Muesli once bore a resemblance to rabbit food– lots of sawdusty oats, a few shrivelled raisins and, if you were lucky, an odd shaving of hazelnut. But when Rude Health launched its bespoke organic version in 2004 – with its 24 goodies ranging from protein-rich quinoa flakes, golden linseeds and goji berries shipped in specially from northern China – designer muesli had arrived. Celebrities, including the likes of Elizabeth Hurley and Nigella Lawson, welcomed the no-added-sugar, salt-free product, with serious health foodies lining up behind them to praise Rude Health’s new product.

Other cereal makers soon followed suit, with the resulting emergence of a “posh muesli” market in which designer brands compete fiercely to get into your trolley.

None quite makes the Rude Health grade but, if you have always avoided muesli, thinking it more suited to a nosebag than a breakfast bowl, then it is probably time to give them a go. This genre of cereal has been elevated from the dumbed-down, nutritionally depleted victim of the modern food industry to a form its inventor, Maximilian Bircher-Benner, the Swiss doctor, would be proud of.

Before getting to the specific brands, it is worth noting that whichever one you opt for, the recommended serving is 50g. This may sound a lot but try weighing it out and you will soon see that most of us, left to our own devices, would pour at least double this from a pack and count it as a “serving”.

Fifty grams of muesli seems lost in an average bowl compared with the same quantity of, for instance, corn or bran flakes, a couple of Weetabix or a Shredded Wheat, but the good news is that it takes much, much longer to eat.You need to get strict over serving size because an average 50g portion gives you about 200 calories – before the milk.

Have twice this with milk and you are up to at least 500 calories, which means that the calorifically concerned might just as well tuck into a couple of fried eggs and a slice of back bacon and toast, and they would still have 150 calories to spare.

Designer mueslis often strive for Fairtrade or organic status, boasting on their pack of their environmentally friendly credentials. To justify their premium price tag, they contain a mix of cereal flakes and dried fruits (ranging from apricots to cherries to blackcurrants) with a decent slug of nuts and seeds. It is this variety of ingredients that tends to make them nutritionally superior to the more run-of-the-mill versions.

As a rule of thumb, the fastest way to see whether a muesli deserves to grace your breakfast table is to take a quick glance at the ingredients. If you find a list of additives, and added salt and sugar, then it is probably not worthy of your hard-earned cash.

And it is important to be aware that any mention of the words “crispy” or “crunchy” means that the product is a pretender. These versions tend to be made with a fair bit of added oil and sugar (or glucose syrup, which pretty much amounts to the same thing), to make them crackle. The additions also bump up the calories, and they have fewer vitamins, minerals and supernutrients, too.

“Fed up with rubbish muesli, I invented Rude Health,” says Kate Freestone

Rude Health started life three years ago, quite literally, on the kitchen table of Kate Freeston, 35.

“I was working in the field of organic PR and had started to take an interest in organic food,” she says. “I’ve always loved muesli but got fed up with the rubbish on offer in the shops.

“So I started mixing my own each morning to get a good balance of cereals and nuts, minus the added salt and sugar in commercial brands.I spent so much time mixing it that my partner David suggested that I make it in bulk and sell it.”

David, 39, a lawyer (pictured above with Kate and their daughter Sophie, 3) decided to trade in his law books for spreadsheets, started sourcing organic ingredients and Rude Health was born.

The company now offers a range of breakfast food, which is stocked in most supermarkets and health stores.

Raw beginnings

Swiss origins Muesli was originally invented in the early 1900s by the Swiss doctor Maximilian Bircher-Benner. The closest translation for muesli into English is “mush”.

Link between food and health Dr Bircher-Benner, who was interested in the link between food and health, pioneered a dietary regimen of raw vegetables and fruits. The first muesli was made by soaking oats overnight in fruit juice or water. It was eaten with finely grated apple, nuts – and condensed milk.

The hippy diet In the 1960s and 70s hippy-inspired vegetarian diets introduced muesli to a wider audience. Today muesli accounts for about 5 per cent of all cereals consumed in Britain each year.

Pick of the crop

RUDE HEALTH ORGANIC ULTIMATE MUESLI

Nutrition 181 calories, 5.4g fat, 6g of sugar, trace of salt per 50g bowl.

Unique boasting point Twenty-four ingredients, including four types of cereal.

Green credentials Soil Association-approved organic.

Price 60p per 50g.

In the bowl Puffed rice takes away the oat flake-based muesli look. Good balance of cereal to fruit, nuts and seeds.

Verdict A big variety of ingredients that keep eye and palate engaged.

Yummy factor: 10/10

DORSET CEREALS BERRIES AND CHERRIES MUESLI

Nutrition 161 calories, 1.1g fat, 20.5g sugar per 50g bowl.

Unique boasting point Fifty per cent fruit, including dried cherries and blackcurrants.

Green credentials The outer cardboard box is made from recyclable board.

Price 21p per 50g.

In the bowl It looks overwhelmingly rich in dried fruits.

Verdict Could do with more cereal, which would lower the GI and keep you feeling full for longer.

Yummy factor 5/10

ALARA FAIRTRADE WHEAT-FREE MUESLI SPICED WITH CINNAMON AND HONEY

Nutrition 190 calories, 4.6g fat, 12g sugar per 50g bowl.

Unique boasting point Contains cinnamon, which is believed to help to lower blood-sugar levels.

Green credentials The fruit and nuts are all Fairtrade.

Price 20p per 50g.

In the bowl The oat flakes could do with being slightly larger.

Verdict Tasty product. Good proportion of oats to an interesting variety of fruit.

Yummy factor 9/10

JORDANS ORGANIC MUESLI

Nutrition 175 calories, 8.3g fat, 8.5g sugars per 50g bowl.

Unique boasting point A good mix of cereals, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Green credentials Soil Association-approved organic.

Price: 17p per 50g.

In the bowl The whole hazelnuts make it look substantial.

Verdict Wheat and oat flakes will keep you feeling full for hours. Would benefit from added sliced banana or grated apple.

Yummy factor 7/10

NEAL’S YARD ORGANIC FRUIT, SEED AND SPICE MUESLI

Nutrition: 189 calories, 2.8g fat, 8g sugars per 50g bowl.

Unique boasting point See-through package.

Green credentials Soil Association-approved organic; UK sourced oats.

Price 23p per 50g.

In the bowl Jumbo oats make it look slightly like rabbit food.

Verdict Plenty of each ingredient, including linseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, apricots, dates, prunes and apple.

Yummy factor 8/10

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