All About Jordans Crunchy Bits (Jordans Country Crisp)

Member Name: BestMum

Product:	Jordans Country Crisp
Date:	01/04/03 (1761 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Tastes Fabulous, Keeps Your Bowels On The Move!, Made With Wholegrain

Disadvantages: Maybe A Little Pricey For An Everyday Cereal, Not Enough Clusters

Twenty three weeks pregnant and the size of a house, that's a fair old description of myself about now. This could well be due to the fact I'm eating everything in sight, with limited exception. Craving after craving, never lasting more than a few hours at a time, I've finally found something that satisfies me in a way nothing else has for a long time. Tinned sardines on a wedge of cheese, topped with sliced gherkin. And when that isn't readily available in the fridge, Jordans Country Crisp comes a close second. Well actually it's in first place, but just didn't sound as good.

Jordans Country Crisp - Real Strawberries
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This has been advertised on TV recently, and as soon as I saw it I was running off to my nearest ASDA as fast as my thunder-thighs could carry me. Sadly the security guard turned me away...apparently the shop had shut four hours ago and I was asked to kindly return in the morning...and in day clothes. Bah, he just does not understand how precarious the emotions of a pregnant woman can be, to be carefully managed by the immediate fulfillment of food cravings. Anyhoo, eventually getting my greedy hands on a box, I sat in bed and devoured every last crumb...

Who is responsible for this masticating marvel?
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Jordans of Holme Mills, Biggleswade - I kid you not - are renowned for producing quality breakfast products. You may be aware of Fruesli bars? (You know, those 'good for you' cereal bars crammed with hidden fat and sugar, allegedly). Fact: Jordans have made 850,000,000,000 cereal bars to date! Anyway, same people. They're an extremely traditional company, being independent since 1855 when the company was founded. In fact brothers Bill and David Jordan still run the business; Bill Jordan even signs the box himself!!

So What Is It?
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Little clusters of
heaven, that's what it is. Crisp clusters using only the finest conservation grade wholegrain oats and barley (essential in the quest for a continuously healthy heart), roasted hazelnuts and a little coconut. Then, in amongst these little pieces of paradise you'll find a pathetic excuse for a slice of freeze-dried strawberry. Now apparently, when you add cold milk, the fruit tastes as fresh as when it was picked. Hmm...I'll come back to that one.

About the quality of the ingredients:
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In this day and age when it's so vital we know exactly where our food comes from and what's been added to it, Jordans cereal is a breath of fresh air. As already mentioned, only conservation grade oats and barley are used in this cereal, and these come from a select few British farmers, who are all members of the Guild of Conservation Grade Producers - this amounts to only 120 in the whole of the UK.

They use the best farming practices of this time, and combine those with more traditional farming methods like crop rotation. As well as protecting, maintaining and encouraging wildlife habitats like hedgerows, woodland and ponds to create an environment that encourages wild flowers, birds and animals, strict controls are put on the use of pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals. The production of Conservation Grade cereals must not leave any persistent residues in the soil and farmers must demonstrate that they are practising good environmental procedures.

Is it good for you?
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Well, the ingredient list is as follows. You can make up your own mind:

Wholegrain Oat Flakes, Raw Cane Sugar, Wholegrain Barley Flakes, Vegetable Oil, Rice Flour, Desiccated Coconut, Oat Flour, Freeze-Dried Strawberries (2.2%), Roast Hazelnuts, Sea Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavouring.

**If you are prone to nut allergies, I'm afraid this cereal isn't for you.


**This cereal is suitable for vegetarians.

Eating wholegrain foodstuffs is talked about a lot these days. Wholegrain is made up of three different parts - the outside layer is fibre-rich bran, the middle bit gives you complex carbohydrates for slow release energy and the centre bit is full of nutrients. Most cereals include grain that's has been separated, resulting in over-processing. This is done to change the appearance as well as the taste of food too, for example white bread and wholemeal bread. Keeping the grain whole means it's still packed full of its natural vitamins and minerals without the need to fortify the cereal.

Can I find out more?
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Jordans have a fairly comprehensive website, www.jordanscereals.co.uk, which is full of information on healthy eating as well as giving lots of information about their company and the processes they use.

What can I expect to pay for a box?
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£1.89 for a 500g box, it's not the cheapest cereal in the world but it's well worth the extra money for a little bit of early-morning luxury. Speaking of the box, you'll be pleased to know it's made from 80% recycled paper and cardboard. The remaining 20% is made from 'farmed' trees, meaning these forests are constantly replaced.

Now, about those strawberries:
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The strawberries are frozen after picking to capture their freshness and taste. Information taken from the box: "Freeze-drying removes the iced water from within each berry, whilst retaining the flavour, goodness, shape and texture. Which is why it tastes so fresh."

Now, I have a little problem with this because they look nothing like a piece of strawberry, apart from the colour. Even to the taste, they're not really reminiscent of lazy summer days and picnics in the park. But, when eaten with a good spoonfu
l of cereal they're remarkably palatable. Unless they've been sat in the milk at the bottom of the bowl, then they become a gooey mush.

The results:
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What you have is a breakfast delight. It's crispy even when it's been swimming in the milk for ten minutes and it still maintains good texture and resists the urge to turn into a soggy mess, unlike the strawberries.

Upsides:
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Keeps me regular in the ol' bowel department, and anybody who has experienced pregnancy knows that's something to be proud of, and therefore a product to guard with your life!

Downsides:
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The crispy clusters are saved for the first bowlful at the top of the box. Underneath are separate flakes of cereal - we need more clusters! This does take away a little of the enjoyment, but not much.

Summary:
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Tasty and luxurious, with a great crunch. I don't particularly like coconut, or nuts for that matter, and I just can't stand the taste of muesli. But put these ingredients together and they blend so well, perfectly in fact.

So if you're looking for real good old hip swinging, bum shaking, head spinning satisfaction first thing in the morning, I recommend you grab a box of Jordans.



Other varieties:

Whole Raspberries
Four Nut Combo
Wild About Berries
Luxury Raisins

Summary: