[post contains gifted product]

It feels like an absolute eternity ago that the March Degustabox* arrived. It’s been a crazy few weeks between my dodgy back, a week of technical issues with the blog and then a feline medical emergency, but finally here we are! I’m absolutely exhausted from a frantic weekend so I’ll just jump on it and keep it fairly brief.

The March edition of the Degustabox had an excellent array of snacks within. I really enjoyed the Chum Fruit Bites, they were probably my personal product of the month. They are made with 100% fruit, are suitable for vegans and full of fibre. The Apple ones were especially delicious and I’m trying to find a local shop where I can get my hands on more.
Another favourite was the Green & Black’s bars, I love these single serving bars; the praline was the winner for me but both were super good. I’d happily buy any of these products again- I probably wouldn’t choose the passion fruit from Willie’s Cacao personally, but there are many other delicious flavours in the range.

The Red Red Super Stew was a great little product- ideal for work lunch one day. Just add boiling water to get a really yummy stew made with natural and plant based ingredients- a little pricey at £2.99 each but good to have on hand and perfect for a chilly day.

Costa is the only chain coffee shop in my town and where I tend to head when I want something quick on the run. I’m trying to save money at the moment so being able to make a familiar blend at home to take with me is a real plus, and gives me a precious few extra minutes at home vs. being stood in a queue.

Bob and I are condiment hoarders and love any excuse to add to our collection. This little jar of relish (a gift with the box) is really good on burgers!

The drink selection this month was strong. I loved the Moose Juice energy drink. It’s zero sugar and has no aspartame either. It’s tastier than red bull and something I would hands down pick up again.
The Jubel Alpine beer cut with peach isn’t my kind of thing but Bob said it goes down nicely. It’s a vegan friendly beverage too…always good to know!
We haven’t tried the Weetabix drink yet but I like the concept of the ultimate portable breakfast.

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 6HZJ8 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.

Sorry it’s a much shorter and less involved roundup than usual. Hopefully next month will be less dramatic and I’ll have a bit more capability to string together some sentences!

Happy New Year everyone! I have so many hopes and tentative plans for the blog in 2019 and I hope to fall back in love with it as much as I once was and introduce some new features. For now, here is one of my favourite long-standing features- the monthly Degustabox* review.

As ever, I’ve done my best to review every product in the box, but, as ever, I have fallen slightly short and there are some I haven’t yet sampled for various reasons. We had a pretty manic festive season and still have a house full of food so it was a tall order to get through all of this lot as well!

Kicking off with some snacky items, firstly we have the nature’s store salted caramel popcorn bar. I’m a massive fan of snack bars in general and was excited to give this one a try. It’s a tasty and indulgent tasting snack yet contains under 150 calories, has no added sugar and contains plenty of fibre. These will soon be available in major supermarkets with an RRP of 89p- pretty good value in this day and age.

I think the Green and Black’s Blueberry Velvet Fruit and Orange Velvet Fruit have featured in Degustabox before, and I raved about them then. I’ve also since purchased the various flavours a few times when I have seen them on offer (full price they are £3.29 a bag) and everyone I know who has tried them has agreed, these are delicious. They were a perfect sharing treat for over the Christmas break and will continue to be something I pick up from time to time (I get mine in Waitrose).

We always have pasta on hand for a quick and easy meal- our favourite at the moment is this peppered steak pasta, so the inclusion of Delverde Pasta’s spaghetti was a welcome one. I don’t think I’d pay £1.99 for a packet of dried pasta going forward, but it was delicious and I would stock up if I saw it on special offer.

Jack Daniels seems to be a common theme with Degustabox at the moment, which is fine if you like it- which I do, in very moderate amounts. I haven’t actually tried the lynchburg lemonade included in the December box yet, it got stashed with our festive drinks collection which then never actually got touched! It sounds intriguing though and I will make a point to try it soon.

We’re brand loyal when it comes to ketchup and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sneak this low sugar bottle on to the table. We did give it a go, and it’s a really nice ketchup, it will never replace our usual brand but neither Bob or myself would fall out with eating it again and there are of course the health benefits for those watching their sugar intake. Unfortunately I only have limited product information and no pricing details but if you’re looking to make your condiemt collection a bit more healthy then give this a go.

A couple more drinks we didn’t get around to trying yet- sleep well chocolate milk; a natural milk drink that claims to help you relax and get a better night’s sleep. It’s made with whole Jersey milk, honey and valerian (a known relaxant) I can’t actually try this as the valerian can interact with a medication I take, and I haven’t quite persuaded Bob to give this a go yet. I do like the concept of a natural sleep aid though, and I bet it’s lovely warmed through like hot chocolate.

On the less relaxing side we have Funkin Cocktails passion fruit martini shaker. I fully intended to use this over Christmas with the addition of a good glug of vodka and some ice but clean forgot. I’ve always been very impressed with Funkin Cocktails as a brand though and will be making this in to a weekend treat when I next fancy a drink.

