NOW CLOSED Chedds from Cathedral City product test - feedback thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 50 MNers who have been trying Chedds - the new 100% real Cheddar kids snacking range from Cathedral City. "Chedds is available in three fun formats: Cheese and Toasties - mini slices of real Cheddar and melba toast, Nibbles - a mini bag of bite sized Cheddar cubes that kids will love to share and Bricks - mini blocks of Cheddar that are perfect for kids on the go."

So please tell us...

(do state the age of your child in your feedback)

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

Many thanks - remember - all testers who add their feedback here will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will win a £100 SpaceNK voucher.

MNHQ

[NewGirlHelenMumsnet]

Here's a response from Chedds to your queries about packaging:

"Chedds has taken your feedback on board and has improved their packaging to make it easier for little hands to open. Improvements have been made to the Bricks individual packs and the Cheese & Toasties foil wrapper. You?ll start to see the new easy-to-open packaging introduced to Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury?s, Morrisons and Co-op soon. Please bear with us as these things take time to implement."

[Vajazzler]

.

[VivaLeBeaver]

I bought some chedd bricks the other day. Dd loves cathedral city and I often buy her a bag of mini cathedral city cheese and put one a day in her pickup. So I thought these were the same in different packaging. Dd says not, she says they're vile and refused to eat any more after the first one.

[PfftTheMagicDraco]

I know that the feedback is finished, but I just wanted to say that I bought some CHedds today. I noticed them on the shelves in Sainsbos, on offer at £1.50 a pack.

They haven't paid any attention to the feedback at all. The packaging is just as hard to open at it was before. Do we have any way of getting any info on whether they are going to change this?

[surreychocoholic]

Sorry, I'm probably too late with my feedback, but thought as you'd sent me the products it would be rude not to! We've been on holiday for two weeks and I thought I'd have time to fill in my feedback before I went. Bit ambitious!!

My children are daughters aged 10 and 5, and a son aged 7.

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

We were all excited to receive the products in the fab coolbox - very useful for the numerous picnics we'll be having in the next few weeks! The packaging looked fun and different and I liked the colour.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks. / Q4 What did your children think about Chedds? / Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

They all loved the taste of the cheese, finding it tasty and creamy.

The girls both loved the Cheese and Toasties and had lots of fun making sandwiches with all them. My son wasn't so bothered about the toasts and neither was I - they tasted a bit stale, but maybe this is what Melba toast tastes like? The packaging on these seemed a bit excessive.

They all, including me, loved the Nibbles. I probably wouldn't give them a whole bag each, maybe share two bags between the three of them, as there was quite a lot in each bag. I could easily eat a bag! My younger daughter (5) especially liked the size of these as she prefers her food small and easy to eat.

The Bricks were fine. The children liked the cheese, but these are no different to the own-brand cheese portions you can get in Tesco for example. We all found these nearly impossible to get into without scissors, even my husband.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children? / Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

I'd definitely buy the Cheese and Toasties as an occasional treat for my daughters. The Nibbles I will be looking out for and buying straight away, for me and the children. I'll have to wait and see how much the Bricks will be selling for before I'd decide whether to buy them or not.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?

They all enjoyed the facts and the jokes, although I needed to point them out to them first.

[NewGirlHelenMumsnet]

Thanks for adding your feedback everyone! The winner of the prize draw is...

Energumene

Congratulations - you've won a £100 Space NK voucher! I'll email you to get your address details.

[littleducks]

Ok so I have just seen that Chedds have been launched and there is an ad on MN......so did they take on board the comments about the packaging being a problem? I would go out and buy some if it had been fixed.

Oh and RRP, is £1.99 which seems ok to me

[treetroppo]

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?
We - me Ds aged 6 and 4 - the youngest a cheese afficionado

I liked them all, but then I literally hoover any kind of cheese that comes my way. They were tricky to open and I wasn't particularly taken with the packaging - bit boring - kids didn't even stop to look...

