I tried supermarket coco pops and one was better than Kellogg's and 65p cheaper
Coco Pops are a breakfast staple for many, with their crunchy, chocolatey goodness instantly transporting us back to our childhood. Whether you prefer them with hot or cold milk, the best part about this cereal is undoubtedly the end, where you get to enjoy the divine chocolate milk after you've eaten every pop and crackle.
However, with the cost of living being a major concern for everyone now, many of us are on the lookout for cheaper alternatives to big-name brands like Kellogg's. As someone who lives with five children who are always craving this chocolatey delight every morning, I can attest that it doesn't come cheap.
Intrigued to see if supermarket own-brand versions could match (or even surpass) the original, I decided to conduct a blind taste test with brands from M&S, Sainsbury's, and Aldi. Surprisingly, one box turned out to be even better than Kellogg's in terms of taste - and it's more affordable too, reports the Express.
Here's how I conducted my taste test
There's no one better to taste-test supermarket-brand cereals against the classic than my picky-eating nieces and nephews, who swear they cannot eat anything for breakfast but Kellogg's. After not much convincing, my seven-year-old, 13-year-old, and 14-year-old agreed to be involved, as did my older brother (36).
I used an empty cardboard box and cut a small square window on one side. Each participant had to close their eyes while I poured different cereals into identical small white bowls
The corresponding cereal box would be placed inside the box underneath the bowl, so I could see the brand while the tester was unaware of it.
The tester would then sample the cereal in each bowl (with their plain milk of choice) and then guess which brand they think belongs to that bowl. They would then tell me their favourite bowl.
The results
As expected, the seven-year-old was all over the place. Despite me telling him exactly what the brands are, he guessed "Lidl" or "from around the corner"... whatever that means. He also guessed Sainsbury's twice for the bowls and was convinced I was tricking him.
In the end, he chose the second bowl as his top pick. Initially, he thought it was Lidl's offering, but after a quick reminder of the options, he settled on Kellogg's; however, he was actually munching on M&S's version.
Next up was my niece, who proved to be the toughest critic. She was utterly repulsed by Aldi's version and unimpressed with Sainsbury's.
Despite getting mixed up with the M&S brand during tasting, she admitted it had a hint of flavour, but ultimately, nothing could surpass the "classic Kellogg's taste."
My 13-year-old nephew was next in line. With minimal commentary and few facial expressions (typical teenage behaviour), it was tricky to gauge his preferences.
He mistook Kellogg's for M&S, but his top choice was bowl number two, Sainsbury's (even though he thought it was M&S).
Since we only had three tasters, I roped in my brother, who fancies himself a cereal aficionado, to take on the challenge. He quickly pinpointed Kellogg's, but got the other brands entirely muddled up (he also cheated by examining the colour of each bowl, as Kellogg's is darker and glossier).
The kids were keen to keep the experiment going, so with their uncle's help, they put me to the test. I was uncertain about the first bowl I tried; it was pleasant, but I didn't want to make a guess just yet.
The second bowl, I immediately assumed, was M&S as it had a rather posh taste and richer notes of dark chocolate that I wasn't fond of (spoiler alert, I was mistaken).
I immediately identified the third bowl as Aldi's due to its lack of flavour. My niece and I concurred that the 79p box was akin to munching on cardboard.
I also correctly identified the final bowl as Sainsbury's. There's a distinctive taste (or perhaps it's the aroma) to their own-brand foods that gives them away - but since we frequently shop there, I'm probably overly familiar with the brand.
To my surprise, M&S emerged as my top pick, priced at £1.70, which is cheaper than the smaller 295g Kellogg's box costing £2.35. The Kellogg's version tasted bitter to me, while the M&S variant had just the right amount of chocolatey delight.
The seven-year-old also chose M&S as his favourite, and it was a close second for my niece and brother.
If you're dealing with fussy eaters but want to save some pennies, M&S choco pops are the best alternative you can purchase, saving you a decent 65p.
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