Just in time for Christmas I have a little round-up of the December Degustabox- if you don’t already know (and you should) then Degustabox is a food subscription box that contains between 9 and 14 surprise products for £12.99 (far less than they would cost if you were to go out and buy them all individually). Read on for my thoughts and a code for £3 off your first box!

First up is the drinks section! Being a non-drinker for the most part I was pleased to see the addition of some alcohol free wine by Eisberg (£3.49 per bottle). I was sent the Riesling variety which I have to say was really rather nice and made me feel as though I wasn’t missing out at a festive gathering with friends. Also included were some little cans of mixers by Gloworm (£1.50 each), with a variety of flavours containing no added sugar and some pretty interesting taste combinations I’m looking forward to trying these over Christmas- I do have the odd drink or two over the festive period and the Cucumber & Apple can for gin has my name all over it!

With the New Year looming and a whole lot of people about to commence on a massive health kick it was good to see some healthy options included in the box. I am intrigued by the sachet of oats from The Chia Co which I am saving for a 7:15am start at work kind of morning. At £1.70 each these are an occasional treat only but as Chia seeds are such a super-food I do see these as a worthy investment from time to time. Also included was a sachet of chia seeds which I’m saving to sprinkle on my regular porridge- you know, the boring everyday kind!
There was also a box of green tea with lemon from Pukka Herbs (£2.39). I have to be in the mood for it but green tea is one of my favourites and I’ll be switching one of my morning coffees for a mug of this come the new year.

Now for some not so healthy treats! Bahlsen create some of the tastiest biscuits known to man kind and their Choco Leibniz in the original butter biscuit flavour or stuffed with caramel come near the top of my biscuit hit list every time. At £1.79 they are what I would consider a luxury biscuit (rarely do I spend more than a pound on a packet) but oh so worth it- I stock up every time I see them on special offer!
I’m also rather a fan of Popchips (1.79) as I’m sure regular readers of the blog will know. The BBQ flavour is my second favourite (original salted just about trump them) and they are the perfect vessel for scooping up leftover dips!
I’m not quite sure how the marmalade fits in to this section of my post other than I wasn’t sure where else put it! I’m not a marmalade fan myself but my Dad is loving this jar of Coarse Orange marmalade from Bonne Maman (£2.30) who also happen to make my favourite jams!

One of my resolutions for 2015 is to cook more so the selection of ingredients that arrive in Degustabox are going to come very much in handy. This month there was a meal kit from Kent’s Kitchen (£2.50) which will be perfect for cooking up something that isn’t leftover turkey! There was also a bottle of Frylight Infuse Chilli spray £2.00 which I have been spritzing over everything that I have popped in the oven lately. This adds a spicy kick to food without the mess and fuss of pouring oil and chopping chilli, with only 1kcal per spray this is also a good way to liven up a New Year diet! I’m loving it on sweet potato chips the most!

What did you think of this months’ box? Have I tempted you to sign up yet? To claim £3 off of your first box simply enter the code DVDWZ at the checkout. Let me know if you do sign up and what you think!

Here we are again, it’s time for my monthly round-up of the Degustabox– the ultimate foodie gift box packed full of surprise products that are often brand new to the market! Each month 9-14 items will arrive on your doorstep for the bargain price of £12.99 (far less than the cost of buying each product) and it makes for the perfect festive treat for the foodies in your life.

First up were some products from Holy Cow (£3.38 each)- two authentic Indian curries made from all natural ingredients, no artificial colours/flavours/preservatives, are gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs. I’m not a big curry eater but I am impressed with how these look. I’ve handed these over to my spice mad dad to cook up and I look forward to seeing the results. Far more up my street were the Kent’s Kitchen flavour shots, which are the perfect way to jazz up meat or prawns (£1.85 each). I got fajita seasoning in my mix which I can’t wait to cook up and add to salads or tortilla wraps for a slightly different lunch time feast.

BranstonHave had a re-vamp and I was excited to see a Tomato chutney nestled in to my box. I eat a lot of cold, salad buffet style meals and love a dollop of something flavoursome to give it some oomph, this is the perfect way to deliver that hit and they only cost £1.50 a jar. Kettle Chips also featured in the box with their Salsa & mesquite flavour (one of their original flavours), I may or may not have been using these as a tasting vessel for the chutney (rrp £2.19)

Drinks wise there was quite a selection in this month’s box, all of which are new to me, although to be fair most drinks are new to me as I tend to be a creature of habit. The Pip Organic cloudy apple juice contains no added sugars and are made with 100% organic juice, I’m not often a fruit juice kind of girl but apple is the exception to that and this one is really lovely…a bit of a treat at £1.50 per bottle but a lovely indulgence. Cool Dawn (£1.49 per can) is something totally new to me and one I haven’t actually tried yet. It’s a herbal detox drink that helps to prevent a hangover, it’s recommended that you drink one towards the end of a big night and another in the morning if required and whilst I’m not a big alcohol drinker these days I am quite sure these will be on standby over the next few weeks as the festive season kicks off. Finally there was a bottle of Italian cider from Montano which again I haven’t tried- despite my West Country roots I really don’t enjoy Cider. I’ve passed this bottle (rrp £2.79) over to my Dad for his expert verdict, but it certainly looks very swish in it’s elegant glass bottle.

Lindt never let me down and it was brilliant to discover five of their “Lindor My Melting Moment” treats (65p each) nestled in the bottom of the box. Nothing beats Lindt chocolate in my book (chocolate snobs may disagree) and I even managed to save a couple of these to share around, which was tough as they really are excellent.

The box also included a sample sachet of Drink me Chai’s Spiced Chai which is the perfect winter warming drink. Simply add milk or water for an authentic Indian treat, fantastic after a long Winter walk (or a long day Christmas shopping

As a special gift to long-term subscribers and bloggers who have supported Degustabox since day one there was also the inclusion of some Baru Chocolates marshmallows in the box. I’ve been eyeing these up in Waitrose for a couple of months and goodness me they were worth waiting to try, SO good.

Happy First Birthday Degustabox! After almost an entire year of trying the boxes for myself I can hand on heart recommend signing yourself up to receive at least one box for yourself, or as a gift to someone in your life who loves their food. To tempt you further I have a discount code to give you £3 off when you register for your first box, simply at VEK34 at checkout and then anxiously await your first delivery!