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks
I didn't like the toasties - dry and not very toast like at all! I loved the nibbles, and my boys did too. The 4 year old was fonder of the bricks, think the nibbles were just too small for him, but I thought they were a clever idea, would definitely put in a lunch box ( if the packet could be opened more easily.)

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
Er - yes I would snaffle them as I do the children's babybels.... But of what was left - lunchboxes - after school car snacks ( a slightly untapped market i always think - what can they eat bus/car/ other people's car which doesn't go everywhere going home from school!

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

They liked. NOt wildly, I will admit ( but I loved being sent them thank you.) I don't think the packaging helped TBF.

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
Best nibbles. Worst cheese and toasties. Taste of cheese was nice - the toasties were dull.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?
I am afraid it passed them by. They didn't pause to look although I did try to draw their attention to it. We didn't notice any jokes??
Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Yes I would with more interesting and kid friendly and eco friendly packaging ? POssible. THank you for sending them. It was fun.

Many thanks - remember - all testers who add their feedback here will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will win a £100 SpaceNK voucher.

[moonbells]

www.cathedralcity.co.uk/chedds/

though as yet none seem to be hitting the shelves. Nothing online, at any rate, so no pricing.

[Valpollicella]

DS 5yo

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

I thought the packaging was instantly identifyable as being from Cathedral City. The mouse character wasn't either too babyish, or trying to hard to be cool (like the Cheesestrings one iyswim).

The cheese was a nice texture and flavour (although it would be good to have maybe a mature version of the products too?)

The packaging was very difficult for DS to get into (we lost one pack of Nibbles to the carpet, as it exploded all over the place), so a tear here strip or something would be great.

The Toasties seemed very over packaged to me.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

The bricks were my favourite format, followed by the Toasties. The Nibble were ok, but fiddly.


Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?

I would buy the bricks as a lunchbox item, followed by the Toasties to just have at home (DS spent a lot of time 'constructing' them into sandwiches etc so better for a snack at home when it isn't time contrained)

I would eat them if they were there but it would be primarily for DS.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

DS loved them all

The bricks were his favourite, and he said that all the cheese was 'very creamy and yummy, but I need some more please'. He liked the toasts but said without any butter or spead they were a bit dry with just the cheese.

He asked if the Nibbles were for smaller children (no clarification there when asked why he thought that - I'm guessing it's because they were small?)


Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

See above

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?

To be honest DS wasn't overtly bothered by the character and jokes. It was all about the cheese.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

Dependent on RRP (which I'd love to know) I would buy the Bricks again, and the Toasties if the packaging was slightly lessened.

I agree with whoever above said sell them in packs of 5 or ten for lunchboxes etc :)

Thanks for the opportuinity to take part and thank you for the cool bag it came in as well!

[ChippyMinton]

Forgot to mention that the toasts were a bit sweet. As we are in France at the moment, I bought a packet of their breakfast toasts to compare, and they had no sweetness. Even so, the DC are wolfing them down.

[Lotstodo]

My daughter was very excited - she saw an advert on television for Chedds.

[chocotastic]

Testers: 3 yrs and 20 months

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

They looked appealing and tasted good and more like proper cheese than other products on the market but I found the Bricks hard to open.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

The Cheese and Toasties went down best, Nibbles were handy for my 20 month old and the bricks were ok but not so exciting to the kids. I quite liked them though!

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?

I'd use the Cheese and Toasties for use when we are out and about, same goes for the Nibbles but I would also consider using these at home for my 20 month old as she prefers small bits of cheese to chunks and it would save the hassle of cutting it up myself. I would only really eat the Bricks myself but as these were not as popular with the kids it's unlikely I would buy these.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

They were both excited about a new cheese product and they enjoyed them all (except my 20 month old and the Bricks). My 20 month old now gets very excited when she sees the bag of Nibbles in the fridge/changing bag and wants to have them straightaway!

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

Both my children liked the Cheese and Toasties best. My 20 month old liked the Nibbles but not the Bricks and my 3 year old liked both but says he prefers the Nibbles too. I think the Bricks were just a bit more boring to him. They liked the taste of all of them.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?

They didn't take any notice of the packaging - just wanted to get to the cheese but this is probably down to their age and not being old enough to be interested in the facts and jokes.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

If the price is right I would certainly consider buying the Cheese and Toasties as part of an occasional lunch on the go and the Nibbles too. Not so much the Bricks as these were not as popular with my children and they were hard to open.

[ChippyMinton]

I haven't read anyone else's feedback,so apologies if i'm repeating. testers were 9,8 and 7.

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products? Overpackaged, but a quality 'proper' cheese product as compared to others on the market.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks. DC liked the toasties. I thought the nibbles would be fun, but probably for younger children. Bricks were ignored.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children? Might buy toasties for a holiday outing snack.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds? Overall they were under-whelmed.

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product? One hated the toasties, one like the toast but wasn't bothered about the cheese. They did like the real cheddar, as opposed to the processed alternatives.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets? They ignored them. I wonder if the colours obscured the graphics to a certain extent, as they didn;t notice them, and usually do on eg yoghurts, penguin bars etc.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not? probably not. Too much packaging, had to open, toasties were very dry tasting, children were not excited to have them.

Overall, I think there's potential but a lot of tweaking is needed on the toastie, and the packaging.

[pengymum]

Yes pack of slices would be convenient as I can't get thin even slices without crumbling and easy for lunchboxes. The kids can ring the changes with diff crackers etc. My littlest one loves slices of apple and cheese and stacking them up.
I like the bricks as they are good way to portion control (am on diet!) and left to myself, a portion would be about twice the size!
But needs thinner plastic for packaging as is hard to open particularly for child.
Maybe a net type of bag for outer rather than the big plastic one?

[moonbells]

On reflection, I think that a having small pack of 5-6 cheese slices (such as are already in the toasties) would be better than the brick. My son dearly loves cheese slices; this morning we were trying to finish off the bricks (all the rest are long gone) but he wouldn't touch them until I'd sliced them into something a lot thinner.

[MayDayChild]

Tested by DD age 4 and DS age 13 months

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

I was excited about a proper cheese product that was in novelty packaging. We eat a LOT of cheese in our house but I do not buy the novelty stuff like cheese strings and snackables as they look too plastic.
The colour of the packaging is very plain but obviously in keeping with Cathedral City. It?s really not very exciting for the children though.
I don't understand several things about the product;
What age child is it aimed at with regards to portion size, packaging, facts on the packet and the image of the mouse?
As most children can begin to free read at age 6, are the products not aimed at children under 6 or are parents supposed to read the facts (bit 'boy' based for my DD). So in my opinion, the facts are a bit pointless if the product is aimed at under 6. If over 6, I don?t think the portion size is big enough.
It is nigh on impossible for a child to open any of the packaging, most of all the bricks.
The nibbles bag is all the wrong way around. Once you manage to tear the packet across from top to bottom as directed, the bag is the wrong way around for little hands to dip into, too narrow for the hand to go in and far too deep to reach the cheese! I cut the bags open with scissors across the top horizontally and that was perfect. Put the tear strip on the left and right ends, not the top and bottom!
In general, I don't understand the mouse. He is a bit linear in design and dull in colour. He looks angry not friendly. Why does he only do 'boy' activities such as skateboarding? Can the mouse be a dress up mouse with activities appealing to both sexes ? astronauts, cowboys, fairies & princesses?
The external packaging seems vast and takes up too much room in the fridge. Can you slim it way down?
The quantities inside the packets seem odd. There are 5 school days a week so if this is for pack lunch, 5 items in a packet please! Though, as I said, I think they are a bit small portion size wise for pack lunches so perhaps I?m not really fussed!
They all seem really healthy and I am happy to give out cheese daily as a snack. The cheese & toasties seems (just by appearances) to be healthier than the dairylea ones.
Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks
I love the Nibbles. The kids absolutely LOVED the nibbles. Can you do these in a giant adult pack for cooking please but in mature strength of course!?
The Cheese & T were great and my DD totally interacted with these, making up stories about mice as she ate them.
I really don?t understand the point of the bricks. We will stick with cutting a chunk off the block or Babybel as its got interaction with the wax. But what about Mousehole shaped cheese? Could you change the bricks into Mouseholes? Like in Tom and Jerry??
Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
I would buy the Nibbles for daily snacks and packed lunch and the Cheese & T as a treat.
I wouldn?t eat it myself.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?
DS aged 1 was thrilled with Nibbles, he has seen his big Sister eat a packet of Crisps so he thinks he is quite the grown up with his own bag.
DD aged 4 loved Nibbles and Cheese & T, which she played make-believe that she was a mouse but then asked if real mice could actually eat cheese on toast. We had a good giggle.
I actually had already had some Chedds at home because your PR department came to my Publishing Company. Both children were ecstatic to see the products back in the fridge and straight away begged for them!
Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
They could tolerate a stronger flavour. Much stronger!
They ate all of the different products, but I wouldn?t buy bricks ? there is no interaction for my children and they actually didn?t finish a brick once started as I think they got bored in comparison to the others.
DS was impressed by holding his own bag of treats and DD played with her food in a good way!
Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?
They cannot access these as they are too young, and DD is not at all interested in the ?boy? based facts or pictures.
Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Yes, but please sort out the packaging!

