The November Degustabox*

05th December 2019

Box gifted by Degustabox
This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.

Another month and another cracking Degustabox delivery, as with last month there wasn’t a single product I didn’t enjoy and I wasted no time in getting stuck in.

Pure Leaf matcha teas are great, I love how they look and how they taste and they are doing wonders for helping my reduce my caffeine intake! The ginger flavour is especially good right now as it’s like a hug in a mug. Subscribers will receive one of three varieties in their box.

I love this kind of snack, being the serial grazer that I am. Both verities of Real Handful trail mix are super yummy, and makes me feel virtuous even if the only hiking I ever do is the occasional walk to work! Subscribers will get either strawberry stomp OR blackcurrant blast. Both are delicious and I’ll be grabbing some more next time I am at Tesco.

I’ve been drinking rather a lot of gin lately, and have had a lot of fun trying out new mixer/spirit combinations. Double Dutch are a new brand on me- I really liked the cranberry and ginger for a festive feel. Subscribers will receive both flavours.

Peanut butter puffs sound like they might be disgusting, but trust me, they aren’t. They are vegan and gluten free, a nice and healthy(er) alternative to crisps and so far come in original or chilli flavour. I eagerly await the launch of banana, although my head keeps expecting something 100% savoury when I eat these.

How great is this packaging? Simple, eye catching and very modern. Peanut butter and dark chocolate is such a winning combination in my book, and these bars are yum! They also donate 1% of their turnover to charity and contain lots of tasty nutrients.
Subscribers will receive one of three flavours in their box, the others being peanut butter and coconut/peanut butter, raisin and dark chocolate.

I don’t have much information on these Food Thoughts cacao melts but I can tell you I can’t wait to use them in some baking I’m doing next week…watch this space!

It took me a LONG time to appreciate marmalade, but now I enjoy it a lot, specifically on white toast with lots of butter. It’s good to see a prestigious brand like Duerr’s do a reduced sugar variant of the classic (and superior) spread. Less sugar without any compromise on taste.
Subscribers will either get the half sugar variety OR fine cut Seville orange marmalade.

This is literally a dairy-free nutella milkshake! Made with creamy coconut milk, both vegans and non vegans alike will enjoy this for sure. Out of curiosity I tried it heated up too…I recommend it. Highly.

Bob and I eat a lot of instant noodles for work lunches and both agree that Mr Lees are superior, both for their taste and the fact they have no hidden nasties. Subscribers will get either Coconut Chicken Laksa (Bob’s favourite) OR Zen Garden Vegetables (my pick) in their box.

This is an interesting little drink and I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s a low alcohol beverage which will be available in Fortnum and Mason from January. Made from berries, botanicals and cocoa it has 1% ABV and really needs to be tried to truly understand it.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments.

If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money.
On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.

If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £5.00 off of your first box (making it just £7.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.

Permalink 1 Comment

The Other Bar*

27th November 2019

Experimental chocolate? My curiosity was sky high the second I saw a message from The Other Bar in my instagram messages.
Now, the chocolate itself isn’t experimental (more on that later) but the concept and ethos of this brand certainly is…

Backed by the UNDP and FairChain Foundation, when you buy a bar of chocolate from The Other Bar you’ll find a QR code token, scan that and you’ve just helped a farmer buy a cocoa tree. Each token is worth a quarter of a tree, so four tokens/bars of chocolate and you’ve bought a whole tree- what better excuse to buy and eat chocolate?

One tree can produce £19 worth of cocoa for a farmer, and unlike many brands where the farmer only gets 3% of the value of the cocoa, The Other Bar ensures farmers are paid prices that meet real income needs.

