The July Degustabox (review)

Yes, I know it's almost the end of August so this month's box will soon be arriving, but with our fortnight in Turkey followed by a visit to the in laws in Brittany, we've only just had time to discover the contents of the July box ! 

As usual, it's a nice mixture of unknown products (to us) from well-known brands, a couple of things we've already tried before and some total unknowns. In fact, this month sees the introduction of a new feature - DB's Discoveries, selected from an assortment of artisan, gourmet and independent brands, which I think is a great idea.

This month's DB Discovery is Quinola Mothergrain (RRP £1.99), a new range of ready meals for kids aged 3+ that only take 30 seconds to prepare. Superfood quinoa offers slow release carbs and complete protein so it's a healthy choice. We got the Thai Quinoa with Peas, Carrots & Coconut Milk but it's also available in Tex Mex and Mediterranean varieties. The Madhouse kids aren't keen on the texture but I think this would be a hit with younger children, just moving on from toddler food. (Other subscribers got different DB Discovery products - there was also Rebel Kitchen Coffee Mylk, Geeta's Mango Chutney and Good Hemp Oil.)

Next, we discovered Weetabix On The Go (2 x £1.49), which sounds strange but we'd tried them before and enjoyed them - it's a smooth, milk-based breakfast drink that contains all the energy, protein and fibre of Weetabix cereal and milk plus 4 vitamins and iron. If you don't have time for a proper breakfast, it's a great compromise.

Another convenient option is Tasty Little Numbers (2 x £3.49) who make calorie counting a breeze by providing 100 and 200 calories snacks and ready meals. The portions are small (just a bit bigger than the size of a child's ready meal) but if you're trying to lose weight, they're perfect served with lots of vegetables or salad. Expensive for what they are but very tasty and convenient.

 This month's bottles were both very well received - So Strawberry Lambrini (£3.29), a gorgeously sweet and fruity and slightly sparkling wine, and Newton's Appl Fizzics (£1.20), a refreshing blend of apple juice and sparkling water, completely natural with no artificial ingredients or added sugar. Both very nice.

On to the snacks. Say Yes To No is a slightly confusing name but the no is to artificial flavourings and unappetizing additives, empty promises and marketing lies, photoshopped images and phony advertising. Say Yes To No Dutch Gouda Toasted Bread Chips (£1.49) are beautifully crunchy and moreish savoury snacks that we all loved.

Taking The Pea is a brand that I'd never heard of and I'd never have picked up their Cheesy Peasy & Onion Flavour Crunchy Peas (£1.50) in a million years because I thought they sounded disgusting but they're actually lovely - they don't taste of peas at all, they taste more of crisps but they are high in fibre and less than 145 calories per pack. They also provide more protein than crisps and less fat than nuts. A surprising hit that explains exactly why I love Degustabox, for introducing me to brands that would have stayed well off my radar.

The sweet snacks were equally well received. Fru Snax (2 x £1.25) are little bags of freeze-dried fruit with yogurt melts that the Madhouse kids wolfed down like they were sweets. They're a much healthier option though and each pack contains less than 50 calories. Another unanimous vote of approval !

The final product got a more mixed reception. VitVibe Collagen Jelly with Vitamin C is an interesting idea and, although it has a lovely sweet flavour, I struggled with the texture. It's undoubtedly healthy, low in calories and, as they say, is "fun and functional". It's available in collagen and vitamin varieties.

This month's recipe sheet was a bit of a disappointment - just a serving suggestion for the Newton's Appl Fizzics - but this month's products probably don't lend themselves so easily to recipes.

A Degustabox subscription costs £12.99 including delivery per month, with each box having a value of much more than that. I have a discount coupon code for you too, which gives you a £3.00 discount when registering - just enter code 13NC5 at the checkout. (This will be valid until October 2015).

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Disclosure : We received the product in order to write an honest review.