July Degustabox review : The Summer Box

Well, the sun may not have put in much of an appearance since the schools broke up, but summer is definitely here, so when this month's Degustabox was dropped off last week, I wasn't surprised to see that it had a summer theme. Think tropical breakfasts, Mediterranean flavours and ice cold drinks to sip outside on a warm evening. 

Have a quick peek at the contents of this months box and I'm sure you can guess what the kids immediately spotted.

 Yes, you guessed it - the bag of Rowntree's Randoms (£1.29), which they made short work of. (Well, I say they - I may have helped them out a bit, purely in the interests of reviewing, obviously !) As well as being free from artificial flavours, colours and sweeteners, they are now also 30% less sugar, and the great thing is, we didn't even notice any difference. We love the wide range of shapes and textures and the fact that you never know what you'll get. Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles have also been given a 30% less sugar makeover, so we'll have to give those a try too.

The Madhouse kids also loved the Crafted Mango & Passion Fruit Fruit Juice Drink (£1.80), which tastes great and has no added sugars or sweeteners.

There wasn't a lot else that the kids were interested in in this box, although we did find a voucher for  The Collective Kids Big Tub yoghurt (£2), which will undoubtedly be as delicious as their grown-up range, and another voucher for a pouch of Pro-Yo high protein yoghurt, also from The Collective. We were about to head off on our travels so we didn't bother picking these up yet, as we were in the process of winding down the fridge.

The alcoholic version of the box included Blossom Hill Spritz (£4.99), which is a fresh and fruity twist on wine. It's light, bubbly and very refreshing when served chilled. We got the Elderflower & Lemon variety, which is delicate, sophisticated and summery.

Thor gave us a taste of their range of Dry Apple Spritz flavours (2 x £1.39) - we got apple and mint - which are lovely on their own, or mixed with your favourite spirits.

The perfect accompaniment to the drinks, Oloves Olives (2 x 99p) seasoned with a little chilli, garlic and oregano were beautifully juicy and reminded us of the olives we sampled in Turkey.

Ryvita Thins Three Cheese Flatbreads (£1.89) are another great choice for nibbles to accompany your drinks. They are great for dipping or spreading with cheese or pâté. If you have a few left in the box, they are also lovely crumbled over the top of dishes like cottage pie or as a coating for fish or chicken. I think this new three cheese variety is our favourite and as they are packed with flavour, they're even lovely nibbled straight from the pack.

On to the healthy options, Frylight Cooking Spray with Avocado Oil (£2.99) is a great way of cutting down on added fats as it only contains 1 calorie per spray. It can be used in frying pans and woks or for roasting. It's also great for adding extra crunch to Actifry chips and for greasing cake tins.

Merchant Gourmet Simply Cooked Red & White Quinoa (£1.99) is ready to use and has been simply cooked with a dash of water and olive oil. It can be used in salads or as an alternative to couscous or rice. I have to be honest, I haven't really jumped on to the quinoa bandwagon, but I know a friend loves it so I'll pass it on to her to enjoy.

Everybody knows the Weetabix brand but Weetabix Additions Coconut & Raisin (£2.99) was a new product for us. I thought it was going to be a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" but the addition of coconut and raisin was actually a genius move. I'm normally the only one to eat regular Weetabix but the kids happily tucked into these.

And finally, a store cupboard basic in France so we were very familiar with it, Maille Dijon Original (£1.99). If you're not a fan of mustard (like me), you might find it too hot - I prefer their Old Style Wholegrain Mustard and Honey Mustard, both of which are much milder - but it adds a decent kick to anything from sandwiches and steak to mayonnaise.

This month's recipe card featured two dishes - Maille Dijon Original Fillet Steak and Merchant Gourmet Refreshing Tabbouleh Salad.

A subscription to Degustabox costs £12.99 per month including delivery, with each box having a value of much more than that, but the great news is, I have a discount coupon code for you which gives you a whopping £7 off the price of your first box, so you'll get it for just £5.99 - just enter code 0BS6T at the checkout.

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Disclosure : We received the box in order to write an honest review. As a Degustabox blogger, I receive all of the products that go into the monthly boxes, but subscribers may not get exactly the same selection.