Degustabox December Unboxing

Ooooo a delicious Degustabox. I received December's box just over a week ago as my box was sent to someone else and they signed for it. You can track your parcel and I had never heard of the surname of the person who had signed for my box which was so disappointing. Luckily, Degustabox sent another box out to me and so I got my box of foodie goodness after a longer wait than usual.

Degustabox is a monthy subscription box full of 9 to 14 products. Some of which are new to the market and the contents are meant to cost less than you would pay for them in the shops.

So the box arrived in perfect condition and had a Merry Christmas sticker on this time which held the brown paper together. 

The first items that I saw in the box were the drinks and I was really pleased to see them in there. This first bottle is Eisburg alcohol free wine which is made in exactly the same way as usual wine but with the alcohol removed. This has a third of the usual calories ans is available in Chardonnay, Rose, Cabernet Sauvignon and Riesling.

These drinks would be perfect if you enjoy the taste of wine without the alcohol, if you're taking part in dry January or you simply don't want to or can't drink alcohol.

Price: £3.49 per bottle.

What I thought:

This was of great quality and I found it quite a strange concept of drinking this without there being any alcohol content. I don't tend to drink wine because I like the taste of it, I drink it because it has alcohol in it. I do prefer sweeter wines so I would like to try the Rose variety next time. I think this would be fabulous in social situations if you don't want to look or feel as though you're missing out. Although I'd be happy with a soft drink. 

Would I buy it again?

Yes I would in the different varieties for a party or get together if people were driving. These would also be fabulous if you were pregnant or on medication and couldn't drink alcohol.

Pukka Herbs- Clean Green, green tea.

"Spring clean your spirit with nature's finest fairly-traded clean green herbs. Let them dance in your cup for a while to release the zing of whole Sicilian lemons and the freshness of dandelion root. One sip and you're ready to sparkle."

Price: £2.39

What I thought:

 I know how good green tea is for you but it's just too bitter for me to drink. I want to like it as I know it would be so good for me just I just can't bring myself to drink it regularly. The Sicilian lemons make this sound delicious but I prefer a nice cup of regular tea with milk so I shall be passing these onto my mum.

Would I buy them again?

Maybe for my mum or to have in the house for visitors but not for myself as it's just not my cup of tea so to speak! Although it's a bit unfair of me to say without sampling them first. (Goes off to boil the kettle.)

Gloworm drinks

"Gloworm is ingeniously different. It's the first premium mixer of its kind, specifically blended to compliment a selection of spirits. The unique formula is sugar-free and taurine-free. Gloworm is available in 4 flavours; Raspberry & Orris for Vodka, Cucumber and Apple for Gin, Pear, Spice & Lime for Rum, Ginger & Lemongrass for Bourbon."

What I thought:

I popped these straight into the fridge to chill and my other half grabbed one and we shared it. It was the Cucumber & Apple one and it was so refreshing and delicious. I then read that they were mixers for alcohol. Whoops!

Price: £1.50 per can.

Would I buy them again?

Yes. Especially the Cucumber & Apple.

Next up are the yummies. 

POPCHIPS 

"Never fried, never baked. POPCHIPS are popped with heat and pressure to make a  naturally delicious crisp with all the flavour and less than half the fat of fried crisps, fewer calories and none of the fake colour or flavours (or greasy fingers) that gives snacking a bad name. And by the way, there are less than 100 calories in each serving."

Price: £1.79

What I thought:

I first saw these being showcased at the Clothes Show Live a few years ago. I also received a small bag from there from December last month too. These are deliciously moreish and you get quite a lot in the packet too. They feel quite light and have a great crunch to them too.

Would I buy again?

Yes I would and especially if they were on offer for £1.

Baru- Chocolate Wrapped Cloud 

These are little added extras in the box as they aren't listed on the information card.

They are delicious marshmallows with a chocolatey filling. 

Would I buy again?

