I thought i would kill two Birds with one stone, do my review over my Breakfast themed Afternoon Tea and a lot of Cereals i have tried over the years imported and special editions.

I got the inspiration for the Afternoon Tea from visiting the Cereal Killer Cafe in Brick Lane East London. I had wanted to go for a while and took my partner. It was a great experience a total 90s throwback with nostalgia everywhere, my childhood being in the late 80s,90s. Music playing and annuals containing the menus. This was back in 2020 the start of the Covid 19 Pandemic. It just happened to have been national Cereal Day also, which i had no idea about till i saw they had a promotion for 20% off. We ordered quite a few things and a bowl of cereal of course! loved the atmosphere. It was such a shame to hear the owners had to close it down not long after because of the pandemic.

That initial trip made me want to try more Cereals out there and i began searching for some cheap ones to try. Luckily a lot got reduced due to short date and got quite a few cheap. No way was i paying £10 for a box of Cereal!! having brought some back from the States i know it is not that expensive out there but margins import etc i get it. My kitchen since has been filled with all kinds of Cereals from USA mostly to European ones and even ones from Israel.

Anyway back to the Tea, having all those Cereals gave me the idea to create an Afternoon Tea from them. Uing them like ingredients to make dishes, like i had in the Cafe. Their could have been endless ideas. I chose recipes and ideas i came up with using a variety of different Cereals and they all worked great mostly.

A lot of different novelty Cereals out there are just coloured and flavoured differently, often being very sweet and sometimes artificial tasting. I have learned to stay clear of them, especially after trying Fruit Loops for me personally too sweet and this kind of synthetic taste. It has been a constant in and out of trying Cereals, with so many and more coming out still to try.

we will start with the Cereals review as that is how the idea for the Tea got ground.

The vast majority of the Cereals tried have been from the Sates.

  • Kariot pillow cereal from Israel Nougat flavour, they come in several different flavours. Much better than Pillow Krave
  • Pop Tarts Strawberry USA typical pillow cereal with Strawberry filling
  • Pop tarts Brown sugar Cinnamon – not a fan of this one although i love Cinnamon, tasted a bit too much like molasses/Treacle
  • Otees Bubblegum flavoured Cereal with mallow bits, this was nice turned the Milk Blue
  • Unicorn Fruitloops – flavoured fruit rings
  • Coco Pops Chocos – flat Cornflake like Cereal
  • Kelloggs Smaks – a Sugar puffed wheat Cereal similar to out Sugar Puffs here in the Uk
  • Estrelliatas European novelty Space shaped Cereal
  • Donettes by Post Sugary rings a bit like Cheerios
  • Fruit Loops Marshmallows- 1st time trying and last time for me too sweet and synthetic tasting
  • Post Chips ahoy- supposed to be like mini Cookies ? not very like the namesake
  • Oreo o,s new to the Uk but also from the States. Chocolate rings with mallow pieces
  • Trifle Granola from M&S small box for the price but a different take on Granola
  • Kelloggs Chocolate & Coconut healthy Granola- it had an earthy taste to it
  • Seasonal Sainsburys stars and Chocolate balls.
  • Captain Crunch Cotton Candy- just tasted sweet and brightly coloured
  • Quaker Oats Brown Sugar Oatmeal squares – Much like the Pop Tarts Brown Sugar had this molasses/Treacle flavour not keen on it.
  • Quaker Oats Cinnamon Oatmeal Squares- these were nice like a cross between shredded wheat and Cinnamon Toast crunch
  • Cookies & Cream Rice Krispies – little flecks of Cookies?
  • Lucky Charms Honey clovers – they were okay
  • Rainforest Bambeanies – wholesome healthy cereal in Crispies form. Not sweet but probably healthier for you
  • Twinkies by Post – was not a fan of them nor actual Twinkies
  • Frozen 2 Strawberry and plain shaped Cereal- just novelty really
  • Captain Crunch Blueberry Pancake- Canadian just tastes like sweetness
  • Cheerios with Strawberry pieces- I like Cheerios so these were good
  • Berry Berry Kix – multi Berry flavoured balls had a decent flavour and not overly sweet.
  • Fruit loops Tropical – Tried these thinking they may be different still sweet and a bit synthetic.
  • Strawberries & Cream Rice Krispies Uk string smell and taste were good
  • Chocolate Hazelnut Coco Pops – these had a slightly bitter taste afterwards. They are 30% less sugar maybe that?
  • Banana Milkshake Sugar Puffs – These had little Banana shaped Cereal inside with the Puffs.
  • Chocolate Banana Nesquick pillows- Loves these and the Banana foam like taste inside a choc pillow.
  • Weetos chocolate Orange- as name suggest
  • Dunkin Donuts Mocha- Coffee flavoured Chocolate cereal with mallow pieces
  • Dunkin Donuts Caramel Machiata Chocolate cereal Caramel mallow pieces
  • All bran Chocolate shredded Wheat – love these and fast get eaten in our house.
  • Reeses Puffs Chocolate and Peanut Butter corn balls. love these
  • Aldi Caramelised Biscuit balls – these are great and have that Biscoff vibe
  • Coco/Caramel Shreddies meh
  • Coconut shreddies – nice Coconut flavour slightly sweet
  • Eggo Maple Cereal – these were heavy on the Maple, a bit strong for me to have a bowl full
  • Choc Pb Cheerios -= giving me Reeses Puffs vibes
  • Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes a.k.a Frosties giving Fall vibes
  • Pb Choc Blasted Shreds found in the dollar store! these were good
  • Oreo o`s by Post these do not have the mallow pieces included the USA version.

