NOW CLOSED: MU 100% Cheddar Sticks product test - feedback thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 100 MNers who are trying the new MU 100% Cheddar Sticks from MU cheese with their DC.

If you are a tester please add your feedback to this thread by answering these questions once you've bought and tried the cheese.

MU says "Our new MU Sticks are the perfect little treat to pop into your kids' lunchboxes, or even stash in the fridge as a delicious and healthy snack. Each stick is made from 100% Cheddar and contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk. What's more, they are completely natural - each yummy chunk of smooth and creamy medium cheddar is just MU Cheddar, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives added."

Everyone who is a tester and who adds their feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one family will win £100 worth of Love2Shop vouchers.

Feedback questions:

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?
When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?
What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture
• Strength of the cheese
• Packaging

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why? As stated above MU sticks: ~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? ~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

Thanks and good luck
MNHQ

UmamiOrange we still have our vouchers as the sticks were out of stock at our nearest Tesco (MU sent me the sticks to me direct). I'm very happy to post my vouchers on to you.

MrsJD that is very kind! We would like to try them, as cheese is one of the few things with protein in that DS will eat. I will PM you my address if you're sure it's okay.

DH is a cheese-hater; I think it was deliberate

No problem

Finally managed to get to Tesco to get hold of some of these, this morning. How long have we got to report back, MNHQ?

Thank you for the special delivery as the vouchers didn't arrive!

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

DD4 DD3 DS2 and me. The children loved them, I thought they were disgusting, but had tasted one when they arrived and it was warm and soft, so put them in the fridge till later, improved them marginally

When did they get eaten - As a snack mid morning with bread sticks and apple

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture - sticky and claggy, hard to swallow, but the children thought they were okay, but preferred block cheese. DS2 had to spit it out, it got stuck to the roof of his mouth as he couldn't swallow it!

• Strength of the cheese - Too mild for all of them used to extra mature off the block

• Packaging - The children could open them themselves, so a huge plus as the competition have very hard to open packets

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why? Improve the texture, drier, firmer, more like proper cheese

As stated above MU sticks:

~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? Yes, but why add anything to a 100% natural food item?

~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? Not really

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?

The children eat lots of yoghurt and drink milk and plenty of milk on cereal, so happy they are getting what they need

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again?

Probably not - Why? Too expensive, unless a special offer - BOGOFF, cheaper to wrap a piece off the block in interleaving or those white food bags from Lakeland that you see on supermarket deli counters, I buy a 1000 and they last forever!

Thank you for the extra effort and the opportunity to taste

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?
Me and my 15 month old son. He ate the whole thing and loved. I thought it had a strange texture and felt a bit sticky.
When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?
At lunch time
What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture - thick and claggy
• Strength of the cheese - fine
• Packaging - good and eyecatching

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why? Change the texture to non-sticky and gloopy. As stated above MU sticks: ~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? Yes as less chemicas in my childs food. ~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? I like this as its important for my childs developement. Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? As my son is so young its very important. Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? I don't think I would buy them again as they were quite expensive!

We finally went and picked up the mu sticks today, I liked the look of them but unfortunately dc were not too impressed with the taste (4 yr and 2 yrs dses)
They said it was a bit yuck and didnt finish it, I was suprised because they love cheese normally! read this thread and saw other people commenting it was quite a strong taste not very mild, so thought i would try one myself to see if that was the case, and it was - i think that's why my dc didnt enjoy it as much, cos we normally do buy mild cheddar.
I found the taste of it okay for myself, but the format of it is something I would more buy for the dc, for snacks or pack lunch

• Texture

to me the texture looked a bit plastic-ish considering it is 100% cheddar, it had a slightly artificial appearance and was a bit too soft and "shiny" looking

• Strength of the cheese

• too strong

• Packaging

• i liked the packaging, convenient and looks quite nice

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

• make the cheese milder

As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why?

• yes, because i dont want too many additive in it

~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why?

• it is but im not overly concerned cos my dc all drink a lot of milk anyway

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?

• its important

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

• i might, but more likely to if the taste was milder. and to me that price is a bit expensive for only 4 sticks, works out quite dear for each stick. if its on offer i might buy it for convenience (if it was milder)

Thanks to mumsnet for sorting it out with MU so the cheese arrived.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

Myself, and 4 children DS's (16,15,14) and DD (12)

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

They took them to school on one day and had them at home another day.

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture I didnt have a problem, my two older sons thought it was fine my youngest son didnt like it but exaggerated and acted silly! My eldest liked that it wasnt like a cheese string but because of its shape he thought it would be.