[kasbah72]

DC are 6 and 4

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

They fitted in with the Cathedral City branding so I would notice them on the shelf. The packaging was ridiculously difficult for kids to open alone (apart from the nibbles bag) and that puts me off buying them for lunches.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

I thought the nibbles were really too tiny and annoying but both of my kids really really liked them in their packed lunches.

Cheese and Toasties is a nice alternative to the dipping cheese and breadsticks that are already on the market. Unfortunately, the packaging was too complicated, too difficult for my kids to open and therefore only useful at home with an adult.

I always have a stock of the cathedral city single portion cheeses for myself and the kids often have sticks of cheese or cheese strings so we were used to the concept. This product tasted good but there was no perforation on the side of the packet and so it was virtually impossible for us to open.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?

I would mostly buy these products for packed lunches and snack opportunities. I would definitely steal the bricks but the nibbles are too fiddly!

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

They very much liked the taste but then they are familiar with the large blocks of Cathedral City anyway. The love cheese and enjoyed trying out new ways to eat cheese!

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

They both enjoyed making mini cheese toasties but their favourite was definitely the nibbles. They could open that packet without any fuss which also influenced their opinions. The blocks were impossible for them to open and the toasties were just a bit of a faff.


Q6 What did your children think about the character, facts and the jokes on the packets?

They didn't mention the character until I pointed it out and then they thought he looked 'cute'. They always like silly things to read on packets.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

I would definitely buy the nibbles because they were a huge hit with the kids and very handy for packed lunches and snacks. I would probably buy the toasties every so often for a change but I feel weird about the sheer volume of packaging. I love the idea of the bricks but they were ridiculously difficult to open and therefore I would stick to buying the original version instead.

[SE13Mummy]

Product testers: DDs aged 6 1/2 and 2

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?
My girls both liked the look of the packets that the products came in. DH liked that, "it looks like proper Cathedral City cheese which is encouraging". It was hard to open all three of the products which was disappointing.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks?
The bricks seemed a bit pointless given that I could have cut a chunk of cheese/could easily buy a variety pack of similarly sized cheese in the supermarket. The nibbles are a great idea but DD2 could have done with them being slightly larger. C&T work well.


Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
For packed lunches, picnics or maybe long car journeys.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?
They ate them quite happily!

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
The bricks went down particularly well with DD2 (aged 2), the cheese & toasties were the favourite for DD1.