Their is definitely more to add to that list i do not have pictured, will try to add more if i can find them. I have not added the usual Cereals we have here, just the more unusual ones and imported kind. I remember being in Walmart in the Cereal aisle, which was enormous compared to ours here. I brought a sack of Reeses Puffs back home with me, dread to think the cost of them over here!

No doubt the Americans are the leader in Cereals and variety with Kelloggs/ Quaker Oats and Post.

LET`S TALK TEA

Now with a Variety of Cereals to work around i came up with some ideas, Some ideas came from the Cereal Killer cafe cookbook i got on sale. And based off ideas. Everything came out alright and not much got wasted the week following eating them up. I wanted to set the Table like a Breakfast scene with some Vintage Cereal Bowls, and cut out Cereal bowls from packets i laminated. The cups i got from Ebay and the Teapot off Amazon, the mugs are huge. I later opted not to have Cereal at the start as would be too much. The theme also was set around Breakfast and things we might have to start the day.

I also did some research on the History of Cereal, and presented some fun facts throughout the Tea live as it happened. Cereals have come a long way since they were 1st produced. From starting for purely nutritional purposes, to adding sugar to improve the taste and variety.

I had no backdrop for this one or Costumes really. I did have some Vintage retro Cereal themed T shirts, so we wore one of these each. I also had some Cereal packet themed spoons to use. Mum in the photo below is holding a Cereal box, she won a competition back in 2000 to be one of 7 people featured on the Quaker Oats box in the Uk. Telling their story about why they loved Quaker Oats.

THE MENU

  • Cheese & Bacon savoury Scones
  • Cornflake crusted Chicken with Cereal Milk waffles ( Cornflakes marinated in milk then strained)
  • Reeses Puffs Bars like a Rice Krispy square
  • Mars Bars Rice krispies squares – these were a bit crumbly so added some extra chocolate and they set fine.
  • Eggo Maple cereal Custard Tart – this was very tasty and the Maple flavour came through beautifully
  • Coco Pop Eclairs – Coco pops infused into the Cream for the Ganache and dusted on top
  • Lucky Charms Baked Cheesecake – Got this from the cookbook used Cereal for the base, this was not great the Cheesecake itself was lovely and creamy. The mallows from the cereal added bursts of colour as they melted, but added no flavour.
  • Cornflake Tart – this went soft quickly
  • Betty Crocker Cinnamon Toast Crunch cake mix – Spotted this and was delicious with Cinnadust whatever that is ! i paired it with some Buttercream. I should have sandwiched the cake and not just the outside, as the Cake was tall.
  • Overnight Oats Coconut & Passionfruit – My 1st time trying and making overnight Oats, used Coconut Yogurt, passion fruit curd and seeds. It reminded me of like Muesli.
    • Maple syrup Scones with Cream and Jams

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall was happy with mostly everything and how they came out. With all my Tea projects their is always room for improvement. I will switch to a different Buttercream than the one i used. Also fill the Cake inside, thought i would not have enough so left it.

Had to cook the baked Cheesecake a little longer than stated and it cracked on cooling. Do not use Cereal as the base for the Baked Cheesecake. The scones did not rise as much maybe the Maple Butter affected the rise? they tasted nice anyway.

With these Teas it is a balance of everything not too heavy and rich or stodgy. As much as i try to avoid waste their is some. A couple pieces of Cheesecake and Cornflake Tart as it went soft. I am still making my way through the Rice Krispy bars and Reeses squares.

The Tea also served a purpose using up some of the Cereals leftover. I would say that a second one could be done, their is plenty room for ideas. What people have for Breakfast is so varied and different and as they say is the most important meal of the day. Turning Cereals into gourmet dishes does sound like a Top chef challenge. I remember watching one episode when they used items from a vending machine. Now i know what works with texture and taste can try some new things next time.

What is your favourite Cereal ?

I think your appeal changes as you get older, i was drawn to colourful novelty ones at the start of trying new Cereals. Now i know they will probably be overly sweet and mellow in flavour. I myself like Cereals like Malt wheats, Cornflakes, Bran flakes, Shredded wheats filled and my Achilles heel is Granola. I know it is not the best for you so limit it. I do love the Pillow Cereals also.

Thanks for reading, you can check out more pictures on my instagram |@adampastryguy and Facebook and for the live video.