• Strength of the cheese Me and eldest two thought it was fine, youngest son again got silly about it and started spitting it out and writhing around (Cant see him as a future product tester tbh!) and DD couldnt really say either way but she ate it and if she doesnt like it you know.

• Packaging Fine for younger kids but not really for teen lunch boxes.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

My youngest decreed it shouldnt be bought, however he couldnt define what he didnt like other than that it was in his mouth, so I cannot offer any further details there. I think its a cheese for older tastes but its in kids packaging, maybe its a little strong for kids because I like cheese like this now but wouldnt have eaten it as a kid. Maybe it could be marketed as strong so parents could discern. The older two just didnt like the packaging as they wouldnt want kid stuff like that in their lunch box.

As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? Nice to know its not got chemicals or fake stuff in.

~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? Kids need to get their calcium and healthy stuff from dairy so it contributes

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? Important but I dont know enough about it to make sure I get it right.

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

I would eat MU cheese and buy it. My eldest two would but have it for the changes above. The youngest lad wouldnt at all. So I would only buy it if the other two would use it and I could get a cheap option for the younger one who likes plastic cheese and the kids get what they want for lunch.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

My children love cheese sticks, so they were the testers. As with a lot of other testers, my local Tesco was on the list as a supplier - but when I got there, they didn't stock them. This was sorted out by MN, I wa told that they would arrive on the Monday, which they did, at 8.50 pm, in a "cool" bag with a melted cold pack. I have no idea how long they had been unrefrigerated. They were subsequently sweaty and unpleasant looking - which is why my review probably sounds a bit harsh. Epic fail in the delivery of the test materials MU Cheese. Sorry.

The children struggled a bit with the packaging, and said they "smelled funny". The cheese was soft, plasticy and a bit sweaty. I refrigerated the rest and tried myself the next morning.

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

They were just eaten out of the fridge by me, and put into the children's lunch boxes the next day. They returned home uneaten.

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture - plastic and chewy
• Strength of the cheese - "it was ok"
• Packaging - 6 year old struggled a bit.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

Problem is for my family, they've decided they don't like them! So I doubt I could coerce them into eating them again.

As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? - in theory, yes.
~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? It's not specifically appealing to me - my children would drink a glass of milk without pressure anyway. It's a convenient snack for school lunches.

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? - very, my child is a coeliac, and calcium intake is extremely important to me.

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

No. Not a hit with the family, poor marketing tools and I can buy a similar product from Aldi for 2/3rds of the price. Thanks for the opportunity to try them, but epic fail overall.

Actually, I was being generous with my review, if I had been a little more honest, my experience was exactly the same as nottersgotterdog but I felt as they had taken the trouble to send them so quickly, it would be a little churlish.

The icepak was melted and the cheese was very warm, although they arrived first thing in the morning, and yes, if honest they were disgusting!

The tiny cool bag is useful though!

Yes, I felt a bit churlish myself Ali

But we spoke the troof.

After all, a feedback exercise is only useful as a marketing development tool if it is answered honestly.

What a shame they arrived like that. Mine were ice cold, like they were just out of a very cold fridge. Maybe I live closer to a distribution point?

Yes, mine looked like they'd melted during transit. Definitely weren't cold!

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why? They got eaten by DD, 6 and DS, 3. And me.
When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal? The first ones we ate as a snack at home. After that, in DD's school lunch-boxes.
What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture DCs - liked. I thought it was a bit sweaty/claggy, but they really did not think so!
• Strength of the cheese - Too mild for me, but then I am a greedy adult. Kids loved the taste. DD (when quizzed) said they were cheeesier than Cheese STRings, but not as cheesy as 'fridge cheese'.
• Packaging . I liked it! Appropriate, very eye catching and easy to find on shelf. DS struggled once with opening the pack. DD loved reading the facts.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why? Make a couple, with range of strength of flavour? As stated above MU sticks: ~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? Yes. I like that it is unadulterated, and not full of crap. I also like that is is quite plain and an easy proteiny snack that can be eaten alongside something more carby. (lots of diabetes in my family, so I am probably a bit over cautious about this kind of thing) ~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? Yes. My kids do drink milk also, but not every day. Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? Very. Although I think mine do, so it's not a worry for me. Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks) Yes, I think I'd buy them again. Probably not every week. I like that they are just block and don't call to be played with, a la CheeseStrings!

Hello... I haven't read everyone elses feedback as I didn't want it to skew my views.