Q6 What did your children think about the character, facts and the jokes on the packets?
DD1 noticed them and commented on the facts whereas DD2 was far more interested in the mouse. Were we to see them in the supermarket I think they would both be keen to have them as they like things in small packets.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Possibly, it will depend upon the price though. I'm most likely to buy the nibbles but the packaging will have to be made easier to open.

[bestbefore]

DD aged 8 - cheese mistress DS aged 5 - loves 'orange cheese' aka red leicester the best

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?
Quite good - loved the cool bag and thought the packs were eye catching as not yellow or blue like many other brands.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks
Nibbles were my DDs fav followed by bricks. Toasties least fav - not too keen on the melba toast.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
Would buy nibbles for nibblying needs eg school hols with picnics everyday

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?
Liked all bar the toasties really. Found packs ok to open and we thought the toasties were overpacked.

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
Likes the taste and as stated the nibbles were the best in our household, followed by bricks.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?
My DS loved them - he got his sister to read the facts to him and laughed!

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Yes - definitely for picnics, always like to have some snack cheese for them

thanks.

[snickerdoodle]

Product testers: DD age 6 1/2 and me (thirty something)

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?
Overall, we were very pleased with the cheese. It has a nice flavour and the different shapes and toasties made it unique. The only thing we didn't like was the packaging. The bricks were very tricky to open and the cheese and toasties had too much packaging for what was inside. A smaller divided tray would have been better with a single tear off lid. The toasties wrapper inside was also very hard to open.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks?
I thought they were all great. I ate most of the bricks and left the others for my daughter.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
I would buy these for after school snacks when we are out and about. They are easy to grab from the fridge when rushing out the door. I would try to save them for my daughter but they're quite good...

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?
My daughter loved them!

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
My daughter thought the cheese and toasties were the best! She loved making them up. Next best were the nibbles because they were fun to eat.

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?
Once I pointed them out to her, she was curious to see them, but the cheese was the main draw.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Yes, we'll definitely buy them, price dependent. I thought they were a good healthy snack.

Thanks for giving us the opportunity to try them!

[ZephirineDrouhin]

Testers me, dp and dd aged 5 and three quarters

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?
Good for lunch boxes and day trips, but packaging on the bricks tricky to open.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks
Liked them. Would be more inclined to use nibbles or bricks for lunchboxes, and cheese and toasties for days out

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?
Might buy for lunch boxes. Would not intentionally eat it myself but could happen.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?
dd liked them all very much and generally found them more exciting than regular cheese

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?
Dd liked all the formats, although felt the nibbles should be "a tiny bit bigger". She particularly liked the Cheese and Toasties, although she suggested that ham would make them even more worthwhile

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?
Didn't notice at first. A bit underwhelmed by the jokes. I liked the jokes and facts though as they were good for encouraging dd to do some reading

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?
Yes if not too expensive, although have would have qualms about buying on a regular basis because of the wastefulness of the packaging, especially the toasties.

[CliniqueMum]

Age of child was 3 years old and DH/I also tried the products.

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

I liked the coolbox they arrived in. I had expected the products to be more novelty items (like the biscuits/cheese one) rather than two of the products just literally being cheese. However I was quite pleased they were just the natural ingredients.

Q2 What did you think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

The cheese and toasties was a massive container (and quite unenvironmentally friendly) given the size of the contents. The brick I would be unlikely to buy as I could easily cut my own from a block of cheese and the nibbles I would be slightly worried about choking on a younger child. I found the packets for the bricks and nibbles difficult to open so my 3 year old son stood no chance.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you eat it youself or keep it for the children?

I would possibly buy the nibbles as my son liked them although generally he left the last bit of the packet as there was a lot of them. I would use them if we went out. None of us liked the biscuits so wouldn't buy that product (would be far nicer as a couple of crackers with bigger slices of cheese and less packaging) or would bother with the blocks of cheese.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

He just asked for the cheese rather than the name.

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? eg Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like the best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

See question 3 but the nibbles were definately the preferred option and the toasties a no. The taste was rated good (but he does like cheese).

