Reduced Calorie Croissants and Strawberry Jam – Tried and Tasted

Croissants are a luxurious weekend breakfast - maybe one we save for special occasions . and rightly so, when the average croissant stacks up 180 calories and over 10g fat - and that's without the trimmings!

This month the Weight Loss Resources tasting team were eager to see how lower fat / lower calorie croissants from the supermarket giants compare. Here's their verdict:

Table 1: Lower Calorie Croissant Comparison
Product Marks and Spencer Morrisons Eat Smart Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself
  Croissants, M&S Croissants, Eat Smart, Morrisons Croissant, Be Good to Yourself, Sainsburys
Ranking 1 2 3
Appearance Outstanding Good Good
Smell Good Very Good Ok
Taste Very Good
(Buttery)
Good Ok
Texture/ Consistency Very Good (Crumbly) Smooth Smooth
Conclusion So good they
would go unnoticed as a low calorie alternative!
A light texture
and buttery taste, lovely smell - would recommend.
Bit chewy and not
too tasty - noticeably lower calorie.
Calories (kcal) per 30g serving 83 78 93
Fat (g) per 30g serving 5.1 4.5 6.5
Table 2: More Lower Calorie Croissants Compared
Product Asda Good for You Tesco Healthy Living
  Croissants. Good for You, Asda Croissants, Healthy Living, Tesco
Ranking 3 5
Appearance Good Ok
Smell Ok Bad
Taste Ok Bad
Texture/ Consistency Ok Bad
Conclusion Again, bit chewy
and not too tasty - noticeably lower calorie.
Revolting smell,
very chewy texture and unpleasant taste. AVOID.
Calories (kcal) per 30g serving 84 49
Fat (g) per 30g serving 5.0 0.7

M&S have yet again outdone the rest with their "Count on Us" range. Their croissants looked amazing, had a lovely soft and fluffy inner  with a crisp and crumbly outer, and would easily go unnoticed as a low calorie alternative.

Whilst there was little to judge in appearance between Morrisons' Eat Smart, Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself and Asda's Good for You lower calorie offerings . Morrison's Eat Smart croissants were points ahead with their lovely smell, buttery taste, and good texture.

Sainsbury's "Be Good to Yourself" and Asda's "Good for You" were both acceptable - but we wouldn't be going out of our way to hunt them down .

And finally, Tesco's "Healthy Living" were rotten.

 

Reduced Calorie Strawberry Jams

Having picked their favourite reduced fat croissant, the WLR tasting team got a little carried away this month and went in hunt of the best reduced sugar strawberry jam (it just had to be strawberry jam with croissants)!

With the average teaspoon of strawberry jam providing 39g sugar, the team were on the hunt for a the best reduced sugar brand - here's their verdict:

Table 1: Reduced Calorie Strawberry Jams
Product Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, Waitrose Strawberry Jam, Eat Smart, Morrisons Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, BGTY Sainsburys
  Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, Waitrose Strawberry Jam, Eat Smart Morrisons Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, BGTY Sainsburys
Ranking 1 2 3
Appearance Good Good Very Good
Taste Very Good
Very Good Good
Texture/ Consistency Smooth Chunky Chunky
Conclusion Very Good Fruity
jam with real strawberry taste; bit tart not too sweet.
A fruity jam with whole strawberries in it. Best appearance but let down on taste, but still good.
Calories (kcal) per 15g serving 26 29 29
Sugar (g) per 15g serving 5.8 5.7 7.1
Table 2: More Reduced Calorie Strawberry Jams Compared
Product Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, Hartleys Strawberry Jam, Weight Watchers
  Reduced Sugar Strawberry Jam, Hartleys Strawberry Jam Weight Watchers
Ranking 4 5
Appearance Ok Ok
Taste Ok Bad
Texture/ Consistency Chunky Smooth
Conclusion Disappointing for
a jam manufacturer.
Very sweet with
artificial taste, disgusting.
Calories (kcal) per 15g serving 27 17
Sugar (g) per 15g serving 6.7 4.2

There was little to choose between Waitrose and Morrisons Eat Smart - both had a lovely fruity strawberry taste - which you would choose is a matter of preference: Smooth (Waitrose) vs Chunky (Morrisons); and Slightly Tart (Waitrose) vs Sweet Sweet Sweet (Morrisons)

Sainsburys was rated the best on appearance, but let it self down on taste - nevertheless with 3 stars it's still in the options

Hartleys was really just ok - little fruit taste and quite sweet - disappointing for a jam brand!

And Weight Watchers - was artificial tasting - avoid.

And Finally…

If you want a great reduced fat croissant and reduced sugar jam - head to Morrisons eat smart range!

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