Who could possibly say that having a box of food delivered right to your door isn't appealing? I spend an unholy amount of time wandering the aisles of Waitrose and willing myself not to buy something new that I just do not need. A recent trip home to Milton Keynes included a visit to the massive ASDA there where I gleefully skimmed the shelves for ingredients I may not be able to get on a regular daily shop (helloooooooo to a massive bag of chana dal). This month's Degusta Box* was true to form in its variety and surprise value; I had a whale of a time looking through as always!
Savoury
Jack Link's Beef Snack: Beef. Snack. Not generally two words I would put together happily, and to be honest after this, it's still two words that I'd dubiously connect. I've never really been a fan of beef jerky products which tend to be drier and tougher, whereas this was more chewy. It was like a more sturdy Pepperami and I can't say I really enjoyed it!
Melba Thins: When I saw this I did a full blown woop of glee! I absolutely love Melba thins, I have had a packet in my cupboard almost permanently since university as it's such a great quick snack. They are the perfect little savoury pick-up, especially as when I'm trying to eat healthy I find it so hard to find snack food with a proper crunch. I've been eating these with some light Philadelphia and slices of cucumber as office snacks and I couldn't be happier.
Schwartz Flavour Shots (Spanish Paella / Indian Mild Masala): Everyone seems to be jumping on the flavour shots train and they are a regular feature in Degusta Boxes. As I've said before, I prefer to make meals from scratch, so it takes more effort for me to try these than most other things. 'Mild' isn't really a word that I associate with curry, so I added a load of chillis to this meal! The basic flavours are definitely good and I do see the appeal of these for those who have less time or inclination in the kitchen.
Sweet
American Muffin Company Chocolate Chip Muffins: The big draw for these is that they are gluten free and wheat free, and in all fairness, I couldn't tell the difference between these and other American muffins. I don't really like these types of muffins - they just taste very manufactured, but if you do have allergies and you like this type of sweet snack, you're on to a winner.
Whole Earth Three Nut Butter: I'll be honest, the only time I eat peanut butter is when I put them into cookies. This butter is made up of cashews, hazelnuts and peanuts so it's not quite as tart, but it does still have a nice sweetness to it which is good considering there's no added sugar. Again, this is a great snack for the office with some apple slices.
Lily O'Brien's Cocoa Cookie Crunch: These are little clusters of sheer gluttony and I devoured them in what I think may actually have been seconds. They are more of a luxury, presented in pouches and served up in chunks that need three good bites to get through. There's the crunch of biscuit inside and creamy milk chocolate over the top - looking misshapen but tasting so bloody good.
Beet It Sport Pro-Elite Bar: A guy I know drinks beetroot juice before he goes to the gym. I cannot think of anything worse. These bars make it a lot more palatable but it's still not a Dairy Milk. Beetroot is apparently proven to lower blood pressure and improve sports performance and these are made to be eaten up to half an hour before exercise. I tried it, but it was very grainy and artificially sweet and with each bar being over 200 calories, I'm not quite on board yet.
Drinks
Peanut Hottie Hot Drink: I'm actually not new to the this peanut butter flavour hot drink as my stepdad is quite a fan. As I said before, I'm not the biggest fan of peanut butter and this is extremely peanut butter-y. I think this is a bit of a Marmite product: if you love peanut butter, you will fall over yourself to try this and undoubtedly will love it!
Laimon Fresh Soft Drink: I don't drink fizzy drinks, but I can occasionally be tempted by a Sprite, so I do love a lemon and lime drink. I am not a fan of mint flavours so I was worried that this would be a bit like drinking mouthwash. Actually, the mint only came as an aftertaste - I could kind of taste it as I breathed out, so it was a bit like having a Sprite and then having a chewing gum. They say you can mix it with white rum to make a mojito too, so this could be a good one for the Summer.
(I was sent the February Degusta Box for complimentary review and all opinions are honest and unbiased)
Peanut butter hot drink? What is this madness! I don't even like peanut butter but want some.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like peanut butter, you won't be a fan!
DeleteCx
I love Melba Thins too! The peanut butter hot drinks sounds...interesting! x
ReplyDeleteThat's one way of describing it, yes! Melba Thins totally rock my world.
DeleteCx
This looks like a fun box! Agree on the melba toasts, they were also a favourite uni snack which I still eat to this day! I love it with just a bit of butter or with pate! =D
ReplyDeletelucylovestoeat.com