so you’re getting more bang for your buck with Kellogg’s so far.
Cost and size aside – the product’s qualities are clearly the most important aspect for a food item.
Turning to ingredients. Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes contain: Maize, brown rice flour, roasted hazelnuts, raisins, coconut sugar, amaranth flour, toasted coconut chips, millet flour, salt.
Fruit ‘n Fibre contains: Wholewheat, dried fruit (raisins, coconut, banana (banana, coconut oil, sugar), apple), hazelnuts, sugar, salt, barley malt flavouring.
It also contains vitamins and minerals: Niacin, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B1 (thiamin), folic acid, vitamin D, vitamin B12.
So, the main differences are that Fruit ‘n Fibre contains added vitamins and minerals, banana chips and apple pieces that aren’t found in Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes. But the multigrain flakes are oil free and do not have interfered with or added ingredients. It’s also important to note that Deliciously Ella’s cereal is gluten free and, as a little extra, the packaging is 100% recyclable.
How does the nutrition compare?
Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes are more calorific at 456kcal per 100g. Fruit ‘n Fibre has 380kcal per 100g.
Diving deeper into the nutrition, Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes have (per 100g): 11.9g fat, 76.3g carbohydrates, 19.5g sugar, 4.3g fibre, 8.8g protein, 0.26g salt.
The main thing that stands out here is the very low salt content and fairly decent protein content.
Fruit ‘n Fibre has (per 100g): 6g fat, 69g carbohydrate, 24g sugar, 9g fibre, 8g protein, 1g salt.
WHAT?! Ok, I am absolutely in shock that a regular, cheap cereal like Fruit ‘n Fibre actually has a better overall nutritional content than the more upmarket, “healthy” Deliciously Ella’s cereal.
Fruit ‘n Fibre has much lower fat and lower carbs. It also has significantly more fibre and the protein content is only 0.8g less than Deliciously Ella’s cereal. And while the salt content is 0.74g higher and sugar content 4.5g higher than the multigrain flakes, I think we can all agree that, overall, the nutrition seems to be better in Fruit ‘n Fibre.
Now it’s time for the ultimate test – taste.
Both cereals were served in identical bowls, with identical spoons, and topped with the same Alpro almond milk.
Here are the notes I took at the time of testing Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes. The flakes have a maize-y (corny) taste and are very bland (dare I say a slight cardboard-like taste). They’re flat flakes too, so there’s no real texture to them. Literally, there are SO MANY hazelnuts! Since testing, I’ve had four bowls of this cereal (so yes, finished and started a new box) and each bowl has had a minimum of 6-7 whole hazelnuts – it’s a lot. There aren’t many coconut chips, nor are there too many raisins.
Here are the notes for Fruit ‘n Fibre. The flakes are exactly like bran flakes. They have a rather potent bran flavour and are textured. There’s a good amount of coconut chips, apple pieces and raisins. There aren’t so many banana chips or hazelnuts, the latter of which are just halves or pieces instead of whole.
Comparing both to each other. Fruit ‘n Fibre has more coconut chips and more raisins. The raisins have more flavour than that in Deliciously Ella’s multigrain flakes, but that’s probably due to the higher sugar content. Fruit ‘n Fibre has FAR less hazelnuts and they’re less bitter than those in the multigrain flakes, though that’s probably due to the fact they aren’t kept in their whole form. If you don’t like nuts, you could definitely still enjoy a bowl of Fruit ‘n Fibre. I cannot say the same for the multigrain flakes…
The overall verdict?
Deliciously Disappointing. I expected a lot more from Deliciously Ella’s cereal. I’ve long-followed her and made her recipes from her cookbooks in the past. She’s very good with flavour, as you’d expect with a brand name like Deliciously Ella. But here, flavour is massively lacking.
So, I must admit that not only is Fruit ‘n Fibre cheaper, more nutritious, and more flavourful, but it’s also much more accessible – even the Lebanese grocery store near me sells it!
*Note I am not a qualified nutritionist, this is simply my own opinion.
SEE: Sip Eat Enjoy 