McVitie’s Wholewheat 5 Grain Cracker – Mishry Review

What is the perfect cracker? Something that is crisp, has a bite to it and is mildly seasoned with salt. 

This light chai/coffee companion becomes even better when it has the goodness of five grains. The McVitie’s Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers are made using wholewheat, oats, rice, ragi, and corn.

Sounds impressive? In our McVitie’s 5 Grain Cracker review, we discuss the taste, texture, price point, and other significant factors in detail. In addition to these, we scrutinized the nutritional label to check the whole grain content in these crackers.

The McVities Whole Wheat 5 Grain Crackers are packed in a green-colored pack. These small square-shaped crackers are quite thin and have tiny holes throughout. 

These five-grain crackers are crisp, no doubt. However, they are not as sturdy as you would want them to be. 

The above-mentioned and other significant parameters have been decoded in detail below. 

1. Ingredients 

First things first, the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers are made with more than 50% refined wheat flour. These crackers contain only 13.3% of multi-grains.

Other ingredients used include- palm oil and palmolein, liquid glucose, sugar, invert sugar syrup, salt, and yeast.

2. Taste

Out of the five grains used to make these crackers, we could taste dominant flavors of wheat and oats. We observed a pretty mild taste of cornflakes too.

3. Bite/Mouth Feel

The McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Crackers are reasonably crisp. We quite liked these crackers as they weren’t too dry. 

Usually, savory biscuits are on the oilier, dense side. These crackers are made using edible vegetable oil (palm oil and palmolein) but are very light on the palate. There is no feel of heaviness in the texture.

4. Flavour

Unlike most biscuits available in the market, these crackers have a savory taste. They are lightly salted and have a subtle hint of sugar. 

This flavor makes the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers a decent option to be paired with various flavored dips, hummus, or even added to a homemade cheese board.

5. Texture & Colour

Simply put, these 5 grain crackers are crisp but appear prone to breakage.

In the packs we bought for the review, we found that many crackers were broken. Owing to this fact, fine crumbs coated all the crackers in the pack, making it appear dry and not so appetizing. 

The McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Crackers resemble the brown shades of a well-baked biscuit. We also noticed some darker brown specs, which we think were specks of ragi. 

6. Price

The 120-gram pack of the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Cracker is priced at Rs 25/-

As compared to other unflavored cracker biscuits in the market, these 5 grain crackers are on the higher side of the same price range. 

However, when compared to multigrain biscuits- the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers are decently priced. 

7. Available Sizes

The McVitie’s Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers are available in a 120-gram pack that is priced at Rs 25/-.

The 50-gram pack of the same is priced at Rs 10/-.

8. Nutrition Facts

Following are the nutrition facts and calories per 100 grams of the McVities 5 Grain Crackers:

465 kcals, 8.6 grams of protein, 67.8 grams of carbohydrates, and 17.7 grams of fat with 5 grams of dietary fiber. 

9. About the Brand

Started as a provision bakery shop in Edinburgh in 1830, the brand McVities has undoubtedly come a long way. 45 years later, McVitie partnered with Charles Price, built advanced factories, created the original ‘Digestive’ biscuit, supplied essentials to warriors fighting the First World War, and several other remarkable victories.

2009 was the year when McVities started production in India. Initially, the target audience was the health and diet-conscious individuals in the six metros. Two years later, the ‘Maida’ or refined wheat flour campaign was launched. Gradually since, McVities has been launching healthier alternatives under the ‘Yeh Habit Hai Fit’ campaign. 

10. Availability

We ordered our pack of McVities from an online grocery shopping portal. These 5 grain crackers would be available in most departmental stores.

As simple or basic as this sounds, finding a good quality cracker is not as easy. Most crackers you would find in the market would either be too dry, overloaded with salt, or simply inedible.

Crackers make for a light evening tea/coffee partner that can also be converted to a snack/starter. 

For instance, you could replace canapes for crackers, add the same filling. This would make a cafe-style starter.

Crackers are also an excellent option for making bite-sized snacks. Place a few crackers on a tray and apply a thin layer of pizza base or a sauce of your choice. Add some chopped veggies, some cheese, and voila; you have a fun-looking snack ready!

Following is Team Mishry’s McVitie’s Wholewheat 5 Grain Cracker review.

Features

• The McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Crackers are thin square-shaped crackers with tiny holes throughout.
• These are crisp but not too sturdy. 
• As we opened the pack, a grainy aroma was observed.
• We could also see some specs of grains, specifically ragi.
• The ‘5 grains’ make for only 13.3% of the total ingredients.

Pros

• The McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Crackers have subtle sweet and salty flavors, which makes them easily customizable.
• These cracker biscuits are not too dry or oily. 
• Wheat and oats were the grains with an unmissable flavor.
• From your cup of tea/coffee to a savory mid-meal snack, these crackers are a decent option.

Cons

• Marketed as a 5 grain product, these crackers are primarily made with refined wheat flour and palm oil.

Best Suited For

A neutral-flavored base for your flavorful dips? Something crunchy for your homemade cheese board? A light snack that fills you up just right with your evening beverage? You can use the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain Cracker for such purposes.

These crackers have a savory flavor and can be consumed as an alternative to cream biscuits or cookies for a change of taste.

Here are some interesting FAQs on Mcvitie’s wholewheat 5 grain cracker

1. How many calories are in McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers?

100 grams of these crackers provide 465 calories.

2. What can the McVities Wholewheat 5 Grain crackers be paired with?

From chilli dips to cheese sauces, and even your tea and coffee, these crackers have a subtle taste and can be paired with a variety of sauces, dips and hummus.

3. Are McVities Wholewheat 5 grain crackers sugar free?

No, these crackers contain glucose and invert sugar syrup.

4. What are the 5 grains in McVities wholewheat 5 grain crackers?

Whole wheat, oats, rice, ragi, and corn are the grains used in the crackers.

5. Is the McVities 5 Grain cracker gluten-free?

No, these crackers are not gluten free as they contain wheat. 

You can pair these subtly sweet and salty crackers with a number of beverages, dips, spreads, etc.

Out of soup sticks? Looking for an edible spoon for your chocolate/peanut butter spread? (Probably not the most hygienic option!) Something to munch on with your tea/coffee?

The McVities Wholewheat 5 grain crackers can be used in multiple ways. These crackers are subtly seasoned and aren’t too dry. That being said, the oiliness is well balanced too.

However, the 5-grain claim seemed somewhat overhyped to us. These five grains make up less than 15% of the total ingredients. It is ‘healthier than many refined-flour-based biscuits and cookies. These also, like most packaged and processed foods, should be consumed occasionally. 

All in all, if you’re looking for something light but crispy, these crackers might be something you would want to try. 

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* No part of this review is sponsored by any brand. All expenses were borne by us.