Cool Hunting

Hailing from the charmingly-named Poundbury (an English village created under urban principles espoused by Prince Charles), Dorset Cereals produces a tasty variety of muesli, porridge and cereal bars. Unfortunately for American eaters, the only imports currently on supermarket shelves are a limited selection of the company's muesli—a mere four whittled down from its range of ten mixes. Nevertheless, these four serve as a ray of light among an often dim collection of breakfast cereals.

Dorset Cereals' packaging makes the first good impression. With pleasing colors, a no-fuss layout and a die-cut pattern of abstract leaves, it's an honest-to-goodness cereal in a simply appealing box—no further claims necessary. Dorset highlights the contents of every mix on the front, noting the approximate percentage of featured ingredients, for example "Simply Delicious Muesli" features 30% fruit, nuts and seeds while half of the "Berries & Cherrie" mix is fruit. And fortunately, the product lives up to its straightforward exterior.

While the "Simply Delicious Muesli" is a tad on the chalky side and benefits from the addition of some vanilla yogurt, the "Super Cranberry, Cherry and Almond" mix tastes like a wholesome cookie. Kids will probably reach immediately for the "Berries and Cherries," though, as noted, with that amount of dried fruit, this variety makes a better trail mix. And there's also the "Fruit, Nut & Fiber" blend, a rather pragmatic name for a delicious cereal that smells oddly like a Kudos Bar.

Check their site for stockists. Amazon also carries select flavors for bulk purchase.