Degustabox- The August Edition

12th September 2015

Last month saw an un-scheduled break in my Degustabox posts so I’m extra excited to bring you this month’s reviews.

I’m sure that by now you’re all familiar with what the box is about, but just in case you’re not, it’s a monthly food subscription box that delivers a selection of new and surprise products to your door for the cost of £12.99 per one off box or £11.99 per month when you take out a bi-annual subscription. I’ve been reviewing the boxes over the last year and they never fail to impress me and get me eating outside of my comfort zone.

The August box has been my favourite for a while, there were some repeat items but as I loved them the first time around it was a pleasure to see them again!

Pasta and sauce is a great store cupboard staple for a quick and easy meal so the Barilla Penne Rigate and jar of Arrabbita sauce were a welcome item. I’m not sure how much one can say about pasta, or indeed about sauce but these two are a perfect match and the kick of the arrabbita is a nice twist on a plain old tomato sauce. Just add cheese for a quick and easy comfort meal (£1.50 and £2.00 respectively).

Bahlsen are a long time favourite of mine and I love trying out their latest releases. The PICK UP! biscuits have become a staple for my snacks and this new dark chocolate variety is just gorgeous- I love the bitterness of dark chocolate contrasted with the sweet biscuit (these are an Asda exclusive). Also in this month’s box was the Choco Leibniz White which I was yet to try, Leibniz biscuits are a staple in my household and these white chocolate ones (with a cocoa biscuit base) are just divine, well worth seeking out and quite possibly my new favourite.

More biscuits, yay! I’m such a biscuit fiend and this little selection from Walkers were perfect for taking to work for a mid-afternoon pick me up. The classic shortbread fingers were my favourites, I can never resist those but each of these variations are super tasty, thank goodness for portion controlled packs, that’s all I can say- the fruit & lemon are especially addictive.

On the drinks front this month there was a nice selection- bonus items from Little Miracles and Scheckter’s as well as the most posh looking tea from Willamson Tea which is well worth it’s £4 price tag. There is something so comforting about ginger, especially as the cooler nights creep in and this makes for a super soothing brew.

It was nice to see a baking mix in the box, Oaty Cookie mix from Delicious Alchemy promises sweet, syrupy flavoured 100% gluten free cookies with the addition of only butter and water. I’m yet to bake these thanks to bad planning on my part but I will report back once I do. Oaty cookies are my favourite kind and I might throw in some cinnamon and raisins to jazz these up further.

Another bonus item was the peach flavour Fru Snax which are nice enough but not my favourite flavour, that’s not their fault though, the concept is great and give me any other flavour and I feel a new addiction forming.

As is often the case there was a coconut water product in this month’s box as well, this time a mint flavoured one from Life Tonics. I’ve made it quite clear how I feel about coconut water in the past and haven’t tried this but I’m pretty sure that any coconut water lover would really enjoy the flavours and health benefits of this range.

Probably the most exciting product for me this month was the mug cake mixes from Dr. Oetker. In three flavours- lemon, chocolate chip and rich chocolate these are the perfect way to get a quick fix of cake in seconds. Ben and I had these one evening whilst watching TV. I tried the lemon one which was nice, I’m not a huge cake eater and didn’t have much to compare it to but how can you go wrong with warm, comforting sponge with a zesty twist? Ben had the chocolate chip version (pictured) and really enjoyed it. We used pretty big mugs for these so they look small but you get a really decent portion from the mix and they all clock in around 300 calories when using semi-skimmed milk so not too bad for a little bit of indulgence. Simply add 60ml of milk, stir and microwave for 70 seconds and enjoy. We’ll be buying these again, a bit of an extravagance maybe but we never get through a whole cake if we buy or make one!

If you received the box this month I’d love to read your thoughts- feel free to link to your posts below. If I’ve persuaded you that you might want to sign up then you can grab a cool £3.00 discount when you sign up using the code BQXK9

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Stir up your brew

11th September 2015

Oh tea, how I love you. Gone are the days where my coffee consumption reached double figures, I now have a bit of a better balance in my drinks diet- a coffee or three in the morning to get me going and then tea for the rest of the day. My teas of choice are either Yorkshire tea, Peppermint or English Breakfast although I do get more adventurous of I’m out somewhere with an extensive tea menu. I was recently contacted by Stir Drinks who specialise in refreshing tea blends packed full of friendly bacteria. Just one cup a day is all you need to keep your stomach cultures in check, a curious concept I think you’ll agree but one I was willing to give a go.

Teas c/o Stir Drinks

I opted to try the Peppermint and Breakfast varieties of the teas, with a box of 14 (a two week supply) costing £4.95. It sounds expensive but when you think of the cost of things like pro-biotics combined with the cost of ordinary tea bags it’s really not that bad.

My main concern with these was how the bacteria would effect the taste, it seemed implausible that anything like that could be added without being noticeable but I really haven’t picked up on it at all and if someone made me a cup of Stir I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between that and non daily cultured tea.