Q6 What did your children think about the charater, facts and the jokes on the packets?

My son didn't take any notice of these.

Q7 Lastly do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why

Possibly the nibbles if we were having a few days out but would depend on the price/quantity I had to purchase.

[downbutnotout]

My daughter is 7 and my son (2.5) has just decided he doesn?t like cheese, so was unfortunately excluded from testing.

Q1. The actual product tastes great and the packaging looks good. The name is really awful though. It puts me in mind of something that might appear in Roger Mellie?s Profanisaurus as a synonym for dangleberries.

Q2. The formats are good and a handy size for snacks and lunchboxes. I was very sceptical about the Toasties but found them really tasty and would consider taking them to work for a snack. The packaging needs work though. The inner packet containing the melba toast was too difficult for my daughter to open on her own and no-one could get into the bricks without scissors. This factor would make me reluctant to put them in a lunchbox as matters stand.

Q3. As above think they would be good for lunchboxes and snacks for myself and the children.

Q4. My daughter really liked them as she loves cheese and enjoyed having them in her lunchbox.

Q5. Her favourite was the Nibbles, I think she thinks they?re cute. The other two were joint second but she?s quite keen on them all. She likes the taste a lot.

Q6. She didn?t really notice the packaging very much, she was in too much of a hurry to get at the cheese.

Q7. Yes, provided the price is right. I think they would make a welcome change and are a little bit different to other products currently available aimed at children.

[hester]

Thanks for the opportunity to test these. The testers were me (cheese freak), dd1 (rising 6; normally a cheese hater); dd2 (rising 2, another cheese freak). The girls enjoyed sitting down at the 'testing panel', with the products laid out in front of them. I interviewed them in a funny voice.

Q1 What your overall impressions were of the products?

I'm not a great fan of gimmicky food, but always open to opportunities to opportunities to get my fussy daughter to eat a wider range of foods.

The packaging on the Bricks and Nibbles were difficult to open. When I finally tore the Nibbles open, they fell all over the floor.

Q2 What did you think about the different formats available? e.g. Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks

I thought the Bricks were useful for when I want a bit of cheese but daren't risk the temptation of getting a block out of the fridge - good for just a little taste, but I certainly wouldn't eat it in preference to my usual (extra mature) cheddar.

The Nibbles I liked least (strange smell on opening the packet, and pieces too small to get proper mouth satisfaction) but I can see they'd be popular with children.

The Cheese and Toasties were ok.

Q3 When do you think you'd buy or use this product? Would you use it yourself or keep it for the children?

I wouldn't buy it for myself; I would buy it as a lunchbox product or if I thought it was a way of getting dd1 to eat cheese.

Q4 What did your children think about Chedds?

dd1 doesn't usually like cheese, but she said she loved Chedds. She wasn't interested in the Bricks, but she really liked the Cheese and Toasties and she said she LOVED the Nibbles (though she too noticed the smell - "Why do they smell of poo?" - as the packet was opened).

dd2 loves cheese, though prefers a strong flavour (her favourite is M&S Cheddar with Chilli). She liked all three products.

Q5 What did they think about the formats available? e.g. Cheese and Toasties, Nibbles and Bricks - which did they like and best? Which was the worst and why? How would they rate the taste of the product?

dd1 definitely liked Nibbles best, and finished the whole packet which is astonishing for her. She also enjoyed making a sandwich with the Cheese and Toasties. She was completely uninterested in the Bricks.

dd2 just wanted to eat the cheese.

Q6 What did your children think about the character, facts and the jokes on the packets?

They didn't notice them until I pointed them out. dd1 liked the jokes, but I can't say it was a big deal for either of them.

Q7 Lastly, do you think you'd be likely to buy Chedds again? Why? Why not?

I would buy the Nibbles, as the children liked them so much. I might buy the Cheese and Toasties for a lunchbox, but not frequently. If there were bricks around I'd eat them, but I wouldn't buy them for myself.