The summer holidays are here at last - woohoo ! While we're loving the chance to have lie-ins in the mornings and take advantage of lazy days, catching up on Netflix, online games and random mooching about, there's one thing missing at the moment - the sun ! It's been pouring hard for days and there's more to come apparently ! Ah well, at least it's still warm and the latest Degustabox had the perfect hot-weather theme : summer and grazing. With three constantly hungry kids in the house, it couldn't be better !
As I unpacked the box, I could tell that there were lots of things that the kids (not to mention me !) would love to try, including plenty of snacks, both sweet and savoury.
I used to love eating Fox's Glacier Mints and Fox's Glacier Fruits when I was a kid, so I was excited to discover Fox's Glacier Moments (RRP 3 x £1). These new sweets offer grown-ups a range of indulgent flavours inspired by herbal teas, desserts and fresh fruit smoothies to provide a special moment to unwind. I'd never heard of sweets reserved for adults, but I kinda like the idea ! After Darks are designed as an evening occasion sweet to be savoured after a special moment or dinner. They come in two classic dessert flavours, Decadent Banoffee and Cherry Bakewell Tart, alongside two delicious drink flavours, Smooth Irish Cream and Dark Fruits. Little Lifts are designed to give a gentle energy boost during the day and come in Strawberry and Hibiscus, Peach and Passionfruit, Apple, Pear and Spearmint and Lemon, Mint and Elderflower flavours. Limited Edition Summer Punch is a seasonal product inspired by summer cocktails so you can savour Strawberry, Orange, Elderflower Spritz (Cucumber, Elderflower, Tonic and Mint) and Summer Punch (inspired by fruit cup cocktails). I love all of them !
Bull's-Eye New York Steakhouse BBQ Sauce (RRP £2.50) is a lovely sauce on burgers, with sausages or mixed into pulled pork. It's sweet, rich and adds a real depth of flavour to any grilled meats or even a humble bacon sandwich or baked potato. Other recipes that it would work well in are Slow Cooker BBQ Beef and Salisbury Steak.
Firefly Peach & Green Tea (RRP £1.55) is a lovely summery drink, made from a blend of still water, fruit juice and botanical extracts. It's lovely drunk straight from the bottle but it can also be pimped up into a summery cocktail, with or without alcohol.
Three Fold Hard Seltzer (RRP £2) is a delicious drink made from natural fruit flavours, sparkling water and 4% alcohol. We got Tropical, which is a blend of mango, pineapple and watermelon flavours, but it is also available in Citrus (orange, grapefruit and lime) and Red Berries (strawberry, raspberry and pomegranate). As well as tasting great, it is naturally gluten-free, vegan and just 93 calories. Available at Morrisons, Bargain Booze and online at Ocado and Amazon.
McVitie's Blackcurrant Jaffa Cakes (RRP £1.20) are a delicious new take on the original orange flavour. Alongside the traditional crackly dark chocolate and light sponge, you have a zingy, zesty, fruity blackcurrant flavour to get your teeth into. There are ten cakes in a pack and we polished them off in minutes !
Lindt Nocciolatte Milk Hazelnut/ Noccionoir Dark Hazelnut (RRP 2 x 85p) is a delicious chocolatey treat, whatever type of chocolate you prefer. Add whole hazelnuts and a smooth hazelnut praline filling and you end up with a lovely sweet treat. Yum!
Love Corn (RRP 70p for 1 pack, £16 for a pack of 24) is a crunchy corn-based snack that offers a tasty alternative to crisps. We got Cheese & Onion flavour which was lovely, but there are other flavours available too. They're plant based and gluten free, but best of all, they taste great and the kids loved them.
On to another snack that was wolfed down ... The Real McCoy's Fire Pit (RRP 2 x 90p). These crisps are inspired by the rustic flavours of cooking meat over an open fire and come in three varieties, Flame Roasted Peri Peri and Flame Smoked Chorizo (both in the box) and Flame Scorched BBQ Ribs. We all loved the robust, chargrilled flavours that really reminded us of summertime barbecues.
Pot Pasta (RRP 2 x £1.19) are the perfect snack or lunch option, especially for constantly hungry teenagers who need something quick when their bellies start rumbling ! From the Pot Noodle brand, they couldn't be simpler - just add hot water and five minutes later, you'll have a lovely-tasting snack to curb your hunger pangs. The pot offers "the taste of Italy" and there are three flavours available - Creamy Carbonara and Tomatoey Mozzarella, both of which were in the Degustabox and were given a thumbs-up by the kids, and Bolognese, which they now want to try too !
Smarties Chocolate Sharing Bag (RRP £1) is a great option that is sure to please - generations of kids have loved nibbling on Smarties and the Madhouse kids still love them, even as teens ! You get the same smooth milk chocolate covered in colourful crisp sugar shells, but now they are wrapped in paper packaging, perfect for recycling.
St Pierre Brioche Hot Dog Rolls (RRP £1.40 for 4) are perfect for a light lunch when it's too hot to cook. Forget sweltering in front of the oven, just fry or grill some sausages (and some onions, if you want to make them extra special), pop them in the buns (they're pre-cut, making it all even easier !) then slather on some ketchup or mustard. Delicious ! The brioche is beautifully soft and adds a lovely sweetness to your hot dogs. The kids loved these and asked if we could buy them again. Available at selected Tesco and Morrisons stores.
Taylors of Harrogate Coffee Bags (RRP £1.50) are an ingenious new way of making coffee in just two minutes without all the fuss. You get freshly ground coffee in a bag that works like a teabag for when you want proper ground coffee, but don't want to bother with the
cafetière. Sophie has been wanting to experiment with proper coffee so this is a great way to start.
This was a great box and we all loved everything, so I'm sure there are several brands that we'll be looking out for again the next time we go to the supermarket.
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 £9.99 - enter code PKUFE 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.
