Freetimes
This month, we hear from Aimee Burford, facilities administrator. Aimee is a cereal enthusiast who posts reviews of breakfast cereals from around the world on her Instagram account ‘The Cereal Samurai’.
What kick-started your interest in cereals?
When I was growing up, my mum was quite strict with sugar. So, I used to improvise by mixing Weetabix with Cornflakes and dousing in Nesquik! Now I buy my own breakfast, I can have all the sugary cereal I want – I’m rebelling against my mum! For me, eating cereal transports me straight back to being a kid, sitting in front of the TV with a bowl of cereal watching 'Live and Kicking' with my brothers.
Aimee and her brother, Jake, enjoying a bowl of cereal
Recently some of the cereal companies (particularly American brands) have started to cash in on the 80’s and 90’s nostalgia. They've started re-releasing many old cereals - they’ve just released a Ghostbusters one! It’s great that I can finally try them all these years later. Thank goodness for the internet!
Plus, I love the packaging and the design. I like looking through Instagram at pictures of all the old boxes.
Aimee and her brother, Jake, enjoying a bowl of cereal
Aimee and her brother, Jake, enjoying a bowl of cereal
Aimee with one of the limited edition boxes of cereal that she reviews on her Instagram account
Aimee with one of the limited edition boxes of cereal that she reviews on her Instagram account
Do you keep all the boxes from the cereals you review?
No, I do not actually keep them. My wife would not be happy with that! I live in a 1 bedroom flat, so there’s just no room. But, that’s the nice thing about having an Instagram page. It’s a way of collecting without hoarding!
However, we’re about to move to a bigger place, so who knows? Watch this space!
Aimee with one of the limited edition boxes of cereal that she reviews on her Instagram account
A collection has to start somewhere. Do you remember your first?
The first cereal I reviewed, almost exactly 2 years ago, was when Kellogg’s released white chocolate Coco Pops. In the UK, for a cereal company to do that was quite unusual. We do not get a lot of ‘fun’ cereals. They concentrate more on keeping them low sugar and healthy.
What’s the most unusual one you’ve reviewed and why?
Without a doubt, the weirdest one (and also the worst food I’ve ever had in my life), was the Sour Patch Kids cereal. If I could compare it to anything, I’d imagine it’s what battery acid probably tastes like, soaked in milk. It was rancid! I do buy things that I know will be horrible, out of intrigue. They come up with all sorts of nonsense, especially in the US. Flintstones Fruity Pebbles are a very popular cereal in America – but British people I’ve spoken to who've tried them just cannot hack them. Too sugary for our palate.
Aimee describes this cereal as 'the worst food I’ve ever had in my life'
Another unusual one I saw that Kellogg’s did was a Wasabi flavoured cereal. Unfortunately, I could not get hold of it, but as you can imagine it did not get good reviews!
This interview is making us hungry! What cereal is your favourite to eat?
My favourite is Oreo O’s. I’ve had the Korean, American and British versions of these. And they all have slightly different ingredients, depending on the regulations in each place. The Korean ones were by far my favourite cereal. I gave them 10 out of 10! Whereas the English ones were one of the worst! Very, very bland.
My favourite British cereal is Shreddies. What’s cool is that they’ve branched out in the last couple of years and started releasing ‘limited edition’ flavours. Strawberries and cream, toffee apple, coconut. They’ve really upped the cereal game in the UK! And because they’re limited, it causes a bit of hype. My Instagram story of the raspberry and white chocolate flavour was shared by the official Shreddies Instagram page!
I also like to mix it up a bit. I recently made ice cream with cereal. Cereal is so versatile. It’s not just for breakfast. You can have it as a dessert, or make a cornflake tart!
Aimee describes this cereal as 'the worst food I’ve ever had in my life'
Aimee describes this cereal as 'the worst food I’ve ever had in my life'
Aimee's 'breakfast and beats' feature
Aimee's 'breakfast and beats' feature
Tell us about ‘breakfast and beats’.
I wanted to do something to make my account stand out from the other accounts. So, I pair a vinyl with a cereal depending on what I’m listening to. I really like doing it. Especially when you find one where the colour of the album and the colour of the cereal packaging complement each other!
Aimee's 'breakfast and beats' feature
So, now I collect vinyl too. My dad got me a record player a few years ago. It’s too easy when you’ve got Spotify to just flick through songs, but when you put a record on you listen to it in its entirety.
What’s next for the Cereal Samurai?
I recently got a message from a production company on Instagram about a TV show they're making on Britain’s best brands. They’re doing a ‘breakfast’ episode, and they wanted to know if I would get involved. It turns out that the company, HiddenLight Productions, is Hilary Clinton’s production company! I’ve filmed a segment for them. Fingers crossed they’ll use it.
Also, I got some rollerblades for my birthday a few weeks back, so I’ve been doing that. I’m going to film a video of me skating around the park and eating cereal later. I’ll have to see if HiddenLight want to include it!
Check out Aimee’s Instagram @the.cereal.samurai
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