Wednesday 5 August 2015

Degustabox July Box

Degustabox July Box has been delivered a few days ago, and it looked as exciting as the previous food boxes, with plenty of new food and drink products to try and discover. This month's selection picked by the experts from Degustabox is varied and irresistible. From 12 products which arrived this time, I was familiar with just one of them - Geeta's Premium Mango Chutney. While I know Lambrini and Weetabix as popular brands, I haven't tried yet their new additions to the range.

If you haven't tried Degustabox before and would like to order it, I have a discount code for my blog readers which offers you £3off. It is valid until the end of October.
The code is S1BBG
Each Degustabox costs £12.99 per month including delivery, a very reasonable price. There is no fixed contract, and you may cancel at any time. With the discount code above, your box will cost £9.99 (including delivery).

What did we find in the box?


We started sampling the snacks first.
Taking the Pea is the UK's first impulse range of flavoured peas. Foil fresh English grown peas provide more protein than crisps and less fat than nuts. They are a source of high fibre, and contain less than 145 calories per packet. I absolutely loved them, and will be definitely on the lookout for them in the shops, as I'd love to try the whole range. We tried a Smoked Ham flavour. The peas were crunchy, salty, with a satisfying savoury flavour. I'm licking my lips as I write this, they were so good.


Another product which got top marks from us was Fru Snax. We tried Strawberry slices with raspberry yogurt melts and Fig slices with cherry yogurt melts, and loved both flavours. At 50 calories per pack, they are a totally guilt-free snack. A lovely treat for both kids and adults alike.


I wasn't sure if my younger son would like the freeze-dried figs, as he's a fussy eater, but he has polished a pack of Fig slices with cherry yogurt melts, and asked if we had more of them.


Strawberry slices with raspberry yogurt melts disappeared in 60 seconds as well. Not surprising, as they are really lovely, with concentrated strawberry flavour of dried berries and sweet yogurt melts. Totally lush, both flavours. I'll definitely buy them when I see them in the shops.



Say Yes to No has a very ambitious philosophy, as not only they say No to artificial flavouring and additives, they also endorse a No-policy to empty promises and marketing lies, photoshopping images and phoney advertising. These are toasted bread chips which come in different flavours. We have tried Sour cream and onion chips. They were crunchy, well toasted and thin. Though we munched a packet of chips as they were, I think they might make a lovely substitute for croutons in a salad.



Tasty Little Numbers was another food discovery for me. I received two meals in pots - Chilli beef con carne and Chicken Tikka Masala. Both pots contain 200kcal, thus making them perfect for anyone who's counting the calories. You can actually have two of them in one day if you follow 5:2 diet, thus leaving 100kcal for breakfast.


Tasty Little Numbers Chilli Beef Con Carne is made with British beef, tomatoes, red kidney beans, onion, tomato puree, red peppers, camargue red rice, garlic, sea salt, olive oil, cumin, black pepper, coriander and chilli powder. Each pot contains 200kcal. It was prepared by slow cook method. It didn't disappoint. The portion though small in size, was perfectly filling, and with a side dish of salad it will make a lovely lunch or dinner.


Tasty Little Numbers Chicken Tikka Masala is made with British chicken, onion, tomato puree, brown basmati rice, tikka curry paste and lots of spices and herbs. It was quite mild, but flavourful.


Moving on to the drinks. Most of us are familiar with Weetabix as a cereal. But it's the first time we tried Weetabix on the go breakfast drinks, which contain protein and fibre of Weetabix. It tastes like chocolate or vanilla milk shakes-smoothies, quite thick and smooth. I found them too sweet to my palate, but my men who all have a sweet tooth, appreciated the sweetness. This is a breakfast on the go for busy people who don't have time to sit at the table for breakfast.


I'm not the biggest fan of protein shakes or drinks, but I can see a great potential for these drinks for either busy people or those who due to a condition have difficulties swallowing food that needs to be chewed. Or for anyone who just loves milk shakes and smoothies.


Newton's Appl Fizzics is a blend of an apple juice with sparkling water. It doesn't have any artificial ingredients, preservatives or added sugar. It is pleasantly refreshing, with just a hint of sweetness and plenty of fizz. It contains 40% less sugar that a standard apple juice. Lovely chilled.


I cannot recollect when it was the last time I had a glass of Lambrini, but it must have been when I was much younger. Lambrini has recently unveiled a fresh new look and released a new So Strawberry drink. It is a light fizzy wine-style drink, fruity and sweet, and actually pretty good as a dessert wine. I was pleasantly surprised with a new strawberry drink. I recently made a grown up jelly with Rekordelig, and think that So Strawberry would be a great base for another grown-up jelly.


Tastes differ, and some products we liked more than the others. Alas, there are also some products which fail to impress us. It might be an acquired taste, but I struggled with VitVibe Collagen Jelly with Vitamin C. The taste was quite sweet, and the texture was weird. It was like pieces of jelly in a sweet syrup. It might be super healthy, but it's not for me. I'm sorry, but I couldn't finish it. I'd love to know what the other testers thought of it.


And now we come to the product which has been selected as Db's Discovery of the month - a splendid Geeta's Premium Mango Chutney. If you like mango chutney, this is The Chutney to buy. I don't buy the chutneys that often, as I have a zillion of jars to go through from all the apple chutneys I make, but when I do, I go for Geeta's.
Flavourful, zingy, full of spices, this is a delicious preserve which could be eaten in so many ways.
Perfect with a cheese board and oat crackers, or baguette sandwiches with soft melty brie. Great with cold meats or in marinades for BBQ.



Just the other day I cooked some chicken with some pineapple chunks and two heaped tablespoons of Geets'a mango chutney, and very tasty it was.


I also made a dressing with the mango chutney for a prawn salad. Try it, if you like seafood, the combination of flavours is pretty good.
How do you like to eat your mango chutney?


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Degustabox: I received a free monthly box for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.

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