Well they retail at around £3.14 for four marshmallow pieces which is a little too expensive for me.

Bahlsen Choco Leibniz 

"Finest continental milk chocolate wrapped around our original butter biscuit or oozing with caramel. With more chocolate than biscuit, it's fresh and crisp when you bite it, but so chocolatey when you taste it. Available from Asda, Booths, Budgens, Co-op, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose."

Price: £1.79 per pack.

What I thought:

I recently ate 6 out of the 9 biscuits in the one sitting the week before I received some more in this box. They are yummy. I was excited to see the caramel ones but for me the caramel wasn't 'oozing' it was solid and I much preferred the milk chocolate ones.

Would I buy them again?

Yes but not for £1.79 a packet and I wouldn't get the caramel ones again.

Onto the cooking ingredients:

Kent's Kitchen Brazilian Feijoada

" The meal kits are a one. two, three step to an authentic, delicious meal in just 20 minutes. Use the three clever pots and add a few fresh ingredients to create a restaurant quality meal. All natural ingredients and perfect to keep in the store cupboard for when you need meal inspiration."

Price: £2.50

What I thought:

I love the idea of the little kits to aid in preparing a variety of meals. I've had a previous kit before but I didn't use it in time and it ran out of date. This time I'm going to make this kit as I'm sure it will be delicious.

Would I buy it again?

If I really like this one then yes I would.

Frylight Infuse Chilli Oil

"Made with natural Chilli extract and adds a spicy kick to all sorts of pan fried and roasted food at the touch of a button."

Price: £2

What I thought:

I used this when I cooked spicy chicken noodles. It was super easy to use as you simply spray the required amount and cook your ingredients. It added extra flavour to the ingredients which is always a good thing.

Would I buy this again?

I'm more likely to buy the sunflower oil version.

Bonne Maman- Coarse Orange Marmalade

"Coarse orange marmalade is fresh, zingy and made with thick shred orange peels  for more character. Spread on toast and let the full flavour of oranges fill your mouth, or use it as the ingredient that will make the difference in your savoury or sweet recipes.

Price: £2.30

What I thought:

I think this is a fantastic quality brand. I enjoyed this on toast as it was delicious.

Would I buy it again?

Yes I would.

The Chia Co 

"The Chia Co Oats + Chia are wholegrain oats and Chia blended with the finest quality fruits and coconut oil. These 'just add water' oats deliver a smooth and creamy texture, without dairy. Chia seed offers the highest combined plant source of omega-3, fibre and protein, and is packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants."

Price: £1.70

What I thought:

I didn't really know what this product was on first glance and after reading the description card I'm more likely to try this out now. The ingredients are fantastic and will be super healthy for me. I've had Chia shots before in my Birchbox but I didn't know what to use them in so I still haven't touched them.

Would I buy it again?

I think it's expensive for 45g so maybe if I feel that I need to be super healthy then I might repurchase. I'm also inclined to repurchase if they were to taste delicious.

Total price of items:

£25.75 (excluding the two little marshmallows)

An excellent quality box for the £12.99 that I paid. My favourite items were the Gloworm, POPCHIPS and Bonne Maman Marmalade.

My next box is being delivered tomorrow! More scrumptious treats.

Love Laura xoxo

Degustabox Review and Unboxing- November's Winter Box

I was so excited to receive this Degustabox. I had so many beauty boxes in the past with similar products in and I needed a change. I absolutely love food so the fact that this box arrives every month with between 9 and 14 different items to try out, I was sold. The subscription costs £12.99 per month with VAT and postage included which is the same price as one of my beauty boxes. I've noticed that rather than stashing beauty items away, I actually ate and drank most of these items very quickly as I was excited to try them.

So onto my review:-

The items arrived well packaged in a cardboard box and had a layer of bubble wrap and brown paper with a stickered logo for presentation. As I looked and lifted each item I was pleasantly surprised by it all and ooooh and aaahhhhd! There's not one item in here that I thought that I wouldn't try.

