Healthy Snacking: 'All Yours' Rice Crisp Clusters Review [Mackle Snacks]

The problem with elevenses

Every weekday sees me heading to work with a breakfast of two brown/granary slices of toast and a third of a can of soup inside me. While I find breakfast a bit of chore (my body rarely wants food that early), I ensure I eat it so I get through to lunch without an inability to concentrate, or a dizzy spell.

Regardless of making sure I eat 'the best meal of the day', I find myself a tad hungry by the time 11am rolls around. This is the same time our office is visited by the 'Sandwich Lady', who always has her trolley loaded up with white (eurgh!) bread rolls and sarnies, as well as endless crisps, cakes and cheese straws.

Knowing there's less than 100 calories in a bag of Walkers' Quavers, I usually opt for those. This obviously isn't the best choice of snack though! I've been contemplating signing up for Graze box delivery, but to be honest I can't currently justify the cost (£3.89 per box might not seems a lot to some - those some are more than welcome to switch bank accounts with me!)

When the opportunity arose then, to try some 'All yours' Rice Crisp Clusters - a new snack "comprising taste with noted nutritional value" - for free in exchange for a review, I was happy to oblige.

Introducing 'All yours' Rice Crisp Clusters

I was sent two flavours to try; Cranberries & Oats covered in delicious yogurt coating, and Blueberries & Oats covered in delicious yogurt coating.

Cranberries & Oats 

99 calories per 22g bag, 8.7g of sugar.

Ingredients:Yogurt coating (sugar, vegetable oil, whey, natural yogurt powder,  emulsifier: sunflower lecithin), toasted oats (oats, sugar, palm oil, molasses, Malt extract) crisped rice (rice, sugar, barley, malt flavouring) dried cranberries (cranberries, sugar, sunflower oil) coconut, orange and lemon (orange peel, glucose syrup, sugar, lemon peel).

Blueberries & Oats 

99 calories per 22g bag, 8.9g of sugar.

Ingredients:Yogurt coating (sugar, vegetable oil, whey , natural yogurt powder , emulsifier: sunflower lecithin), toasted oats (oats, sugar, palm oil, molasses, Malt extract ) crisped rice (rice, sugar, barley malt flavouring) dried blueberries (blue berries, sugar, vegetable oil) coconut, orange and lemon (orange peel, glucose syrup, sugar, lemon peel).


There's currently one other flavour in the range; Cranberries & Oats covered in delicious dark chocolate (these sound amazing, I LOVE dark chocolate!)

Anyway, what did I think of the two varieties I received?

Rice Crisp Clusters: Verdict

Appearance

Rice Crisp Clusters: Cranberry

Rice Crisp Clusters: Blueberry

As you can see, there's not much difference between the two varieties in regards to appearance. Both simply take the form of rounded disks of puffed wheat, dotted with fruit and lightly coated in yogurt coating.

Rice Crisp Clusters offer nothing revolutionary in regards to aesthetics, looking very much as I expected them to i.e. like a broken up cereal bar, but neater.

Taste
Aside from looking somewhat like a crumbled cereal bar, this is also what Real Crisp Clusters taste like! This is no bad thing though. I do wish there was more fruit involved in this product since this would make the difference between the two flavours I received a little more distinct.

When the tangyness of the fruit in both the Cranberry and Blueberry clusters does manage to cut through the sweetness of the lemon-tinged yogurt coating, the flavour is very pleasant! I just wish there weren't so many 'bare' (read as 'fruitless') clusters in each bag (maybe I just received poor example packets?)

Nevertheless, Rice Crisp Clusters are a very enjoyable, tasty snack.

Are Rice Crisp Clusters a filling snack?
The first time I tried these clusters, I must admit I ate two bags in succession. I was not only having a particularly ravenous morning, but I really like the taste also! I was left wishing the bag size was larger after the first, but then they wouldn't be less than 100 calories (a big marketing plus for snack foods these days).

Are Rice Crisp Clusters a healthy snack?
A bag of Rice Crisp Clusters is not the worst thing in the world to snack on, and certainly healthier then demolishing a Mars, or large cheese straw in the hours leading up to lunch. The amount of sugar does mean this snack isn't so good for you if you eat more than one bag in a single sitting though, so you should ensure you pack just one for the day ahead. Eating more is all too tempting otherwise!

Like most foods, these can be considered a 'healthy option' if eaten in careful moderation.

'All yours' Rice Crisp Clusters are currently available to buy in SPAR stores across Northern Ireland (and other retailers), but should be made more widely available soon. Keep your eyes out for them! In the meantime, you can check out Rice Crisp Clusters on Facebook, and on the official brand site.

/KatSick.