Firstly, I'd like to tell you about my experience in Tesco's (as this product test was in conjuction with Tesco). My local store weren't one of the shops that had this product, but I signed up anyway as I was happy to nip in to a store near family we visit regularly. I only wanted to buy the cheese, so picked up two packs and headed to the tills. The cheese was on special at £1, but the 'free cheese' vouchers scanned at £1.35. This caused all sorts of problems, which to be honest Tesco were pretty rubbish at dealing with. All I wanted was my free cheese - it shouldn't have taken almost 20mins to resolve. Not a good start!

Thankfully things got better! To answer your specific questions:

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks?

• daughter aged 3.5 years

What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

• she liked them, although I think some of this was down the the novelty factor. She doesn't normally eat much dairy product (not even a fan of ice cream), so this as a nice surprise.

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

• my daughter had these (two at a time!) as a post-nursery snack, but I would happily v them at mealtimes, a snack if we were at home etc (any time really, as I am desperate to get calcium in to her)

What did your family testers think of the Texture, Strength of the cheese, Packaging

• my daughter is only 3.5 so didn't comment much on texture / strength etc. She liked the cow packaging, but needed my help to open it. I'm sure if she practiced she she would manage by herself.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

• make the packaging easier to open (as above)

As stated above MU sticks are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why?

• ehm, yes, I think so. I like that face that it's not overly processed 'fake' cheese, but have no preference between cheddar and other 'proper' cheeses - eg mozzarella, emmental, gouda etc etc

Contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why?

• yes, very important as my daughter doesn't really like dairy products and it's a real challenge to get calcium in to her every day.

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?

• it is important, and despite a huge apetite and enjoying a wide range of foods (more than most kids), my daughter avoids dairy so i am very conscious about monitoring her calcium intake. We have osteoperosis in my family, so I am very aware of the importance of calcium.

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

• I think the price is high for 4 sticks, and if I wasn't so concerned about calcium intake for a dairy-avoider, I probably wouldn't pay this much, however I can afford it and in my opinion it's worth it for my daughter

MrsJD, thank you! The vouchers arrived this morning

Now to get to Tesco

Sorry we are a bit late with the answers.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

My children, aged 9 and 5 ate them. I tried a bit of them.
5 year - "Excellent. Brilliant."
9 year - "I like them"
me - Yuck. I hate the taste and texture of them.

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

So far, once as a snack and once as part of lunch.

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture

5 year - "Awesome. They feel a bit bumpy in my mouth and made me feel like I was jumping up and down on rocks."
9 year - "They feel rubbery. They are 'ok'"
me - horrid, I hated the feel of it. Too sticky and claggy.

• Strength of the cheese

5 year - "I like it"
9 year - "Wasn't particularly strong" (It might be bearing in mind that this particular child's favourite cheese is Stinking bishop!)
me - Way too strong for what I was expecting.

• Packaging

5 year - "Brilliant"
9 year - "I don't particularly have any opinion"
me - They seemed to like sharing the facts on the front of the packs.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

5 year - "I would put some ham in it because I think it would make it taste a bit better"
9 year - "I'd make it taste stronger because I like strong cheese"
me - I would change the texture.

As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why?

I hate the cheese snacks that are made of plastic cheese so this did appeal

~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why?

Not very, only in the aspect of balancing my children's diets.

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?

As important as all aspects of their nutrition.

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

I don't think I would. It would be cheaper to chop cheese from the normal blocks.

I still can't find them!!!

I've been to two Tesco stores, verbally wrestled with umpteen blank-faced staff and nothing. Nada. Zip.

Help?

I still haven't been able to get hold of any of the packs, my local tesco (Pool) only stocks the standard large blocks of MU cheese. I would email Katie but it seems I've lost her details (sorry Katie!)

Ds didn't like the texture but niece did.
Niece enjoyed the packaging
Niece loved the taste.
I likes the fact that it contained 2glasses worth of milk as dc don't have that much.

Overall well done for making such a nice product and thanks for choosing us.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?
When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

We finally managed to get to a Tesco on Sunday to get some of these to try. I pulled osme out in the afternoon to try as a snack. DS1 declined and wouldn't even taste one, though he said he'd try one in his packed lunch the next day. DS2, who likes cheese but is very fussy didn't accept when I offered. I gave him a tiny piece, which he did try, but treated as if he was eating a slimy wasp. So it ended up down to DH and I to taste it. The one I put in DS1's lunch came home the next day, untouched.