First up are the drinks. Here we have;

Montano which is, "an elegantly crafted Italian cider made from the apples grown in the foothills of the Trentino region of Northern Italy."

I was really pleased to find alcohol in the box and I love fruity cider. This actually tasted so strong though. It was so strong that it tasted like beer and was hard for me to drink. I gave it a good go though ha ha! I would prefer it if they had a berry or a strawberry variety of this as I'm not too keen on apple cider. It reminds me of being a teenager (ahem!)

Price:- £2.79 

Would I buy it again? No it's too strong!

Pip  Organic Cloudy Apple "is a family run, London based business that produces an award winning range of pure organic juices and smoothies available in a range of take home, grab & go and children's formats. Following environmentally sustainable principles and made from 100% organic fruit, all of our drinks are not from concentrate and contain NO added sugars, water, preservatives or additives. Pip, Pip Hooray!"

This cloudy apple juice is absolutely scrumptious. It's deliciously real and I drank it when it was freezing cold. The bottles are small and I could have done with a larger bottle as they're that delicious. One 200ml bottle contains three organic apples and some added vitamin C and that's it!

Price:- £1.50 per bottle and I received two.

Would I buy it again? Yes if I was out and about and was picking some lunch up for on the go.

Cool Dawn Recovery drink "is a herbal detox drink that helps to prevent and cure hangovers. It presents a complex and unique combination of citrus and liquorice flavour. Contains no stimulant ingredients and is not carbonated. We recommend to have one full cold and shaken can towards the end of the night and another one in the morning if still needed."

I took one of these to work for my break as I thought they meant that they would revive you and give you more energy. I shook the can well and previously kept it refrigerated. I took a mouthful and really did not like the taste of the mixture. I love liquorice and I love citrus but it reminded me of medicine unfortunately. I tried again with another sip but down the plughole it went!

Price:- £1.49 each and I received two cans. One is still in the fridge. My other half can drink it!

Would I purchase again? No I would not. I can't drink things that I don't like the taste of no matter how intriguing they sound.

Sample present- Drink Me Chai's "award winning Spiced Chai is the original flavour that was inspired by Amanda Hamilton's travels to India. A blend of exotic spices, milk and sweetened tea the product is a just add water or milk for that taste of India in an instant."

I haven't actually tried this yet. I received two of these previously already in another box but even though I love coffee lattes, I'm not really a tea lover unless it's a regular breakfast tea with plenty of milk. I'm not too sure of the spices but I will try it out.

Price:- 33p approx.

Would I buy again? Only if I love it. They do a chocolate, vanilla or a mango option too which I am more inclined to try out.

Branston Caramelised Onion Chutney " Create the perfect dining experience with new Branston chutney! Caramelised Onion works perfectly with any after dinner cheese and bread, and the distinctive taste of Mediterranean tomato goes well with smoky meats, cheddar and biscuits. Available in-store now, the delicious, versatile range is set to become an everyday staple."

I've not tried this out yet but it will be perfect for Christmas to have with a selection of cheese and crackers. It sounds delicious and is sure to add flavour. There's also a recipe card included in the box to make a cheese, spinach and caramelised onion quiche which sounds delicious.

Price:- £1.50

Would I buy it again? This jar will probably last a long time so maybe I will buy another one in six months time or for the following Christmas.

Now onto the yummies! 

Lindt- Lindor My Melting Moment " Lovingly crafted by the Lindt master chocolatiers. Lindor My Melting Moment allows you to melt away in a moment of pure bliss. Elegantly wrapped the snowflake shape is filled with irresistibly smooth melting Lindor milk chocolate."

I received five of these and they were shared in the same night that the box arrived. Lindt create absolutely delicious chocolate and these were a decent size too for a treat. The chocolate was smooth and moreish.

Price:- These retail at 65p each and I received five of them.

Would I buy them again? Yes as a present for others.

