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.