Many people prefer to eat breakfast cereals, such as cornflakes, in a generally crunchy condition. However, this is difficult to achieve with conventional cereal bowls because the cereals themselves sit in any milk poured over the cereals. In particular, the cereals at the bottom of the bowl are the last to be consumed and may therefore be soaked in milk for some considerable time, during which they lose their crunchiness and may become generally wet and soft or soggy.

Previous attempts to overcome this problem have comprised a redesign of a cereal bowl which has the disadvantage that, inter alia, they are expensive to manufacture and render any existing cereal bowls redundant.

Thus, for example, US Patent No. 4,986, 433 describes an elaborate arrangement comprising an upper bowl and a lower bowl and a sloped chute connecting the bowls.

In use, milk is placed in the lower bowl and cereal in the upper bowl and cereal is urged down the chute, to be consumed before it becomes soggy.

There has therefore long been a desire for a method and/or apparatus which enables cereals to be consumed with, e. g. milk, but which enables them to retain their crunchiness.

We have now surprisingly found a novel method of achieving this.

Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive means of allowing cereals to remain crunchy and which may, optionally, be used in conjunction with existing cereal bowls.

According to the invention we provide a bowl insert in the form of a platform adapted to form a circumferential snug fit within a bowl and to be located distal to the base of the bowl, the platform being provided with a cut away region to enable access to the region below the platform.

The means for locating the platform distal to the base of the bowl may comprise one or more legs which act to support the platform. The legs may optionally be adjustable. The platform may be provided with a plurality, e. g. a pair of legs, situated underneath the platform, for example, adjacent opposing sides of the platform.

Alternatively, the platform may be provided with a single leg, which may be positioned substantially centrally. In such a case, the single leg may be provided with stabilisation means, for example, a terminal sucker adapted to secure the leg to the base of a bowl. In a yet further alternative, the platform may be provided with one or more handles which are adapted to hang the platform from the rim of the bowl. In a preferred embodiment of the invention the platform may be provided with one or more handles and one or more legs.

The cut away portion may comprise an aperture in the platform. Alternatively, it may comprise a recessed or indented region in the platform which is provided with one or more apertures to enable the ingress of milk. Preferentially, the cut away portion may comprise an arcuate region, cut out of the platform. In a further embodiment of the invention the peripheral edge of the cut away arcuate region may comprise a folded portion of the platform, such that the distal end of the folded portion may act as a further leg to support the platform. Furthermore, the use of a folded portion ad hereinbefore described is especially advantageous in that it may act to prevent cereal becoming trapped in the reservoir of milk underneath the platform. In such a case, the folded region may be provided with one or more apertures to allow the ingress of milk into the cut away region which allows cereals to be mixed with the milk before consumption.

The platform preferentially comprises a membrane of, e. g. plastics material, in the form of a platform. The platform may, optionally, be provided with one or more apertures, for example, longitudinal apertures, which allow the ingress of small amounts of milk. Alternatively, the platform may be provided with one or more ridges which may as an aid for retaining cereals. Thus, the ridges are preferentially aligned along the periphery of the cut away portion.

Although the bowl insert of the invention may be provided separately for use in conventional bowls, in a further embodiment of the invention, the insert may be provided with a bowl.

Therefore, according to a further feature of the invention we provide a kit comprising a bowl insert as hereinbefore described and a bowl.

According to a yet further feature of the invention we also provide a bowl provided with an insert as hereinbefore described.

When the bowl is specifically designed for use in conjunction with a platform insert of the invention, the bowl and may be provided with a series of lugs positioned remote from the base of the bowl around the circumference of the bowl. The lugs aid the support of the platform. Generally, the lugs will be used in conjunction with the legs or handle as hereinbefore described. However, in one embodiment, the lugs may replace the legs and/or handle and may therefore be the sole support for the platform.

The invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a bowl insert platform; Figure 2 is a front end view of a bowl insert platform; Figure 3 is a side view of a bowl insert platform; Figure 4 is a side cross-section of a bowl provided with a bowl insert ; Figure 5 is a plan view of a bowl provided with a bowl insert;

Figure 6 is a plan view of a bowl provided with lugs ; and Figure 7 is a side cross-section of a bowl provided with lugs.

With reference to Figure 1 a bowl insert (1) comprises a substantially circular platform (2) with an arcuate cut away region (3) and, on the distal side (4) of the cut away region (3), a handle (5). The platform (2) is also provided with a plurality of longitudinal apertures (6) which are aligned parallel with a tangent (not shown) to the innermost part (7) of the cut away region (3).

Referring to Figures 2 and 3 the insert (1) is provided with legs (8 and 9) positioned either side of the cut away region (3). A portion of the platform (2) is folded about an arc (10) to form the cut away region (3). Thus the folded portion (11) acts as a further leg support for the platform (2). The folded portion (11) is provided with a plurality of apertures (12) e. g. longitudinal apertures, to allow the ingress of milk into the region of the bowl exposed by the cut away region (3) defines an area which can be accessed by a spoon and in which cereals and milk can be mixed together.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5, an insert (1) is positioned in a bowl (13). The end (14) of the handle (5) rests on the rim (15) of the bowl (13). The base (16) of the legs and the base (17) of the folded region (11) rest on the base (18) of the bowl (13). The platform (2) provides a support for e. g. cereals, and defines a region (19) below it which can act as a reservoir for milk. The cut away region (3) defines an area which can be accessed by a spoon and in which cereals and milk can be mixed together.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, a bowl (13) is adapted to support a platform (not shown), by being provided with lugs (20) on the inner surface (21) of the bowl (3) and distal to the base (18) of the bowl (13).

In use, the platform (2) is placed in a bowl (13). Cereals are placed on the platform (2) and milk poured over the cereal. The milk percolates through the cereal and rests in the reservoir (19). A consumer may then spoon cereal from the platform (2) into the cut away region (3) where the cereal can be mixed with milk immediately before consumption, thus retaining their crispness.