Weetabix

Weetabix is a wheat-based breakfast cereal produced by Weetabix Limited. It comes in the form of relatively large biscuits. These are similar to the Antipodean Weet-Bix; their generic counterparts are typically sold under the name "Wheat Biscuits". Variants include organic and Weetabix Minis (bite-sized) versions. The cereal is manufactured in Burton Latimer.

While the biscuits are sometimes eaten "as is" or topped with butter or jam, in the United Kingdom Weetabix are more typically served with milk (hot or cold) in a bowl, as with any other breakfast cereal, and often with fruit (bananas, etc). They are very light and absorbent and when soaked in milk can take on the texture of a light porridge. However, they retain a certain crunchiness for a while.

The organic version of Weetabix is increasingly seen on American supermarket shelves as an alternative to traditional brands offered in the US.

In the 1980s, a notable series of Weetabix advertisements featured a gang of animated Weetabix biscuits, in Doc Martens, white T-shirts and denims, battling the "titchy breakfasts" (cereals which came in flakes or "crispies"). Their slogan was "Make it neat wheat, if you know what's good for you", the double meaning being emphasised by their tough, bovver boy appearance.

Weetabix is also high in fibre, with 3.8g of fibre in a 37.5g serving (2 biscuits).

Weetabix Minis
Weetabix Minis are essentially a sweeter 'bite-size' version of the standard Weetabix biscuits, with various additions depending upon the variety- 'chocolate', 'banana', 'fruit & nut' and 'honey & nut'.

The cereal has been relaunched and renamed at least twice in a relatively short period of time following their launch. Previously, they were known as Fruitibix, Bananabix and Chocobix (depending upon the additions), then as Minibix.

Weetabix Gold
Weetabix Gold are essentially the same as Weetabix, however finer wheat is used in Gold with a more delicate taste and a lighter texture, Gold was launched in 2006.

Other

 * Organic versions of Weetabix are sold in various countries.
 * Oatibix is similar to Weetabix, but is based on oats instead of wheat.

Trivia

 * Weetabix has in recent years become a verb in sporting circles, as in: "The goalkeeper made a game attempt at parrying the spot-kick, but completely Weetabixed it." This usage derives from a 1980s British advertisement for Weetabix, involving a goalkeeper in a football match diving over the top of the ball, allowing it to pass underneath him. The term is also used in cricket, when a fielder fails to prevent a ball from disappearing under his body on the way towards the boundary. This was explained by cricketer Graham Gooch during an edition of Test Match Special, broadcast on 7 August, 2006.


 * The phrase '(to have) had one's Weetabix' is also used in Britain. The idea behind the phrase is that Weetabix, being made of wholegrain wheat, is considered a relatively healthy breakfast cereal, and appropriate eating for someone who leads an active lifestyle. A person who is visibly chipper or athletic, for instance, may be described by someone as 'having had their Weetabix', in a similar way that such a person in the U.S. might be described as having 'eaten their Wheaties'. This term was even used to promote the cereal on television, featuring, among others, Robin Hood and his Merry Men fleeing at the sight of the Sheriff of Nottingham in possession of a box of Weetabix. The song that accompanied this ad was a parody of the one sung in the TV classic The Adventures of Robin Hood:


 * "Robin Hood, Robin Hood, 
 * Could be in a fix. 
 * Robin Hood, Robin Hood, 
 * Spies the Weetabix. 


 * Should he retreat 
 * Back to Sherwood? 
 * Course he should! 
 * Course he should! 
 * Course he should!"


 * During the Buffy episode "Hush", Spike reveals that he is quite fond of crumbling Weetabix up into blood (for texture), so much so that he ends up eating all of Giles' Weetabix repeatedly and hassles him to go and get more.
 * In the 1970s Weetabix was advertised with the slogan "Weetabix is unbeatabix".
 * During the episode of The Mighty Boosh entitled "Charlie", we find out Noel Fielding's character, Vince, puts his 'novel' "Charlie" in packets of Weetabix at the supermarket, as a means of publishing them.