A bowl of cereal is the perfect quick breakfast, and it feels so nostalgic too. Tucking into this childhood favourite really takes you back to a simpler time, especially those ones that you were only allowed on special occasions – such as Frosties.
These were an absolute treat when I was younger, but I hadn’t eaten them in several years. However, I recently had an overwhelming craving for Frosties, and you can imagine my shock when I saw that just one small box in Tesco cost £3.50. I had a feeling that this was about to be my next breakfast fixation, so in order to avoid bankrupting myself, I decided to taste-test Frosties from the major supermarkets to see if any were as good as the real deal.
Off I went to Lidl, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons and Tesco to get my hands on every knockoff box of frosted flakes I could find. The only place that they seemed to be out of stock was Marks and Spencer, but with six to taste including real Frosties, I got to work.
Or rather, I got my parents to do the work for me. I poured out six identical-looking bowls of cereal and got them to carry out a blind taste test. As well as asking what they thought the real Frosties were, I also asked them to choose their favourite – and while some were extremely disappointing, one was just as good as the real brand, maybe even better – and half the price too.
I tried to get similarly-sized boxes, but most of them were around the 500g mark. Prices ranged from 95p all the way up to £3.50, so here’s what we thought of each one.
Six bowls of frosted flakes were pit together in a blind taste test (Image: Nicola Roy)
Coming in last place were the frosted flakes from Tesco. These were the cheapest at just 95p for a 500g box – but sadly, they definitely tasted that way.
It was clear that the sugary-sweet taste was missing from the first spoonful. We all agreed that they were so tasteless, and yet after you’d eaten them, they had a bizarre aftertaste – truly a lose-lose situation.
They were more on the level of cornflakes rather than Frosties, in my opinion. That’s fine, but it’s just not what you want from a bowl of frosted flakes, and I would definitely not be buying these again in a hurry.
Only marginally better were Asda’s frosted flakes, which cost £1.15 for a 500g box. These actually tasted really nice eaten dry, straight out of the box, but in milk they were very disappointing.
Immediately the sugary coating disappeared, and again, they reminded us all of plain cornflakes instead. They also went mushy the fastest – I’m talking within minutes – which is enough to make your stomach turn.
They get an extra point for tasting good dry, but if you like them with milk, avoid these.
Lidl and Aldi frosted flakes were almost on a par with each other (Image: Nicola Roy)
Sitting in fourth place was Aldi’s frosted flakes, which I thought were surprisingly expensive at £1.45, until I saw that it was actually a 750g box. In terms of appearance, they looked the most golden, so I had quite high hopes.
They weren’t bad at all – just a little on the bland side, again. At this point I wondered whether the sugar tax had something to do with this lack of flavour, which is probably true, and the reason why they weren’t as good as I remembered.
I’d probably buy these again though, as they tasted pleasant enough, and my parents agreed.
Coming in hot on its heels was the 500g box of frosted flakes from Lidl, costing £1.15 – same as Asda, but definitely better. They had a far sweeter flavour and kept their structural integrity in the milk for a lot longer too.
I wasn’t expecting these to be that great, due to their paler appearance, but that just shows you that looks aren’t everything. If you’re looking for a cheap alternative to Frosties, this is a really decent option that won’t break the bank.
Kelloggs are good, but Morrisons frosted flakes took the crown (Image: Nicola Roy)
Surprisingly, the real Frosties only came in second place during the taste test. As soon as my parents saw them in the bowl, they pointed out that they didn’t look very good, which internally made me laugh.
I had to disagree – I didn’t think there was anything wrong with how they looked. But obviously, it all came down to how they actually tasted.
As expected, they were pretty nice. They were almost the same as how I remembered them, albeit a little less sweet. But they were satisfyingly crispy and held their shape well, and after snacking on a few dry handfuls, I can confirm that they’re delicious when eaten in this way too.
Obviously they were the most expensive at £3.50 for a smaller 470g box, which is crazy to me. Thankfully, one supermarket verision was even better at half the price.
I don’t have a Morrisons particularly near me, so it’s rare that I find myself in there. But I’m actually so glad I picked up this cereal, as it turned out to be the best one.
Both my parents liked this one the most, and they thought it was the real deal too. They were the sweetest, crunchiest variety, priced at £1.75 for 500g.
There was none of that unpleasant aftertaste, and I genuinely think that you wouldn’t be able to distinguish these from actual Frosties. Half the price and even tastier, you really can’t go wrong.