“We believe in a living income and a sustainable future for cocoa farmers. That’s why we give you the choice to spend your token on a cocoa tree.The Other Bar is produced in Ecuador at an independently-owned factory. By making the chocolate at source, we can increase the experiment’s impact.
Higher wages for farmers, more trees for the planet, more jobs, training, skills and opportunities for people. That’s radical equality in action.You don’t have to take our word for it, spend your token and see exactly how much the farmer was paid for the cocoa in your bar, and the exact GPS location of the cocoa tree that your token buys.”

Sounds good so far right? But how does the chocolate taste?

In a word…AMAZING! This is truly excellent chocolate, it really is. I’m not a massive fan of milk chocolate these days but this was delicious and the bar barely touched the sides (although I did have to share). The dark chocolate was all mine, and whilst I was able to ration this a bit more sensibly (each pack contains two 50g bars) it still didn’t last long!

As an added bonus, each tree planted absorbs and stores carbon dioxide, helping combat climate change.

Each 100g bar costs £2.99 from the website, and you can also buy a pack of four for just over £12.

You can keep an eye on these guys over on their instagram page– give them a follow and get involved!

Permalink 3 Comments

Fairtrade Nuts for the Festive Season

24th November 2019

There’s a rule in our house; no Christmas food until after Bob’s birthday on the 21st of November. It’s a hard one for me to stick to as I love snacking on festive themed treats, but now the day has safely passed we’re going at it full pelt.

First on our list were these Fairtrade Chocolate Caramelised Cashews with Cranberries* created by Liberation Foods for Tesco Finest.

Liberation Foods are the UK’s only farmer-owned nut company, and this product will bring extra income to farmers and their communities in countries such as Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Costa Rica.

Made up of two types of cashews: caramelised and coated in dark chocolate, and roasted and coated with creamy white chocolate, this is a super indulgent treat, paired perfectly with sharp and zingy cranberries for the ultimate festive treat.

These are a lovely looking product, perfect for popping out when hosting guests over the festive season or putting in to a hamper. It’s worth noting that packaging is also recyclable, boosting the products eco and fair-trade credentials.
Available in Tesco stores across the country, and online for £4.00, both Bob and I highly recommend these – what a way to see in the start of the season of snacking!

Permalink

Foodie Gifts from Sous Chef*

11th November 2019

Halloween and bonfire night have passed, which, according to just about everywhere now means it’s Christmas! I’m usually one of those people who is super organised and has most of their shopping done by now, but this year I am a bit stuck and therefore WAY behind myself. Am I panicking? Perhaps a little…but I’m sure it’ll all work out in the end.

I was recently sent a couple of gifts from Sous Chef which is one of my all time favourite foodie sites to browse, so to say I was over the moon would be a slight understatement. Actually, since these items arrived I’ve had further browsing sessions on the site and I do feel that half my Christmas shopping problems have been solved.
Anyway…

Anyone that knows Bob and I will be familiar with our chilli obsession; we curved our enthusiasm somewhat after a vegan chilli disaster last year (never before has a dinner gone entirely in the bin, it was literally glowing from the heat it contained) but are gently easing ourselves back in, so this Mexican Chilli Selection (£13.95) was very well received and is just one of many fantastic chilli options on the Sous Chef website.

The second item we were sent was this beautiful Ramen set (£39.50) which could not have been better timed as we had literally just a few days before decided we wanted to experiment more with ramen and noodle dishes in general.

This is such a beautiful set (there are several options available) and makes such an ideal gift for a foodie couple. It comes with a booklet full of recipes, and whilst we haven’t made anything yet you’d better watch this space (well, instagram) for what is to come.

Both items arrived impressively packaged and ready to give as gifts. Whilst these items were gifted to me by Sous Chef I honestly cannot recommend this website enough, I’ve been a fan girl for years. You’ll find everything you need for foodie friends and family, from stocking fillers and delicious treats to much grander gifts for super special occasions.

Permalink

The October Degustabox*

08th November 2019

I think that the October 2019 Degustabox might be one of my favourite boxes to date, there wasn’t one product included that I didn’t like- and some have become instant favourites in this house.