How does it make you feel that this Degustabox* is from… last year!?
It makes me feel weird. More so, that it didn’t seem a huge leap into 2016 – the transition was quite painless. I haven’t even once wrote 2015 by mistake! Has anyone else found this?
I’ll be honest, this isn’t my favourite Degustabox. I’d like to see less store cupboard staples (come on, who cares about pasta) and more unusual or gourmet ingredients that will inspire me to cook up some quirky recipe.
Fabulous Bakers Mango & Pineapple Bars (£1.80)
These cereal bars are made with all natural ingredients, and contain no added sugar or artificial things – unlike a lot of cereal bars. Because it’s made with oats, it’s high in fibre and releases energy slowly, so you don’t get a sugar slump within an hour. I love the packaging; it makes it equally as attractive for Paperchase-d obsessed adults as it does kids.
Barilla Mediterranean Vegetables (£2.00) & Whole-Wheat Fusilli (£1.50)
See, these are the products I’m like – eh? I’m pretty certain we’ve had Barilla in past Degustaboxes, and I think you’d fail to find someone who has eaten pasta before, so I can’t say I was super impressed to see these. That being said, the sauce does sound nice; tomatoes, courgettes, aubergines and sweet peppers are all in the mix so it’s not your bog standard tomato sauce. One serving of pasta gives you 20% of your daily fibre, so great for those eating healthy.
Nuva Flavoured Water (2 x £1.49)
Another product I failed to get excited about, because, well… It’s water. More specifically, it’s spring water with no sugar, no sweeteners and no preservatives – essentially infused water without the hassle (or lemon pieces floating around getting stuck in your teeth which I HATE). I’m keeping these refrigerated for my next morning after, as I feel like they’ll be much more refreshing than plain water.
KoKo Dairy Free Coconut Milk (£1.70)
Now, this is a product I’m excited to see. I don’t have an issue with dairy but I am trying to keep my carbs down (I will be blogging about this at some point!) and so have been trying to find alternative milks. Do you know how hard it is to find a nice, non dairy milk? Rice milk is too watery, soya milk curdles in hot drinks, unsweetened almond milk is quite frankly, disgusting.
But coconut milk? It is amazing. Actually more delicious than milk, in my opinion, with less calories, carbs, zero cholesterol and is 100% allergen free. I’m in love, and I will actually be buying this again. Also, Starbucks now do coconut milk as an alternative so I can get it out and about!
Hip Pops (2 x £1.00)
Basically Pop Chips (which we’ve had in Degustabox in the past, I believe), these are made from potato and soya and are 50% less fat than standard crisps. Out of the six flavours, four are gluten free. I find these type of snacks can feel less filling (I mean, they are basically air right?) but you know when you want a snack but don’t need a snack? They’re perfect.
Nothing But Fruit Snack (2 x £1.69)
We’ve had freeze dried fruit before in Degustaboxes, and I am not a fan personally. I get why they would be good (especially for children), but I just don’t like the texture or taste. One pack is under 80 calories and counts towards your five a day.
Betavivo (2 x £1.00)
The packaging for this is quite deceptive; it’s actually a cereal, like the kind you eat with milk (coconut milk!?). Don’t worry, it comes in normal cereal boxes in real life. It’s basically a power cereal – it lowers cholesterol and blood glucose, so is perfect for anyone with high cholesterol levels or glucose interolerance (so pre-diabetic friendly!). All these claims are FDA approved too, so you’ll see this popping around in health stores everywhere.
Complete Energy Bites (£1.99)
Also something we’ve had (or similar), these are little lemon flavoured energy bites with a cup worth of caffeine. My two favourite things! Although you’d typically take these before exercising, they suggest having one before studying (thank god I no longer do that) or partying which is an excellent idea.
Crabbies Light Alcoholic Ginger Beer (£1.49) & Red Square Toffee Mini (£1.99)
Alcohol is so funny, the tiny shot is more expensive than the full drink. Bless. It’s quite hard to find alcoholic ginger beer, so obviously Crabbies have come to the rescue for those who are fans (my dad loves ginger beer so will be getting this!). I’ve had homemade toffee vodka before, and it is delicious for shotting – not sure what it would go well mixed with, but I bet it would go lovely in vodka jelly. Apparently it’s been distilled seven times, which seems excessive, but who am I too argue because it looks so damn cute.
So, yeah not my favourite Degustabox, but not a bad lot overall. I think they should stick to less snacks, more recipe-worthy ingredients, and steer clear of the water and pasta in the future. There are probably some people who totally disagree though, which is the beauty of subscription boxes – each month can cater to a different need or human.
If you do fancy trying out Degustabox, you can get £6 off with the code BLDEG15. Check out their website here!
