One of the hardest things about reviewing (and loving) food is attempting to enjoy what you eat while staying relatively slim. For me this is especially tough as my favourite weekend routine involves a caramel latte and a muffin from my nearest coffee house, mmm I can just about smell the roast coffee beans now! Lucky for me, then, that the three major chains I favour each have their own 'low fat' muffin on the menu, and curiously they're all citrus flavour. But just how low fat are these cheeky morning snacks? And, most importantly, what do they taste like?
Let's start with the daddy of coffee houses, Starbucks. A quick glance at the cakes and pastries reveals a few lighter options, and the one we're looking at is the so called 'Skinny' Lemon & Poppy seed Muffin. At 393 calories and 6 grams of fat, you might be forgiven for thinking this muffin is not the healthiest snack in the world. However, in terms of taste it's close to faultless; the delicious lemon fragrance is perfectly matched by the subtle crunch of poppy seed, though you probably don't want to eat one before catching a flight to Dubai. The only let down here is the lack of a good topping; I like my muffins to at least act like they're bad for me and a little dash of icing wouldn't go amiss.
Now for the young pretender, Caffe Nero. Apparently purveyors of the best Espresso this side of Milan, Nero certainly isn't about to win points for its horribly cloying Reduced Fat Cranberry & Orange Muffin. Scarfing down one of these little monsters will pile on 9.8g of fat, although at 322 calories it's got less sugars than the Starbuck's muffin. The biggest problem for me here is the dried fruit; chewy cranberries lack flavour and the orange pieces seem to be mostly soapy peel. Not a particularly pleasant taste, and the texture wasn't much better. A muffin should be light and cakey, but this was so stodgy I wondered if it was undercooked. Oddly, Kim loved the texture but then she is a big fan of cookie dough.
Of all the coffee houses in all the world, my favourite has to be Costa. Unpretentious as the other chains, Costa also sponsers a book award each year and doesn't charge extra for soya milk (a double bonus for lactose-intolerant librarians). Costa also produces the simply marvellous Low Fat Lemon and Orange Muffin pictured at the top of this article, a moist and magnificent treat stuffed with gooey pieces of orange topped with a lick of sweet tangy lemon scented icing - it really makes my day. At only 4.5g of fat and 328 calories it's not only the tastiest option here but the healthiest, and the only muffin to actually legitimately describe itself as "low fat". Canny dieters will be wise to pick one up next time they grab a coffee - go on, it's practically good for you.
Till we eat again,
Michelle
