Box gifted by Degustabox This is a PR box, this means there will sometimes be additional flavours or products than you’d get as a subscriber, I will highlight this within my post.
Another month and another cracking Degustabox delivery, as with last month there wasn’t a single product I didn’t enjoy and I wasted no time in getting stuck in.
Pure Leaf matcha teas are great, I love how they look and how they taste and they are doing wonders for helping my reduce my caffeine intake! The ginger flavour is especially good right now as it’s like a hug in a mug. Subscribers will receive one of three varieties in their box.I love this kind of snack, being the serial grazer that I am. Both verities of Real Handful trail mix are super yummy, and makes me feel virtuous even if the only hiking I ever do is the occasional walk to work! Subscribers will get either strawberry stomp OR blackcurrant blast. Both are delicious and I’ll be grabbing some more next time I am at Tesco. I’ve been drinking rather a lot of gin lately, and have had a lot of fun trying out new mixer/spirit combinations. Double Dutch are a new brand on me- I really liked the cranberry and ginger for a festive feel. Subscribers will receive both flavours.Peanut butter puffs sound like they might be disgusting, but trust me, they aren’t. They are vegan and gluten free, a nice and healthy(er) alternative to crisps and so far come in original or chilli flavour. I eagerly await the launch of banana, although my head keeps expecting something 100% savoury when I eat these.How great is this packaging? Simple, eye catching and very modern. Peanut butter and dark chocolate is such a winning combination in my book, and these bars are yum! They also donate 1% of their turnover to charity and contain lots of tasty nutrients. Subscribers will receive one of three flavours in their box, the others being peanut butter and coconut/peanut butter, raisin and dark chocolate.I don’t have much information on these Food Thoughts cacao melts but I can tell you I can’t wait to use them in some baking I’m doing next week…watch this space!
It took me a LONG time to appreciate marmalade, but now I enjoy it a lot, specifically on white toast with lots of butter. It’s good to see a prestigious brand like Duerr’s do a reduced sugar variant of the classic (and superior) spread. Less sugar without any compromise on taste. Subscribers will either get the half sugar variety OR fine cut Seville orange marmalade.This is literally a dairy-free nutella milkshake! Made with creamy coconut milk, both vegans and non vegans alike will enjoy this for sure. Out of curiosity I tried it heated up too…I recommend it. Highly.
Bob and I eat a lot of instant noodles for work lunches and both agree that Mr Lees are superior, both for their taste and the fact they have no hidden nasties. Subscribers will get either Coconut Chicken Laksa (Bob’s favourite) OR Zen Garden Vegetables (my pick) in their box.
This is an interesting little drink and I don’t really know how to describe it. It’s a low alcohol beverage which will be available in Fortnum and Mason from January. Made from berries, botanicals and cocoa it has 1% ABV and really needs to be tried to truly understand it.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought in the comments.
If you’re new to Degustabox, it’s a monthly food subscription box that gives you the chance to try new and exciting products on the market whilst providing amazing value for money. On a month by month basis the box costs £12.99 (with a discount for longer subscriptions) but the contents are generally worth far more than this as you can see if you do the maths.
If you’re persuaded to give Degustabox a go (and really, you should) you can claim a brilliant £5.00 off of your first box (making it just £7.99!) by entering the code XOQGC at the checkout. It’s been a pleasure to work with the brand regularly over the last couple of years and it’s without a doubt something that I will continue to purchase long after our partnership ends. I love the monthly surprise and excitement as well as the chance to discover products I’d otherwise pass up on the supermarket shelves.
By Kathrin Burckhardt and Julie Barnes, Cat in a Flat
Any excuse for a Pablo photo!
It’s nearly Christmas! Yes, the time of the year when we’re thinking about our loved ones and what will bring a big smile to their faces on Christmas day… Or at the very least, panicking that we’ve not been thinking about it at all and hastily scribbling to-do lists! To help you out a bit, Cat in a Flat has put together a hot-list of gift ideas for those cat lovers in your life!
Advent Calendar for your Cat
Start the festive season with a fun gift for your cat to count down to Christmas in the most entertaining way. Lily’s Kitchen charming, hand drawn Advent Calendar for cats whisks you into the world of a Christmas pantomime celebration with plenty of merriment and mischief! Each window of the theatre is generously filled with Lily’s Kitchen naturally wholesome treats.
Molecular Motifs
This necklace pendant is designed after the molecular structure of Nepetalactone which is the active compound found in Catnip. When a cat eats catnip, it acts as a sedative, but when smelled, it mimics feline pheromones and triggers those receptors causing kittens to go crazy! This gift I perfect for all those science-loving cat lovers out there. Wearing this will make them purr!
This beautifully illustrated tea towel is created by Amy Fenton who is a member of the ARTHOUSE Unlimited collective. The cats are printed in striking orange on 100% cotton will definitely brighten up any cat lover’s kitchen!
For the cat lover who wants to go away, without the guilt, give them a Cat in a Flat voucher; the gift of a trusted, kitty loving cat sitter. Ready to drop by and pamper your recipient’s furry loved one at agreed times during the days they are away, a cat sitter will follow specific cat caring instructions. That way you and your friend/family can be sure that their cat will be properly cared for and won’t get lonely while they are away.
For the Men
And here is a little gift idea for the extra special cat lovers in our family. The cat lovers that might not go as crazy and loud as the rest of us, but instead show it in their very own subtle way. You all know who we are talking about!
2020 Cat Calendar by Axel Scheffler & Friends
Looking forward to the new year, as a cat lover, who wouldn’t love planning their months ahead on a beautifully illustrated kitty calendar by Axel Scheffler (the illustrator of The Gruffalo) and friends? Available exclusively through CatInAFlat.com, all profits are donated to support endangered wild cats in the care of BornFree.org.uk. So, while you organise your life, you also get to save a life, win-win for all.
With all these Christmas ideas we’re sure cat lovers won’t be disappointed with their Christmas stocking.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kathrin Burckhardt and Julie Barnes are Co-Founders of Cat in a Flat. Cat in a Flat is a trusted cat-sitting community created by cat lovers for cat lovers. Its mission is to help cats stay in the comfort of their own homes by connecting cat owners with trusted, insured, local, cat-loving sitters.
Disclaimer: This is a guest post/advertorial for Cat in a Flat for which I received no compensation, I just so happen to love cats and have experience with the site having used them to look after our fluffy liability with great success, so I can personally vouch for them. I hope you enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago Bob and I took a trip up North for a week, to spend time with his family and friends and celebrate his 30th birthday. We packed a heck of a lot in to that week away, and one of the highlights was the visit we made to Castle Howard for their “Christmas at Castle Howard” event. The main reason for our visit was to show Bob’s mum some support for her first stint playing piano in the Great Hall, something she’ll be doing on various dates throughout the festive period. Not that she needed us there, she nailed it, and we were blown away by the grandeur of the house and it’s stunning grounds.
The theme for this year’s event was ‘A Christmas Masquerade’ and was created by Charlotte Lloyd Webber and Bretta Gereke. It’s hard to explain how decadent the house looked, so I’ll let the photos do the talking, it was great to learn some of the history of the castle and imagine how incredible their Christmas parties must have been!
If you find yourself near York with a yearning to do something festive then I 100% recommend visiting Castle Howard, the grounds are breathtaking too, and with coffee and good food on offer you can easily spend a whole day there (and of course, the pianist is amazing!)
