Last week, the postie delivered the latest Degustabox and, despite the wintry weather warnings for Easter weekend, there's no doubt about it - spring should have sprung by now, so the box has a slight Easter theme, with a couple of chocolatey products and lots of kid-friendly treats.
Here's what was hiding inside the box - no prizes for guessing what the kids went for first !
Yes, you've guessed it - a sharing bag of Smarties and Milky Bar Mini Eggs (RRP £3). I said we could use them for topping Easter-themed cupcakes, but it fell on deaf ears. They were declared delicious and gobbled up before I even got a chance to get my cake tins out !
I did get to create some sweet treats using the Shreddies Max Granola (RRP £2.59) though as I added some to a fridge bake. It has a nice blend of flavours and textures, with crunchy oat clusters and pieces of Shreddies. It's made with 74% whole grain and is high in fibre and protein.
We were just running out of the kids favourite Vimto Sugar-Free Squash, so they were delighted to discover a new bottle of squash to try out : Ribena Pineapple & Passion Fruit (RRP £2.49). I was pleased to spot that this is also a no-added sugar variety and contains less than 15 calories per 250ml serving. It has a lovely rich, sweet, tropical flavour that we all really enjoyed.
Canny All Natural Chocolate Milk (RRP £1.59) is another no-added sugar (and also gluten free) drinks option that went down well with the kids for its yummy chocolatey taste. This was included in the box as a gift for the subscribers who have answered the most monthly surveys.
Cirio Pasta Sauce (RRP £2) is a new-to-the-UK product from a brand that we already know and love. There were two different sauce varieties available in the boxes, both featuring sweet Cirio peeled plum tomatoes - we got Classica Tomato & Vegetable Sauce. Very tasty heated through and added to pasta, with or without the addition of minced beef or bacon lardons. The choice is yours !
We've already tried and approved the Appy Kids Co No-Added Sugar Drinks (RRP £1.29). The Madhouse kids love the flavours (we got mixed berries in the Degustabox but they love all of them) but also the fun characters on the cartons. This latest series features Roald Dahl creations, including Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the BFG. The drinks are vegan approved, low in calories, free from GMOs, gluten, added sugars or artificial preservatives and are lunchbox friendly.
Staying on the drinks theme, but with a more grown up option, Tenzing Natural Energy (RRP £1.19) harnesses six natural ingredients to give you a boost : green coffee, guarana, green tea, Himalayan rock salt, beet sugar and lemon juice. I'm not a big fan of energy drinks but I like the fact that this one uses natural ingredients and absolutely nothing artificial, making it no worse than a cup of coffee. It's also low in calories (55 per can).
Mr Lee's Noodles (RRP £2.99) are always handy to keep in the cupboard for a quick lunch. They're basically a posh Pot Noodle, but they contain no hidden nasties and are low in sugar, fats and calories. They use freeze dried ingredients to lock in flavour and nutrients. We got Dragon Fire Vegetable which was a bit too spicy for us. Other subscribers got Hong Kong Beef.
Encona Carolina Reaper Chilli Sauce (RRP £1.49) even has a warning label on the front because it's so hot ! This limited edition product combines the heat and flavour of the world's hottest chilli pepper, tomatoes and spices. It promises to challenge even the bravest of chilli-fans so we're wimping out and passing it on to a friend !
Hafervoll Limited Flapjack (RRP £1.99) is a handmade, oven baked bar that could almost be passed off as homemade. They're the first 100% natural oat bars without added sugar, cheap stuffing or other chemical additives (according to the description). This was cut into pieces and snaffled up quickly, with the Lebkuchen flavour giving us a little taste of Christmas.
There was also a voucher for a totally free Cheestrings Snack Mix (£1) in the box - as a Degustablogger, I received a lovely selection of Cheestrings goodies directly in the post. These went down really well with the Madhouse kids who, like all kids, love snacky things that they can pick at after school or in their lunchbox. Each pack has three individual sections, containing crunchy crackers or pretzels, real cheese cubes and a sweet treat - fruity mix and white chocolate shortcake pieces, cherry strings, biscuits and choc raisins or cherry cubes, yoghurt raisins and biscuits, depending on which one you pick. A big thumbs up from the kids because they are delicious and fun to eat with lots of different flavours and textures.
This month's recipe card is for Easter Chocolate Brownies with the Smarties & Milky Bar Mixed Mini Eggs, which would have been delicious if the kids hadn't already scoffed all the eggs ! We thought this was a fabulous family-friendly box and the only thing that we won't use personally is the ultra spicy chilli sauce.
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 means you'll get the first box for just £7.99 - 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.
The chocolate milk sounds good!
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