INTRO

If you’re like me, when you hear the name Ocean Spray, I immediately think of Cranberry Juice. There’s now an addition to this in the form of Ocean Spray Dried Cranberries, so I thought these would make a nice change from the norm.

PACKAGING & NUTRIONAL INFO

These foil packets come in 2 sizes - 170g and the 40g snack-sized packet that is the subject of this review . The packets have a small heart shaped window on the front allowing you to see the dried fruit inside. According to the packet these are 100% natural, low in fat, a source of fibre and contain no artificial ingredients. In fact the only 3 ingredients are cranberries, sunflower oil and sugar. I was rather surprised to see though that only 61% is actual cranberries and the remaining 30% is split between the oil and sugar! With only 319 calories for a 100g serving these have for to be better for you than that bar of chocolate you were thinking of having!

APPEARANCE

First off I have to say that these are not completely dried as some fruits are (apricots for example) they are soft , squidgy and chewy therefore making them a ready to eat snack.

To be honest I have never tried fresh cranberries (having only drank the cartons of juice) and was somewhat put off by the unappealing appearance of these, but then the goodness is in actually eating them, not what they look like!

TASTE

On opening the packet (just an easy tear across the top job) there is no discerning smell. In fact the only ‘aroma’ I get is an oily one! Surprisingly these aren’t at all sticky or oily to the touch and they have the look and texture of red raisins. That’s all there is to them!

So popping a few into the ol’ north ‘n’ south (mouth) it feels and tastes exactly like you were eating raisins. The only difference is a slight cranberry that comes through whilst chewing and even then I would say it’s more of a general fruit taste rather than being able to pinpoint it as cranberry. There is no tartness or tang to these in comparison to the juice and despite the amount of sugar they contain, they are not overly sweet. These aren’t very juicy either, even though they are dried you’d expect them to have a little but they taste quite dry. There is no lingering aftertaste and I would go so far as to say they were quite bland. It really was like eating a raisin with a touch of a fruit flavour and one handful was enough for me.

CONCLUSION

Whilst ready to eat dried fruit is a good idea, in this instance it was a big let down. Maybe I expected too much in the taste department having drunk the Cranberry Juice but I really did think these could have had a bit more actual flavour to them. What flavour they did have was very mild and light and soon disappeared. Maybe someone who had had fresh cranberries can tell me they taste so much better than these dried ones!
They are handy for lunch boxes or if you’re on the go and you could even throw a handful into any cakes or muffins you may bake. Ideal as a way to get youngsters to eat some fruit though if they like raisins, I’d stick to buying them! Ocean Spray in juice form is very tangy and refreshing but unfortunately, these dried fruits were a let down.
There is no indication on the packet as to whether these are suitable for vegetarians nor how much a packet would contribute towards your 5-a-day.
At 49p for a small packet it won’t break the bank but I think I’d rather spend that on fresh fruit that has so much more taste so I’ll bypass these next time I’m in the supermarket. So just two out of five starts from me, but try them for yourself, you may end up liking them!

OTHER INFO

Distributed in the UK by Humdinger Ltd,
Sutton Fields Industrial Estate,
Hull
HU7 0YG.

More info at www.oceanspray.co.uk and available in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons and Tesco.

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