The Collective SuckiesIt’s been almost 10 years since Ella’s Kitchen pioneered the squeezable ‘pouch puree’ baby food concept and despite claims the format is no match for real fruit/veg and is no substitute for a ‘proper meal’ blah blah blah it’s fair to say the market is now awash with copycat brands.

Which is why I was surprised to discover that gourmet yoghurt brand The Collective’s new Suckies are the first fresh branded yoghurt pouches on the market for kids. You’d think Petits Filous or someone would have thought of it before – why has it taken so long?

Needless to say BB’s eyes lit up when a polystyrene box full of samples landed on our mat for the purposes of review this week. Like Ella’s Kitchen, Suckies come in brightly coloured pouches which became instantly referred to by BB – and no doubt countless toddlers – as ‘the red one’ and the ‘green one’ as opposed to their proper names.

As a bit of a sceptic about these things – what’s wrong with generic big pot yoghurts poured into a bowl and eaten with a spoon? – I have to say I’m impressed. At 89p each there are four flavours – sassy strawberry, sun kissed tropical, kiwi, pear & apple and peach & apricot – which actually taste like yoghurt you’d like to eat (I know because I squirted one into a bowl when my Onken ran out).

Of course the best thing about pouches is that they’re mess-free, and these don’t disappoint. And despite them being chilled you can still take them out and about – The Collective recommends freezing them first before sticking in the nappy bag for later.

Don’t mind if I do…