I’m always on the look out for new food on the go products as my lifestyle has changed a lot since moving in with Bob and it often suits me better to take something with me to work to eat there. Less so with breakfast, but when I do then something like this shredded wheat on the go pot would be ideal. At £1.99 it’s a fairly pricey option but much cheaper than the £5 I’ve been known to spend in a coffee shop whilst legging it to my desk. It’s also better for me, and it has everything you need for a desk breakfast without needing to rely on communal cutlery and bowls.

I was quite excited to see the Maggi Fusian noodle pots included- again, at £1.15 they aren’t as cheap as a packed lunch necessarily, but a lot cheaper than my all too frequent trips to the supermarket for a sandwich or sushi. I love noodles and have previously rated the Maggi brand highly. It’s probably not THE healthiest option out there, but perfect on a cold winter lunch time and perfect for stashing in my desk for an emergency lunch. I highly recommend the sweet chilli flavour.

Last but not least we have the product of the month, the slush puppie sour cherry pouch. I was so excited to see this as I loved slush puppies as a child- my post swimming treat of choice. These just sit nicely in your freezer and come in three flavours; sour cherry (favourite), blue raspberry and strawberry and have no added sugar. Great for a nostalgia trip and sweet frozen treat.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them. 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 6HZJ8 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.

It feels like an absolute age since I last did a Degustabox* post, although in reality I only skipped one month and that was due to the chaos of moving house. It’s good to be back, and with a bang as November’s festive themed box was a great one, packed full of fantastic products (although I’m not 100% sure how festive it really was!)

I’m a year round soup enthusiast and I was already familiar with this month’s product of the month- organic chunky tomato and organic lentil vegetable soups from Amy’s Kitchen. I prefer fresh soups when possible, but when it comes to tinned ones Amy’s Kitchen is a brand I trust and gravitate towards. They are pricey at £1.80 per can but totally worth it, full of flavour and 100% organic- my favourite is the lentil and vegetable with some fresh crusty bread for dipping.

I say this every time but my savoury tooth trumps my sweet one most of the time and I’m always down for trying new products. Emily Veg Crisps sweet potato sticks are a fairly new addition to the Emily range, and my favourite product in their range from here on out. The sea salt stands out by a mile for me, I prefer simple tastes, but the chilli and lime are also delicious. Find this in stores for around £1.00 per pack.

Jack Daniels and I go back a long way, and most of my night out horror stories involve JD and diet coke in some capacity (or in one memorable incident, a litre of JD straight…I was later fished out of a wheelie bin). I’ve avoided it for several years now, being a more sensible woman than I once was, but I like the idea of being able to get it in a single serving can- Bob and I have these stashed away for over the festive period. £2.00 per can – an ideal price for keeping dignity intact.

I’m rarely without a bottle of tabasco sauce in my cupboard- it’s just so versatile! I love it on a salad or pizza, mixed in to scrambled eggs and I’m betting it’s a great way to spice up a festive prawn cocktail! This year the brand are celebrating it’s 150th anniversary- the perfect excuse for a tabasco infused Bloody Mary!
I’m not quite sure what stock pots have to do with Christmas other than they are a great store cupboard addition and one I always keep on hand. I use them a lot in soups, and find the pots much easier to use than stock cubes. Kallo have the added bonus of being fully organic and free of nasty MSG and artificial ingredients- worth the £1.80 price tag.

Moving on to some more festive items, first we have Jules Destrooper Almond Thins & Belgian Chocolate (£2.19). These are utterly divine with a cup of strong coffee so great for serving when guests come round. They are also luxe enough to be at home in a festive food hamper.
Reese’s are also on to a festive winner with their peanut butter snowman (£3.00) which I passed straight on to my dad now he’s discovered how good the peanut butter cups are! This is a great stocking filler idea, or an indulgent treat to yourself after a long day Christmas shopping!

Oh a healthier note we have a coconut bar from Nick’s (£1.45). This is a naturally sweetened coconut bar covered in milk chocolate, with no added sugar this is basically a more virtuous version of a Bounty. A classic combination and a good idea for popping in to the stocking of someone trying to be good.

I’m puzzled as to what a kid’s breakfast product has to do with Christmas but whatever! We haven’t actually tried these as they aren’t really our thing- if you have given these a whirl I’d love to know your thoughts.

I also haven’t tried the Cranberry Marshmallows from Mallow and Marsh yet as I haven’t seen these in any shops near me and I want to put some out at Christmas as Bob and I are hosting both days (are we mad?!) I’ll pop a review up on social media over the festive season though – I love this brand and I know they’ll be good!

Finally we have The Bees Knees non alcoholic sparkling wine- this is a vegan friendly alternative to sparkling wine, made from grapes and green tea. It’s vegan, gluten-free and low in sugar and calories and definitely the kind of thing I’ll be keeping on hand over Christmas.

For those who don’t yet know, Degustabox* is 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 6HZJ8 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.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.