May’s Degustabox – a subscription box containing a variety of different food and drink products, often new to the market – was billed as the BBQ and bank holiday box, and arrived a few days early so that it reached subscribers before the bank holiday weekend. As ever, boxes are priced at £12.99 per month (including delivery), and every single month, the box that I’ve received has been worth significantly more. If you’re interested in signing up, simply visit the Degustabox website and use JX5IG to enjoy a £3 discount on your first order.
Orders are sent via courier, with emails and text messages to let you know when the order will be delivered. Packaged well in a brown cardboard box emblazoned with the Degustabox logo, here’s what subscribers received in May…
Once again, a nice mixture of drinks, cooking ingredients and snacks, and a mix of both sweet and savoury.
First to be opened was the Daelmans Caramel Stroopwafels (RRP £2): soft toasted waffles which contain a creamy caramel filling, and which are incredibly moreish! They’re big enough to rest on the top of a mug of hot drink, allowing the caramel centre to become lovely and soft before eating. Delicious.
Not being a parent, it’s hard for me to really comment on the Green Coco Kid’s Coco juice with banana (RRP 80p) from the perspective of its target audience, but I wasn’t a fan. To me, it just tasted overly watery and didn’t have much substance to it – but children’s palates are different, I guess…
I was pleased to see the box of Fruity 9bars (RRP £2 for four) in my Degustabox – I love their products. Great for healthier snacking, the combination of dried fruits, seeds and a carob coating should appeal to those with a sweet tooth, and has plenty of texture too.
We also received two Maggi So Stir Fry packs (RRP £1.49 each) – essentially, instant noodles complete with a seasoning sachet to which you add various ingredients to make a meal for two. We haven’t yet made the Oriental 3 Spice Chicken Noodles, but ate the Singapore Curry Chicken Noodles one evening and agreed that they made for a tasty, quick and filling meal. The only issue for me was that I was expecting the seasoning to be spicier, and was a little disappointed with its mildness.
The Fuel 10k Protibrick cereal (RRP £2.69) that also came in the May box is pretty masculine-looking, is it not?! The box contains 24 Weetabix-style biscuits – although bigger than Weetabix, and boosted with protein to keep you feeling full for longer. Flavour-wise, they’re pretty similar to Weetabix too – although they do soak up a lot more milk – and they’ve certainly kept me feeling full throughout the day.
Made with konjac flour and oat fibre, the Slim Pasta lasagne sheets (RRP £2.49) are billed as a low calorie alternative to regular pasta. The sheets are smaller than normal lasagne sheets, and packaged in water – you’ll need to rinse them as per the instructions on the packet before using, as there’s a weird fishy smell to them. Bizarre. Anyway, at the time of writing these are currently in the oven in a veggie lasagne – if it’s a success, I’ll share the recipe here on Bristol Bites…
Sarsons make balsamic vinegar (RRP £2). Who knew?! It’s actually not bad either, with a really fruity flavour and a lovely rich colour – perfect for drizzling over summer salads.
We haven’t yet used the Schwartz Grill Mates Honey & Soy Marinade in a Bag (RRP £2.19), but we’ll certainly try it when we next have a BBQ. It can be used either on the BBQ or in the oven, and there are six different flavour varieties available.
Finally, the box also included a sachet of Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce, along with a bottle of the brand’s Honey Barbecue Sauce (RRP £2.99). Apparently the number one BBQ sauce in the US, the packaging suggests that it should be used for marinading, but it’s great for dipping too. It’s a thick and glossy sauce which combines both sweetness and smokiness and extra depth thanks to the spices.
Not a bad box, once again! To find out more about Degustabox, visit their website, follow them on Twitter or find them on Facebook.
Please note: this box was received free of charge, but in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the company did not see this review before it was put up on the site.