Wednesday, 4 June 2014

May's Degustabox has landed !


May's Degustabox has arrived and it's a great one. For the first time ever, I just know in advance that we're going to love every single thing that's in it. Usually there are a couple of total unknowns that don't really sound like our thing and that aren't always to our tastes, even if I appreciate the chance to discover new, unknown products and brands. This time, they are all things that sound right up our street.



Here are the contents of this month's box :

Garofalo Elicoidali Pasta - Having already reviewed Garofala spaghetti and Garofalo children's pasta in the past, we already love the brand, with its authentic taste and slightly rough texture which is great for grabbing hold of whatever sauce you're serving it with with. This will be great combined with the passata for a pasta bake or some other pasta dish - not sure what yet !

 Dr Oetker Cake Release Spray - I've seen lots of people mentioning this on their foodie blogs so it's something I've wanted to try for a while. It's an oil spray used instead of greasing or lining baking tins and trays, especially for using on large or irregular shaped tins, to help you to achieve perfect baking results. I'll report back on this one.

 Elizabeth Shaw Dark Chocolate Cocoa Crunch Flutes - having reviewed an Elizabeth Shaw flute Easter egg this year, we already know that these skinny little sticks of chocolate are utterly delicious !

 Cawston Press Cloudy Apple - I popped this in the fridge to chill with every intention of drinking it myself then relented and let Sophie try it instead. She loved it and said it had a lovely natural apple flavour and wasn't too fizzy. She did let me have a little taste and I have to agree with her.



 Kettle Sweet Chilli Sweet Potato Chips - Having only vaguely glanced at the pack before opening it and pouring some into a bowl, I was surprised to see the dark orangey colour but closer inspection revealed that they are made with sweet potatoes, not regular potatoes. They are also baked, not fried, so they contain 50% less fat than fried vegetable chips. They taste very nice - just as nice as regular crisps and they're less greasy - and the sweet chilli flavour is mild enough for the kids to like them too.

 Raw chewing gum - I haven't tried this yet but I love the idea. It's a sugar free chewing gum, which is rich in vitamin B to give you a boost when you need it most. I'll report back once I've tried it.

 Taylors of Harrogate Blackberry & Elderflower - I'm not a tea-drinker (or any hot drinks, come to that) but Sophie and Juliette love fruit teas so these will get a warm reception. They haven't tried them yet but they did sniff the box and say that they smelt lovely and fruity.

 Cirio La Classica Passata and Tomato Puree - These are begging to be made into a homemade pizza, maybe using flatbread as an instant ready-to-use base, or added to pasta sauce or pasta bake. Decisions decisions !

 Hornsby's Crisp Apple Cider and Strawberry & Lime Cider - These are definitely mine ! I love cider and I love alcopops like Bacardi Breezers and these sound like a combination of the two. I've popped them in the fridge and I'm waiting for a sunny weekend to sample them on the patio !


 Finn Crisp Original Crisp Bread - These are lovely, either straight from the box like crisps (they have a tangy sourdough flavour so they're nice plain) or topped with whatever you fancy - I put homemade salmon pâté on ours and they disappeared in the blink of an eye !


The Degustabox also includes lots of information about the brands and products, which is interesting when they're unknown to me, as is often the case.


There are also offers and competitions.


And recipe ideas too - for the Finn Crisp, for example, there are several suggestions, including Breakfast Crunch with Fresh Berries and Seeds or Smoked Haddock and Leek Gratin with Crunchy Finn Crisp Crust.

I'll be sharing more in-depth reviews and recipes as I try out the remaining products from the box.

A Degustabox subscription costs £12.99 per month, delivery included, and if you enter code 256SZ at checkout, you'll get £3 off.

for more information :
http://bit.ly/DBUKTwitter - twitter @degustaboxUK

Disclosure : I received the box in order to write an honest review.

Other reviews you may be interested in :

April Degustabox review

March Degustabox review

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