Little yoghurt pots, like chocolate milk and biscuits, are very popular in Sri Lanka. You can get them at any kade or supermarket, and they’re usually eaten straight from the pot. Perhaps somewhat strangely, plain seems to be the most popular flavour. So we tried out five local brands of normal set yoghurt to see which was the best. Let’s eat.
Highland
The Highland yoghurt tasted a little watery and bland. The consistency, however, is good; it’s firm and not too gloopy. But it’s a bit of a boring yoghurt and the flavours are dull. We wouldn’t go out of our way to get this.
★★☆☆☆ 2.5/5 Rs. 30 for 90g
Kotmale
This yoghurt was actually quite awful. Like with the Rich Life milk in our Milo Challenge, we wondered if it had gone off. It was incredibly sour, tasting sort of limey. The consistency was also kinda thick and a bit too set. We like Kotmale, they have some lovely cheeses, but this yoghurt just isn’t good.
★☆☆☆☆ 1/5 Rs. 30 for 80g
Newdale
The Newdale is a nice, safe and neutral yoghurt. The consistency is good – it’s well set without being too thick and gelatiney – and it has a slight vanilla taste. This isn’t an amazing yoghurt, but it’s a decent one – you won’t be disappointed.
★★★☆☆ 3/5 Rs.45 for 80g
Ambewela
We loved this. The Ambewela yoghurt is excellent, and it’s a clear winner. It had a great consistency – not too well set (this is personal preference, I prefer them less jelly-ish), creamy and smooth. The flavour is great – it’s nice and tart with the perfect balance of sweetness. This is far, far better than any of the other yoghurts we tried.
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Rs. 30 for 80g
Lucky
The Lucky yoghurt came with a tiny little pouch of treacle. This was some very sweet packaging and added a nice touch, but unfortunately neither were very good. The yoghurt tasted kind of like how a hair salon smells – burnt and plasticky. And mixing the treacle in didn’t improve things.
★★☆☆☆ 2/5 Rs. 35 for 80g
Prices
| Brand | Price (Rs) | Size (g) | Price Per g |
| Highland | 30 | 90 | 0.33 |
| Kotmale | 30 | 80 | 0.38 |
| Newdale | 30 | 80 | 0.38 |
| Ambewela | 30 | 80 | 0.38 |
| Lucky | 35 | 80 | 0.44 |
The Verdict
1.Ambewela
2.Newdale
3.Highland
4.Lucky
5.Kotmale
Unlike with our biscuit challenge, it was very easy to tell the difference between these yoghurts. There were clear variances in consistency and taste, and Ambewala was an easy winner. You’d be fine going for Ambewela or Newdale (perhaps even Highland), but Lucky and Kotmale we’d recommend staying clear of – unless you enjoy the taste of hair salon.