Kettle Chips- Stilton & Port " Back by popular demand, Kettle Chips is reintroducing two of its most loved seasonings as limited editions for Christmas. Salsa and Mesquite was one of the original seasonings when the brand first launched in 1988; it combines tomatoes, chillies, peppers and the aroma of barbecues. Stilton & Port is a rich and distinctive flavour which brings together the creamy notes of Stilton cheese with the sweetness of port wine."

I received the Pork & Stilton flavour in my box and I was really pleased with these. I love Kettle Chips but have never tried either of these two flavours before. The crisps are very moreish and creamy tasting. They are excpetional quality.

Price:- £2.19

Would I buy them again? Yes but probably in one of their other flavours. I'd maybe buy this especially for Christmas which is what their intention is.

Finally I received some cooking ingredients to use when making meals.

Kent's Kitchen- Stir in Flavour Shots- Fajita " These flavour shots are a brilliantly quick and easy way to jazz up diced meat or prawns. These clever gel shots coat the meat or prawns whist cooking and add a delicious taste to enhance meals. Perfect for wraps, with rice or jacket potatoes, on a salad or even to coat pasta."

I love fajitas so I'm rally pleased that I received these flavour shots. I've not got round to making them just yet but I bet they are delicious!

Price:- £1.85

Would I purchase them again? Maybe I will if they taste delicious.

Holy Cow Curry Sauces- " Authentic Indian curries are made from all natural ingredients, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. We are gluten free and suitable for vegetarians and coeliacs."

The two sauces I received are the Korma and the Madras which are perfect for me and my fiance. I've bought the rest of the ingredients for the curries and I am going to make them one night this week.

Price:- £1.69 each and I received two.

Would I purchase again? Yes if they are delicious. I love how they are made with all natural ingredients.

Overall:- I really enjoyed my first Degustabox and will continue to subscribe. I liked lots of the different products inside of the box and I was very impressed that the total amount of the contents added up to £20.94 (or £21.27 if you add the bonus Chai sachet too.)

What I think could have been made better:- As it was a December box I would have like to have seen more festive products inside the box such as mini mulled wines, mince pies, yule logs etc however I understand that there are all different people to cater for too.

Also the grammar needs to be edited in the product description handout as there are commas and full stops misused or omitted at times.

Have you bought Degustabox before? What do you think of the products I received?

Love Laura xoxo

Flavourly Food Unboxing - July

This month's Flavourly box was absolutely jam packed with goodies. The box costs £20 and is sent out monthly and today I have another unboxing and review for you.

First up for discussion is the presentation of the box. The brown paper and shredding matches well to the natural products that are sourced in the box. The paper is held together with a Flavourly branded sticker.

The products were well placed in the box and this is what I first saw when opening the paper.

Rani's Quality Mixture £1 for 60g is a gourmet Bombay mix which tastes really fresh and light as pure sunflower oil has been used. It's also crunchy and has a spicy kick to it. I would repurchase this again for the quality of it.

Clearly Scrumptious - Simply Golden Berries £1.19 for 30g. These golden berries are a superfood and I really wanted to love them but they were far too sour for me. They are meant to awaken your taste buds and they certainly did that. I love how they are 100% natural and healthy but I would have preferred the strawberry or apple varieties instead.

Seed and Bean Chocolate Co- Organic creamy white chocolate- Lemon and Poppy Seed £2.89. I have previously tasted a variety of Seed and Bean Chocolate from one of their gift packs at Christmas and it's honestly one of the best chocolate bars I have ever had. The creamy white chocolate has poppy seeds inside to give a crunch and is infused with Italian lemon oil. You can tell when you eat this chocolate that the finest ingredients have been used. Simply divine. I would definitely repurchase.

Drink me Chai- An aromatic blend of tea, milk and spices- £2 for the tub and I received two sachets so approx. £1. Real ground spices have been used with milk, black tea and spices to produce an authentic Indian chai latte. All you have to do is add hot water and stir or if you would like it to be creamier then add half milk, half water. There are only 90 calories per cup and they are 99% caffeine free.

