So, when is a gel not a gel? Apparently, when it's a jelly. We've already had gels in solid form from the likes of Clif, PowerBar and Gu but this new format from Multipower (who sponsor, among others, Will Clarke) is definitely not like any of those. Imagine, if you will, a large old-style gel pouch - you know the sort of thing we had before they went all designer. Now fill this with a jello block and you've pretty much got the idea.

Nutritionally it's a 50g chunk of Multicarbo, Multipower's name for their mix of simple sugar for a quick boost and isomaltulose, a low GI carbohydrate for slow release energy. There's 120kcal in a single serving with the ratio 23gm simple to 5gm complex. Negligible fat and protein, as you would expect, but unusually in these days of packing everything possible into a product there's also negligible electrolytes, this is an energy-only product.

The jelly currently only comes in orange flavour, which our two testers thought was fine, and as an energy source it certainly seemed to hit the spot. However, as the product is intended to be used 'before and during' exercise there is one issue that might need a bit of a tweaking. Basically the package is a sealed foil pouch that you have to rip the whole end off to get the block of jelly out. That's pretty much a two-handed operation, there's no tear tab like you get on a gel pouch. And, because it's a slightly more solid product you can't easily squeeze it out of a corner like a gel or nibble a bit at a time like a 'shot' - it's an all-or-nothing experience that both testers found a little difficult to deal with on the bike. Once that genie is out of the jar there's no going back and you either get a pretty substantial mouthful in one hit or, if you're trying to be clever and bite it in half, you then have to manage a fairly unstable open packet and a slippery slab of jelly that wants to come out and play.

So, the jelly is an interesting alternative to the traditional gel products out there but we feel that, for triathletes at least, the delivery mechanism might need a bit of work to make it easier to use on the bike. Which is a bit of a shame given that one of the reasons that Multipower give for developing the product is that "struggling with energy gels is a common issue among endurance athletes, usually as a result of the consistency and messiness of the gel formula..."

Product breakdown

Pack size: 50gm
Carbohydrate: 29gm of which 28gm are sugars, 5gm of which is isomaltulose
Energy: 508kJ/120kcal
Protein: <0.1gm
Fat: <0.1gm
Fibre: 1.15gm
Sodium: <0.1gm
Price: £1.29

The nice folk at Multipower also sent us some samples of their more traditional recovery (protein) and energy bars and an isotonic energy drink mix. All of these went down well with no gastric issues, one of the testers is gluten intolerant, and delivered the sort of results that we would expect from them both during and after exercise. It may not be the best-known brand in the UK but it's certainly one that's worth taking a look at if you fancy a change from the big three.