Tell me about French breakfast cereals

[BettyRoodBoy]

Off to France this summer in a campsite cabin - first time self-catering in France. I have primary age kids. Usually for a holiday "treat" we bring those mini Kelloggs Variety pack cereals on holiday in the UK but realised that would be a ridiculous use of baggage space!

I'm a bit over excited about going to a hypermarket but haven't been in one for decades.

What cereals do they have in France? The kids usually eat rice crispies, bran flakes, muesli, Shreddies, all sorts really.

Definitely a lighthearted post so no need to tell me that feeding them cornflakes is the equivalent of a bar of Dairy Milk or whatever... and of course we'll be sampling whatever pastries and other things they have!

Also any other recommendations for French supermarket products?

Mmm... think if it's going to be a calorie-fest I'd way prefer baguette and jam/ cheese than cocopops! Looking forward to it!

Oh I just remembered, I think on my school French exchange they had these melba toast type things in a packet! Don't think they were that nice though.

These seem to feature at every hotel breakfast buffet in continental Europe. God knows why.

The melba toast things are good when dunked in the warm, milky hot chocolate.

We did a week in France last month… every morning was a walk to the camp shop for a fresh baguette and a selection of croissants/pain au chocolat. It was the best meal of the day every day. Not sure if it’s just me but something about French butter seems to hit different too!

Surely this is the moment for baguette, butter and nutella?

Baguette, butter and a square or two of chocolate or dollop of the most unusual flavour of jam.

The butter with little crunchy salt crystals is the absolute best if you are going baguette and jam.

Go French - big bowl of chocolate milk and dunk your jammy baguette in it.
Failing that - Smacks are supposed to be waaaaay better than Sugar Puffs.
My favourite from the boulangerie - toursade au chocolate (way better than a pain au chocolat).
But the important bit is the chocolate milk - pick up the powder in the supermarket (only issue is which brand each family member prefers!)

Feel like the jam must be apricot, for some reason...

I can heartily recommend Bon Maman Greengage

I remember finding Country Store in France, long after they stopped selling it in the U.K. It was a very sweet muesli, and I loved it as a child. I was so happy that holiday...I made my parents fill the car with boxes and boxes of the stuff!

I was not even remotely surprised to the learn that the nuclear warship La Redoutable (you can visit it at Cherbourg) had its own dedicated pastry chef. Obviously French submariners couldn’t be expected to function without a proper breakfast.

We're in the South of France at the minute and we're starting our days with a walk to the bakers for baguettes and croissants. The children are enjoying the fresh bread, jams, fruits and meats - and are both cereal fans at home!

The only time I ever bought the multipacks were in French hypermarkets! as a holiday treat.

We have a winner. A legend.

We only went once with twin ds (5 at the time) and they trotted to the campsite bakery every morning to get breakfast. The only french they can remember is that “deux pain au chocolate sil vous plait madam”.Shame it didn’t come up in their gcses.

There are variety packs there, too. They're just different.
At home I had rules about breakfast cereal, but all bets were off on holiday, so my kids went wild in the French cereal aisles!

Their favourite was Chocapic

https://www.carrefour.fr/p/cereales-au-chocolat-chocapic-7613034947611

Me too. We used to try and get extra points from each other if we could get one to go up our nostril or at least block the entrance to it.

I’m in my 60’s and I’m pretty sure that as a child honey puffs were called Honey Smacks.

Not what you asked, but kiri soft cheese is the best thing every. That on proper French bread is just divine and the taste of my childhood French holidays.

As a child going on French exchanges staying with a family in a French village breakfast was Baguette with salty butter, bowls of hot chocolate and the kids dipping their bread in the hot chocolate or picking the bowl up with both hands to drink it. Also yogurts.

Our host matriarch of the house was a teacher and she would eat lunch at work each day in a restaurant! - this was 35 years ago so times may have changed - I expect so.

Sorry to be so far off tangent from your question OP but if your kids will try to breakfast like the French I say give it a go. Plenty of time for cereal at home.

Tell me they are like Sugar Puffs?! I bloody loved Sugar Puffs. You could put your face in the bowl and they'd stick all over you so you looked like a medieval peasant with some sort of terrible skin lurgy.

And I thought this was just me as a child @Alighttouchonthetiller 😁😂

I personally love baguette and a good honey, with a cup of coffee. Pastries a few times as a change/ treat but they get a bit much everyday. Likewise cereal, one box would last 2 breakfasts our house!

@OhWhatFuckeryIsThisNow mine seem to have only learnt “Je voudrais deux menthe bonbons s’il vous plaît maman” because in the car they had to ask for mints in french….. loads were consumed due to car sickness. I don’t feel this is the most useful french phrase….