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture It was very soft. Softer than we're used to. This is what DS2 pulled a face at. He's used to cheese that's slightly firmer
• Strength of the cheese It didn't taste of much. We usually buy mature or vintage cheddar, which tends to be much punchier and sometimes a little crunchy. DH and I were bored by the end of the one we shared.
• Packaging It was an awful lot of plastic in each packet for 3oz of cheese. It wasn't that easy to open either, as it was slippery with condensation and there was nothing really to grip

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why? Make them with mature cheddar
As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why? Yes. I prefer real food that hasn't been tampered with.
~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why? Not particularly. There's lots of ways of getting this sort of nutrition without relying on milk
Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right? Pretty important, but we get it from a variety of dietary sources
Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks) Nope. They weren't exactly a hit and at £16 per kilo, they're very expensive.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?
My 6 year old ds and me (34!). I liked them, my 6 yo didn't so much. He's not fussy around cheese normally. He complained that they went sweaty in his lunchbox - though he will eat cheese in sandwiches.

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?
Had them at home as a snack and put them in the lunch box.

What did your family testers think of the:

• Texture

6 year old didn't like it. "Sludgy" he said. 4 out of 10.

• Strength of the cheese

Strong, but OK. 5 out of 10.

• Packaging

Looks good, liked the facts. 7 out of 10.

If you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?
I think it's too much plastic packaging for small pieces of cheese.

As stated above MU sticks:
~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why?
This doesn't really mean anything - it's marketing speak! I guess they are trying to differentiate from cheeses like Babybel or Cheesestrings.

~ contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why?
Sort of. It's a good analogy to make. I'd like to know what % this is of a child's daily intake of calcium.

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?
It's all part of a balanced diet. Calcium occurs in dairy, tofu and nuts, but also green vegetables!

Lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)
Unlikely, given the response from ds1!

Hi
My son who is very very fussy and waiting to see a dietician as hasn't put on weight for over a year LOVED THESE. I reckon that they will be a big hit. We all had a try and liked them.

My ds loved the packaging and I liked that they were real cheese and didnt seem plasticky like cheesestrings.

We gave them to my son as a snack. One slight criticism is that four in a bag so if aimed at lunch boxes not enough for full school week.

Love the fact that it contains 210ml of milk as the more nutrients we can get in the better. Major plus was no nasty chemicals, felt like ds was eating real food

Ds and dd (7 months) wolfed them down so strength was fine but for DH and myself I would have preferred it to be a big stronger.

I would definitely buy again.

Who in your family ate the MU Sticks? What was their verdict? If they didn't go down well, why?

Myself, DD1 aged 6 and DD2 aged 17 months. I thought they were a nice strength and good for a picnic/snack, DD1 was not too sure and couldn't quite put her finger on the reason - but later said they were "strong cheese" and DD2 threw it on the floor

When did they get eaten - on what type of occasion - eg did they go out on a picnic, in a lunchbox or eaten at home? As a snack or part of a meal?

As a snack for DD1 and myself, DD2 as part of her lunch.

What did your family testers think of the: - Texture - Strength of the cheese - Packaging

Strength was good for me but a bit strong for DD1.

Texture - DD1 said they were very creamy and soft. I thought she was about right with her explannation. DD2 didn't really examine them at all..she just picked it up and dropped it on the floor (she was offered small bits at a time) I do however think she may have a sensory food issue and that is why the product didn't even make it to her mouth!!

Packaging was fine, easy to open for little fingers.

if you or your DC could make one improvement to MU sticks what would it be and why?

They are quite thick and therefore a bit on the big side, so could do with being a bit smaller. Also the strength of the cheese if aimed at children needs to be a bit milder.

As stated above MU sticks: ~ are 100% cheddar - is this appealing to you? Why

Yes, it is good to know there are no added chemicals like you may have in some brands!

Contain the equivalent of one 210ml glass of milk - is this appealing to you? Why?

Yes as my girls are not keen on drinking milk, therefore good for their dairy intake.

Overall, how important it is to you to ensure your children get their calcium intake right?

Very important. My DD2 is an extremely fussy eater due to a Chromosone disorder, I often worry about her having the correct balance of vitamins/minerals etc...

lastly do you think you would buy MU sticks again? Why? (RRP £1.35 for a pack of 4 sticks)

They were on offer in Tesco for £1 when I got them and TBH I would be more likely to buy them at that price.

Thanks for the cheese, it was great to be able to offer my DD's something new. I still have the other voucher so will probably try DD2 again in a couple of weeks... she may be more open to experiment then... we can hope!