Degustabox is a monthly subscription service that sends you a huge batch of full sized samples of food/drink through your door that you probably wouldn't give a second thought about on your weekly shop. I for one know how easy it is to get stuck in a rut with the same foods, whether it be for convenience or financial matters. These boxes help you to be more adventurous in the foods that you buy, which makes trying the foods a whole lot more exciting!
This sight excites me every month! Everything is always really well packaged in thick chunky bubble wrap, finished off with some brown wrapping paper and a sticker quote..
Lets take a look inside....
I love the variety that Degustabox offer every month. There is something in this box that suits almost every occasion.. popcorn for film nights, refreshing ciders for afternoons in the garden (or after a hard days' work!). Summery drinks to take on picnics, ingredients for baking, succulent spices and sauces to add to main meals.. the variety is perfect.
Hornsby's Blueberry Cider - £1.25 each
Honestly, I'm not a huge alcohol drinker at all - I've been on countless holidays, celebrated countless birthday's and christmas' and not a drop of alcohol has passed my lips, so when I say I'm not a big drinker.. I'm really not! However I'm a huge lover of fruity flavours no matter what the food/drink, so when I saw this was Blueberry, I was intrigued. I broke the habit of a lifetime and actually drank this on Friday night with my tea (and boyfriend!). The blueberry wasn't overpowering, but you could still taste it. It was light and refreshing and my body knew it had drank all of that 1 bottle of 4% alcohol.. I'm hardcore! It's difficult for me to say I enjoyed this because I don't like the taste of 99.9% of alcohol however I can say I finished the bottle.. and that's saying something ;-)
Maggi's Herbs & Spices - Approx 89p each
These were nothing new to me as we use these on a fairly regular basis. Although I think I've received a few flavours I haven't tried before. These are so convenient - We eat a lot of chicken, so to put the chicken in the bag provided for it to cook juicily in the oven amongst all the herbs and spices saves a lot of time than preparing some form of spice yourself. There's a few in there that I'll probably save for Autumn (i.e. beef & ale casserole) but these really are worth the money, and change a bland meal into something tasty.
Portlebay Popcorn - 79p each
The days of just toffee and plain popcorn are long gone. Popcorn now comes in every flavor under the sun. I have to admit when I first saw this flavor I was a little apprehensive - I'm not a huge fan of sweet and savoury mixed, however this seemed to just work, and once I opened the bag, I couldn't stop eating them! I've had some popcorn where the flavor is a little weak, however these were strong but not overpowering. I'd definitely be inclined to grab a bag of these in future. The other flavours that I received were chilli & lime, and sweet & salted. I haven't tried these yet but I'm sure they'll bring good things!
Zeo Drinks - £1.29 each
I'm always willing to try new drinks, especially fruit ones, so when I saw there were 3 Zeo drinks in my box, I was spoilt for choice on which one to try first! I was given 3 flavours; Peach & Grapefruit Burst, Citrus Crush and Lime Zest. I have drank all 3 of them and I'm on the bench with these - they were refreshing and light, and the 'fizziness' was not overpowering to the point of being gassy, which is always good. However I felt that the flavouring was fairly muted in each, and I just felt like I was drinking sparkling flavoured water. I did however love the tingling sensation that it gave, this added a little bit of uniqueness to the drink that I very rarely experience. As you can see I brought one along with me to a picnic today and it made a refreshing change from a typical can of fizzy drink or cordial.
The Berry Company White Tea (Peach) - £1.49
When I read this it instantly reminded me of iced tea, and to be honest, I'm not sure of the difference between iced and white tea, either way, they tasted similar. I was first introduced to Iced Tea at 15 years old when I was holidaying in The Maldives. That's all I ever drank there and got hooked on the stuff. Several years later when I attempted to drink it again (this time in a much less-exotic location!) my tastebuds had obviously changed because I didn't enjoy it whatsoever, so I was a little apprehensive of trying this. I don't know why but I had this as part of my breakfast (maybe I was subconsciously thinking 'cup of tea' so felt like it should be drank at this time of the day!). My first thoughts brought me back to those iced tea days, and I instantly tasted the tea in it, but the peach flavouring soon overpowered that and I adapted to it and actually enjoyed it. Also - the packaging of this tea; the colours, the style and the convenience, how cute? I saw a black tea with elderflower doing the rounds; that one looks a little more scary!
'Frank' Snack Bar (Blueberry) - 85p
This gluten, nut and dairy free snack bar I can safely say I won't buy again. I brought this along to a picnic with me and I really didn't enjoy it. I found the bar quite heavy and almost as if the ingredients were missing something (no doubt its probably because its gluten and dairy free of ingredients!). It reminded me of my cooking gone wrong. For those gluten/dairy intolerant people it maybe a blessing in disguise though!
Green & Blacks Lemon infused Dark Chocolate - £2.29
I'm a massive chocoholic but unfortunately dark chocolate just doesn't do it for me, however once again, the lemon infusion grabbed me (I love anything lemon!). I can normally do dark chocolate in very small doses (I'm looking at you, Bournville), however after a few chews on a square of this chocolate, lets just say I headed straight for the bin.. the rest maybe TMI! I've never once had to do that with chocolate. Ugh. However, being the type of person that hates to waste, I'm saving this for my baking days, hoping to find some use for it there.
Dr Oetker Eton Mess - £1.99. Violet Crystals - £1.29
I love looking at cake decorations in supermarkets, they're so pretty to look at! I occasionally bake so will definitely try to incorporate these somehow. I've already used Eton Mess in a recipe that isn't a cake, so keep your eyes peeled to see how I incorporate them into my mixture!
Overall, a good box. I loved the variety, and even though I didn't enjoy some of the items, I enjoyed the mini tasting adventure that it took me on. I try and view everything as an experience, even down to food I dislike. Although my tastebuds weren't keen, it was a positive experience in trying something new, and I'm glad I did.
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This box was kindly provided to me for review purposes
Ooh great box! I love the look of the popcorn - such interesting flavours xx
ReplyDeleteGemma | Miss Makeup Magpie