I recently had dinner with a teacher from my high school who, when asked about how teaching has changed since we were in school (before the internet!), she answered: “Teaching our girls how to manage their online profile and reputation.” I hadn’t really thought of that but I guess what you put on the internet sticks and is available for all to see. I should therefore not have been shocked when the publicist of Ryvita emailed me to see if I, ‘a bit of an all around foodie and interested in nutrition to boot’ (her words), would be interested in sampling their new crackers made for cheese. I thought sure I can do that. Then she said she would send me the crackers and some cheese. I hastened my typing to reply faster, YES! Now I have read about the pitfalls of accepting free things in return for endorsement but I promised to be honest to myself, Ryvita and my readers and tell the God’s honest truth.
So given my rearing in the good ole’ USA I have no preconceived notions of Ryvita. After canvassing my British friends the words “dieting” and “healthy brown cardboard biscuit” came up. I worried that my ‘interest in nutrition’ might have gotten me into a bit of a pickle. So when my hamper full of cheese and crackers came I opened it with a bit of trepidation. Was I going to have to pan this product on the internet for all of the world the see? So I took the lot home to share with my husband, brother and future sister-in-law, who better to get honest feedback from than family, right?
The verdict? There are two types, Golden Rye and Black Pepper. With the cheese provided, mostly overwhelming favourite was the golden rye which didn’t interfere with the flavour of the cheese. The black pepper, it was decided, would have been better with a double cream cheese or a brie (it has been tested since and they fared very well). Overall we liked them a lot. They have a great crunch missing in a lot of crackers and are filled with hearty ingredients without feeling “diet.” All in all there are a very nice accompaniment to cheese.
