The clocks have gone back and the weather has completely changed this week, leaving us in no doubt that summer is a distant memory and autumn is definitely here. Luckily, we have Halloween and Bonfire Night to cheer things up a bit. Trick or treat? We were pleased to see that the latest Degustabox was full of treats to share !
This month's box had a Movie Night theme and the contents do fit in perfectly, with sweet and savoury snacks, including cinematastic hot dog buns, plus plenty of extras. Here's a quick peek at the contents of the box. Now let's have a closer look ...
Baker Street Drive Thru Originals 4 Classic Hot Dog Rolls (RRP £1.50) can be eaten straight from the pack or warmed up for a few minutes to make them taste even better apparently. We ate them as they were, stuffed with sizzling sausages, fried onions and tomato ketchup, and they were lovely. I particularly liked the fact that they are pre-cut, meaning that the kids can stuff their own hot dogs with no fuss or sharp knives needed. They benefit from long life so they are great as a simple meal option for Pierre at lunch times, if he wants to just add a couple of microwaved hot dog sausages or use up some leftover meat. The Madhouse kids said that these would be great in the classic French "sandwich américain" too - imagine an upgraded chip butty with a chopped up beefburger or sausage, ketchup or mayonnaise and freshly fried chips stuffed inside. Délicieux ! Available at Tesco's and selected convenience stores.
Nestlé Cheerios Vanilla O's (RRP £2.65) are a great breakfast option that appeal to kids (for the taste) and adults (for the nutrition). They are low in sugar (less than 5%), high in fibre and made with wholegrain but shh, don't tell the kids, they'll never realise ! They also have no artificial colours or flavours. They're tasty with milk for breakfast or just on their own as a snack. Available from Sainsbury's.
Get ready for this month's Product of the Month ! ... Mutti Passata (RRP £1.55) is a great product to keep in the kitchen cupboard for throwing together a quick meal with pasta or homemade pizza, as a sauce base with chicken or beef or even for adding depth of flavour to homemade soup. It's made from 100% Italian, perfectly sun-ripened summer tomatoes and its vibrant red colour, deliciously sweet flavour and smooth, velvety texture will keep everyone at the table happy.
Barebells Double Bite Caramel Crisp (RRP £2.49 - other Degustaboxers got Double Bite Chocolate Crisp) is a high protein bar with no added sugar. Covered in milk chocolate, it is a very tasty snack. Great if you're looking to increase your protein intake, but it's a bit on the pricey side for us to make it a regular snack option.
Maretti Oven-Baked Bruschette Chips (RRP £1.49) are a tasty snack option that make a nice change to crisps and come with a clever marketing ploy. Generously seasoned on one side only, Maretti are giving you a 2-in-1 snack with a choice of intense and mild taste (spices down for intense taste or spices up for mild one). This is great if some people in your family like spicy snacks more than others. We got the Tomato, Olives & Oregano flavour which was a big hit but they come in six different flavour options. Available at Iceland, Lidl, Ocado, Holland & Barrett and various local stores.
Newman's Own Blue Cheese Dressing Dip (RRP £1.75) is great for livening up salads but can also be used as a dip with vegetable sticks or tortilla chips. 100% of royalties and after-tax profits that Newman's Own receives from the sale of products are used for charitable purposes, including key charity partner Over the Wall, which provides free and fun activity camps for children with serious health challenges. Available at Sainsbury's.
Indie Bay Pretzel Thins (RRP 2 x 89p) are very tasty snacks and the Madhouse kids absolutely loved them. They are made using spelt flour in their dough, they come in at under 100 calories per bag and they contain 70% less fat and 100% more protein than your average crisp. We tried Lightly Salted and (our favourite) Barbecue flavour, which were both big hits. They are said to be good for dipping, dunking, topping, grabbing, snapping and crunching. We'll definitely be buying them again. Available at Morrisons, Ocado and Amazon.
Poppets (RRP 2 x £1) are a sweet that I remember from long ago trips to the cinema, but alongside the regular Toffee Poppets, we also got to try new Poppets Mix-Ups, featuring chewy toffee, sweet salted caramel fudge, crunchy malt balls and classic chocolate. Which one will you get? Well, it doesn't really matter as they're all very nice ! The classic toffee flavour now has a new softer, chewy texture and both bags were gobbled up by the whole family.
Pot Noodle Fusions (RRP 2 x £1.39) are great as a quick lunch or after-school snack for the kids. They love the regular instant noodles but were keen to try these latest flavours - we got Thai Green Curry and spicy Chilli Chicken but other Degustaboxers got Katsu. The kids loved the new Asian-inspired flavours and have asked to have some more in the cupboards for when they need a quick lunch. Available at Sainsbury's and Asda.
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Trio (RRP 99p) are one of Juliette's favourite sweets, so she was very happy to discover that they've made the cups bigger. Sweet milk chocolate and peanut butter - what's not to like ?!
Sempio Korean BBQ Bulgogi Stir Fry Sauce (RRP £1.20) is a tasty cooking sauce, featuring Korea's number one Sempio soy sauce as a base ingredient to provide a robust, umami-rich flavour. Just add to stir-fried vegetables and meat (chicken, pork, beef or whatever you fancy) and you'll have a tasty, exotic dish on your plate in minutes ! Available at H-mart and Oseyo supermarket, which has an online shopping option. We all loved the flavour and I loved the simplicity of the meal preparation.
Last but not least, V.I.Bs Indulgent Chocolate Cherry (RRP £1.79) is another Very Important Biscuit to join the range. Each biscuit is topped with a thin layer of caramel then chocolate and mixed into the flavour is a delicate hint of cherry. Very tasty and very moreish !
This was a very popular box with everything appealing to our taste buds. The kids loved nibbling on the sweet treats and the dinner options were both tasty and convenient. A winning combination ! There are definitely several brands that I can see us buying again.
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.
