Last month saw an un-scheduled break in my Degustabox posts so I’m extra excited to bring you this month’s reviews.

I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone.

The August box has been my favourite for a while, there were some repeat items but as I loved them the first time around it was a pleasure to see them again!

Pasta and sauce is a great store cupboard staple for a quick and easy meal so the Barilla Penne Rigate and jar of Arrabbita sauce were a welcome item. I’m not sure how much one can say about pasta, or indeed about sauce but these two are a perfect match and the kick of the arrabbita is a nice twist on a plain old tomato sauce. Just add cheese for a quick and easy comfort meal (£1.50 and £2.00 respectively).

Bahlsen are a long time favourite of mine and I love trying out their latest releases. The PICK UP! biscuits have become a staple for my snacks and this new dark chocolate variety is just gorgeous- I love the bitterness of dark chocolate contrasted with the sweet biscuit (these are an Asda exclusive). Also in this month’s box was the Choco Leibniz White which I was yet to try, Leibniz biscuits are a staple in my household and these white chocolate ones (with a cocoa biscuit base) are just divine, well worth seeking out and quite possibly my new favourite.

More biscuits, yay! I’m such a biscuit fiend and this little selection from Walkers were perfect for taking to work for a mid-afternoon pick me up. The classic shortbread fingers were my favourites, I can never resist those but each of these variations are super tasty, thank goodness for portion controlled packs, that’s all I can say- the fruit & lemon are especially addictive.

On the drinks front this month there was a nice selection- bonus items from Little Miracles and Scheckter’s as well as the most posh looking tea from Willamson Tea which is well worth it’s £4 price tag. There is something so comforting about ginger, especially as the cooler nights creep in and this makes for a super soothing brew.

It was nice to see a baking mix in the box, Oaty Cookie mix from Delicious Alchemy promises sweet, syrupy flavoured 100% gluten free cookies with the addition of only butter and water. I’m yet to bake these thanks to bad planning on my part but I will report back once I do. Oaty cookies are my favourite kind and I might throw in some cinnamon and raisins to jazz these up further.

Another bonus item was the peach flavour Fru Snax which are nice enough but not my favourite flavour, that’s not their fault though, the concept is great and give me any other flavour and I feel a new addiction forming.

As is often the case there was a coconut water product in this month’s box as well, this time a mint flavoured one from Life Tonics. I’ve made it quite clear how I feel about coconut water in the past and haven’t tried this but I’m pretty sure that any coconut water lover would really enjoy the flavours and health benefits of this range.

Probably the most exciting product for me this month was the mug cake mixes from Dr. Oetker. In three flavours- lemon, chocolate chip and rich chocolate these are the perfect way to get a quick fix of cake in seconds. Ben and I had these one evening whilst watching TV. I tried the lemon one which was nice, I’m not a huge cake eater and didn’t have much to compare it to but how can you go wrong with warm, comforting sponge with a zesty twist? Ben had the chocolate chip version (pictured) and really enjoyed it. We used pretty big mugs for these so they look small but you get a really decent portion from the mix and they all clock in around 300 calories when using semi-skimmed milk so not too bad for a little bit of indulgence. Simply add 60ml of milk, stir and microwave for 70 seconds and enjoy. We’ll be buying these again, a bit of an extravagance maybe but we never get through a whole cake if we buy or make one!

If you received the box this month I’d love to read your thoughts- feel free to link to your posts below. If I’ve persuaded you that you might want to sign up then you can grab a cool £3.00 discount when you sign up using the code BQXK9

This month my Degustabox arrived a little earlier than usual. Timed to fit in with the most recent Bank Holiday it took on a BBQ theme. For once the sun did shine although our BBQ didn’t make it out of the shed, but still I’ve sampled most things from the box and have put together my thoughts below.

I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone.

The first product I pulled out of the box was some lasagne sheets from the folks at Slim Pasta (£2.49). Now I haven’t tried these as the idea doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me but I can see how these would be really handy for people on things such as the 5:2 diet. I’m trying to convince my Dad that he ought to try them as I don’t really think it’s appropriate for me to at the moment when I’m trying to reverse weight loss…I’ll report back with his thoughts if he does and would love to know what other people’s experiences have been.

More up my street were some blocks of stir-fry noodles from Maggi (£1.49 each). I love noodles and these are the perfect base for a quick and easy meal. The oriental chicken noodles were really tasty, just add in some fresh ingredients and you have dinner in minutes!

9 Bars (£2) are a product I’ve known and loved for years, perfect for a substantial snack on the go. These were packed full of dried fruits and seeds, topped with carob and are really, really tasty.

Less healthy but undeniably still delicious are the Daelmans Stroopwafels (£2). Growing up with Dutch family means I already knew just how wonderful these are, but these are some of the best I have tasted and brilliant warmed up over a cup of coffee. The only downside to these is just how addictive they are- one is not enough!

On the BBQ theme front there were some really exciting looking products, although as mentioned above, I am yet to get my grill on. BBQ is my favourite sauce to add to food, aside from ketchup so the Sweet Baby Ray’s Honey BBQ sauce (£2.49) just sounds amazing. This is going to be added to some chicken asap for the ultimate summer feast. I also really like the look of the Schwartz marinade packs. Pop your meat, fish or veg in to the packet for 30 minutes and you have perfectly delicious food with no mess. I was sent the Honey and Soy flavour (£2.19) which I can’t wait to combine with some salmon and a huge salad…if I was less lazy I’d be on my way to the supermarket right now for supplies.

I love a good salad in the Summer so the addition of balsamic vinegar to the Sarsons family has been welcomed with open arms. This is really tasty and only £2.00 per bottle…this is a must have for the summer store-cupboard.

Drinks wise, well I haven’t tried the Green Coco juice with bananas as previous experience tells me not to even go there (personal taste only, I just can’t stomach this kind of drink!). The flavour combination sounds lovely though and would be perfect on a hot summer day- 80p per carton.

Last but by no means least come the Protibricks from Fuel10k (£2.69) a brand I have seen a lot about. I’m a huge breakfast lover and these have made a great change from my usual porridge and toast- I always worry about being hungry after an hour if I break away from my normal breakfast but there was no problem with these and they are pretty good for you all round, made from 100% wholegrain with fibre, low sugar and low fats.

If you received the box this month I’d love to read your thoughts- feel free to link to your posts below. If I’ve persuaded you that you might want to sign up then you can grab a cool £3.00 discount when you sign up using the code BQXK9