Pepper and Stew - Eastern Africa- Niter Kibbeh Spices £2. A variety of these has been produced by Pepper and Stew to make African recipes quick and easy. Each packet has a recipe idea on the reverse and this particular one can be used to make a spiced clarified butter. These are an interesting idea and great to have an authentic taste in a simple, ready to use packet.

Get Fruity- Scrumptious Strawberry £0.89. This is the best fruit bar that I have ever tasted in my life. It's made from a blend of whole grain oats with added fruit and fruit juice. I can really taste and smell the coconut oil used in this bar and it is absolutely delicious. I would definitely repurchase. I'm in fruity heaven with these.

Super Nature- Ginger infused cold pressed rapeseed oil £2.45 for 100ml. This particular variety is recommended for use in stir fries and roast vegetables and also is available in lemon, garlic and chilli. This is really healthy and I can't wait to try it out.

Trotter's Mojito Marmalade- £2.95. Byam Trotter specialises in sourcing, developing and producing products that are hard to obtain in the UK's market. This is definitely unusual and a real talking point. I love Mojito cocktails and I like marmalade too so this is an interesting concept. There are lots of recipes available on their website and the recommendations are to spread on toast, use on ice-cream, crumbles and in baking.

Eat 17- Cowboy Bacon Jam- £3.99. A BBQ flavoured relish with bacon. Super interesting idea that Eat 17 use on their burgers in their restaurant. It would be fab to use at a BBQ party and spread on burgers, bread, chicken or ribs. They have a host of ideas on their website for inspiration too. 

Darling Corn- Smoked Toasted Corn Kernels £0.69. Darling Spuds is from the same creators as Salty Dog crisps. These are gluten free and a healthy snack.

Berry White organic drinks- Lemon, ginger and Acai berry with white tea and Yerba mate £1.60. These drinks contain super fruits and are light and refreshing.

Lizi's Granola- On The Go £1.19. This is a single portion and with the clever packaging, it doubles up as a bowl with a spoon. It has lactose free milk powder added so that when you add a few spoonfuls of water it turns into a healthy breakfast. What a fab idea and I love granola too.

The box costs £20 and my items added up to £22.53. So what Flavourly in effect does, is source the healthy food products, for you to save you the time in collecting them together yourself. The items are all of exceptionally high quality with the best ingredients used.

There is a fantastic variety included in this box and overall I'm really pleased with it. My favourite items are the Get Fruity Strawberry bar, the Seed and Bean chocolate, Lizi's granola, Eat 17 Cowboy Jam and Trotter's Mojito Marmalade.

Have you tried any of these brands before?

Love Laura xoxo

Flavourly June Unboxing

Hi everyone!

Today I have a Flavourly unboxing. I loved this box the first time I received one as a gift for Christmas and when I saw a Groupon code for another one I knew it was a must have. The customer service was excellent in helping me with the code and as soon as it went through the box was delivered within two days which was super swift. As I have literally just received the box, I have not yet had a chance to sample the contents so this post is simply an unboxing to show you what I received in the June box.

The box costs £20 per month if you wish to subscribe and is full of excellent quality items and snacks.

The box has a booklet which gives background information on Flavourly and all of the products inside and whereabouts in the UK that they are from. I like this touch as it is an interesting read.

When I first opened the box I saw that it was packed full of goodies. It's exciting to find out what you're going to receive inside.

First up is this Creative Nature- Tropical Treat bar rrp £1.09. The brand was established to promote health, respect and creativity for the environment and to provide the highest quality natural ingredients. The bar has no added sugars or preservatives and I'm looking forward to trying this out to sample the natural flavours.

Nimm's Fruit Crisps rrp £1.29. I love fruit crisps so this will make a healthy snack for me. I received the apple but they are also available in Apple & Strawberry, Pineapple & Mango, Apple & Kiwi, Pear & Kiwi and Orange & Melon varieties.

Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps- rrp £1.19. These are hand cooked sweet potato crisps with a sprinkle of sea salt. I love sweet potato so I bet these are delicious.

Quibble's Nibbles rrp £1.39 Indian Hot Chilli Peanuts & Cashews. I love peanuts and cashews so I can't wait to try these. The makers wanted to create healthy and delicious snacks without leaving lots of product on the fingers whilst and after eating.

Flavour 21 by Laura Santtini rrp £2.00 This will be great when creating pizzas and contains triple strength concentrated tomato puree, soffrito and full bodied red wine. This sounds like it's packed full of flavour.

Beanies Flavour Co- Gingerbread Flavoured Instant Coffee- £2.50. I was recently contacted by Beanies and wrote a review for them. I chose four flavours, which was a hard decision, but didn't choose Gingerbread so I'm really pleased that it is inside the Flavourly box. These coffees are super low in calories and use the finest raw materials. 

On the Pulse Foods rrp £1.19 Jamaican Jerk Hot Chicks- Spicy Roasted Chickpeas. I love the packaging on this one and it makes a very handy snack for on the go. Can't wait to test the flavour on these.

Coconom- Organic Coconut Sugar- £3.45. These are organic coconut sugar crystals which can be used in a variety of ways such as in baking, pop in hot chocolate or sprinkled on yoghurt or ice cream. I love coconut and this sounds absolutely delicious.

Finally I received Frank & Co - Scotch Bonnet Jelly £4.95. This can be eaten hot or cold marinated over salmon or as an accompaniment to savoury dishes or great with cheese. 

So overall, I love these Flavourly boxes for the reason that you get to try high quality foods and snacks, you get such a lot crammed into the box and you have the element of surprise because you don't know what you're getting.

The total amount that my box is worth is £19.05p

Love Laura xoxo

Candy Japan Unboxing - Tea Time Edition

Image Credit: Candy Japan

Hi everyone! I hope you're all enjoying your Bank Holiday weekends or had fun this weekend just gone. Today I have a subscription box all the way from Japan called *Candy Japan which specialises in sending out boxes of Japanese sweeties twice monthly for $25 with free delivery worldwide.
This box took around three weeks to arrive as they have set shipment dates which was quite a while but definitely worth the wait.

I love receiving subscription boxes through the post as it's like being sent Birthday presents which can cheer you up and you get to try out and discover new items that you may not have seen before.
As soon as I heard of Candy Japan I knew that I wanted to try out a box. I love Japanese candy and also love their cute, quirky stationery as I am drawn to it.

Communication with the owner of the company was great and whilst you don't receive an insert with information about all of the products in the box, you do receive an e-mail a few weeks after ordering to let you know what is contained and background information on your box. The Candy arrives in a secure carboard box that can fit through your letter box. It is secured with pretty washi tape and inside there's no extra frills, just the candy.

So this specific box has a theme of 'Tea Time' Konnichiwa. Inside the candy box you receive two green tea bags in case you didn't have any already at home to enjoy with your sweets. The background for the box states that if you were to visit a Japan home and had green tea and candy prepared for you then it would be very similar to the contents of this box.

The round sweets are named Momoyama and contain white bean paste. The yellow and white oblong sweeties are named Monaka and contain red bean paste and have wafers inside made from Mochi.

The Momoyama has a cake texture and is sweet. All of these candies would sweeten up the green tea as most Japanese people take it without milk and sweeteners.

The Monaka sweeties have a delicate wafer outer and a sweet paste inner.

I love the surprise element of this box and that I have learnt about something new too which I love doing especially when I find things interesting. I'd love to see what is contained in future boxes too. Thanks very much to Bemu for sending out a box to review. If you would like to find out more or subscribe you can click here.

Do you like the look of this box?

Love Laura xoxo

*PR item kindly sent for review.