Surreal Cereal: Breakfast Grows Up

I am a cereal fiend.

I am ridiculed that at 37 I am as obsessed with Coco Pops as I was when I was 7.

It bothers me.

I know it's not good for me - but I am hooked.

I knew better existed.

It has been stalking me for months on Instagram, at food fairs, and even winking at me from supermarket shelves. Surreal High Protein Cereal. It is the sort of product that appears so often you start to feel like the algorithm knows your breakfast habits a little too well.

For a year, I scrolled past it, muttering “£4.30 a box? For cereal?” while mentally clutching my box of Coco Pops. Then one bleary eyed morning, in a fit of breakfast boredom and doom scrolling the 'gram, the ad struck gold. A click, a card, and an eight-box multipack later, I was officially one of those people.

When it arrived, I was impressed. The packaging looked smart, delivery was quick, and the whole thing gave off a distinctly “I’m not like other cereals” energy. The boxes were smaller than I expected, which caused a brief panic about portion sizes, but it turns out this cereal means business.

My first impression was, admittedly, strange. The cocoa and hazelnut flavour looked a little dusty, and it felt almost damp. Not exactly the crisp snap I associate with breakfast joy. But curiosity and hunger got the better of me, and before dinner was even on the table, I had eaten a handful. Then another. Then half a box.

It is not sugary, and yet you do not miss the sugar. There is a dark, grown-up cocoa bitterness that feels surprisingly sophisticated for something eaten from a bowl with milk. The texture is chewy, substantial, and just on the right side of jaw workout. In fact, it is a satisfying reminder that this is real food, not the ultra-processed fluff that disappears before you have even put the spoon down.

Come breakfast, I noticed something remarkable: one small bowl, and I was done. No second or third helping, no mid-morning rummage for biscuits. The children, both under ten and fully committed to Coco Pops, were similarly converted. They have even started eating it as an after-school snack, paired with fruit. Miracles do happen.

At £4.30 a box, it sits at the premium end of the cereal aisle. But because it is more filling, it goes further than you might think, around four to six adult portions or six to eight for children.

Suddenly, that price tag feels less outrageous and more like an affordable luxury.

Would I buy it again? Absolutely. Would I recommend it? Yes, particularly to anyone looking for a cereal that behaves more like a meal and less like a sugar rush. Perhaps just give your jaw a quick warm-up first.