You can of course drink more than one cup of this a day but a single mug is plenty to keep your digestive health in check. My stomach does struggle quite a bit after years of abuse and things definitely feel happier since trying out these teas. I’m alternating between peppermint one day and breakfast whilst I try to work out a favourite, I’ll be ordering more of these in the future for sure and they will be appearing soon in high street stores too.

If you’re as curious as I was then Stir Drinks are offering 20% off your first order of their teas…

Let me know if you give them a try and what you think, I really didn’t know what to expect from these teas but as someone ever on a mission to improve her nutritional balance I’m pleased they are a success. Any other tips for digestive health? Leave them below.

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The Autumn/Winter trouser from Luxemme

10th September 2015

It may have escaped your notice but I don’t wear trousers very often. I find shopping for them a chore, trying to find the right fit, the right length and indeed the right colour is something that I just don’t have the patience for. Still, when I saw some burgundy beauties on new fashion brand Luxemme’s website I couldn’t help but take a gamble and attempt to break away from dresses and skirts as we move in to the cooler months.

Top: Primark | Trousers c/o Luxemme (get them here) | Boots: Linzi Shoes

I just love the colour of these and the Seventies vibe which I fully intend to carry on channelling as much as possible in to the new season. Fit wise, these are pretty spot on, I could do with filling them out a bit more but the length and drape are perfect and these will be a welcome addition to both my work and play wardrobe.

As I mentioned earlier Luxemme is a brand new retailer bringing Parisian chic to our shores. They have some really lovely pieces on their site at prices that don’t leave me reeling. My trousers cost £29.00 although they feel a lot more expensive (if that makes sense!) I’ve seen some of my favourite bloggers rocking some seriously gorgeous co-ord sets as well, I think this one is lovely and only £35.00! This is a brand to keep your eye on, I hope to add some more of their pieces to my collection in the not too distant future.

Where do you shop for the perfect trousers? Are you familiar with Luxemme yet?

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On the Rocks

09th September 2015

Another one of those sort of outfit posts where I show you some more local beauty. This time at the other end of the sea front in Clevedon, having gone exploring further than the river path that runs behind Ben’s road we came across this grassy ledge and decided to climb up and check out the views before heading on to Poets Walk, a lovely and gentle 2km route visit by many a famous poet over the last several hundred years. It’s one of our favourite ways to spend a Sunday afternoon when the weather is good, and although we hadn’t set out with the intention of taking outfit photos (hence the not quite put together outfit) it was too good an opportunity to miss, those views!

Dress: H&M earlier in the year | Shoes: Converse

This dress is the ultimate weekend throw on piece and if it was still available I’d probably buy a back up I love it that much. I wouldn’t usually wear it with Converse, at least not for blog photos but as that wasn’t really our intention I hadn’t thought to take my typical brown sandals from Primark with me.

I love having these kind of locations on Ben’s doorstep, I feel a bit less in a rut when it comes to getting outfit pictures now, although my back garden is still my default. I want to spend the rest of this year working on improving all aspects of my blog and upping my game with photography is definitely a major goal- I’ve got so many blogger “how to” posts saved in my bloglovin’, I find them so useful although slightly intimidating as reading makes me feel a bit clueless when it comes to most things blogosphere and I’ve been doing it since 2009!

I hope you enjoyed seeing a bit more of the places local to me, hopefully I’ll have another pretty place to share soon!

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#WeAreReady for Autumn with Boohoo

07th September 2015

Like it or not we’re pretty much in Autumn now. I can’t say I’m sad, Summer was a bit naff in the end with it’s lack of prolonged sunshine and I still have my holiday to look forward to catch some last rays before we are plunged back in to the shorter, darker days.

I was recently contacted by the folks at Boohoo about their new #WeAreReady campaign, focusing on all the best things about Autumn. I happen to think there is quite a lot to like about the Autumn months, I love going for a nice long walk on the weekends then coming home to curl up with a cup of tea and netflix to shake off the chill. I’m also a big fan of the fashion, there is nothing I like more than ankle boots, snuggly layers and cosy coats. Boohoo have an excellent selection of new arrivals to kick-start the season and it’s making me even more excited for that telltale chill in the air! I was sent my favourite piece to style up and thought I might as well create a little wish-list whilst I was at it.

Suedette Bomber c/o Boohoo (get it here) | Skirt: New Look (similar) | Black Camisole: Primark | Boots: Stylist Pick

I’ve been looking for the perfect casual jacket for the cooler days and this is it! I can’t remember the last time I owned a bomber jacket- it was probably in my early teenage years and I’m wondering how we were parted for so long. This is exactly the kind of outfit I’ll be living in out of work for the next few months, this skirt is a staple having seen me through the Summer and the jacket is the perfect way to give it a new season update.

I appear to have a bit of a thing for Suede right now as my entire Boohoo wish-list is made up of the stuff! No bad thing though, the Seventies trend is still going strong and I’ll be trying to embrace it as much as I possibly can. Now, when’s pay day?