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.

After the success of the January box, I did wonder if the February 2021 Degustabox would be able to reach the same level of success. In actual fact, I think it surpassed the first box of the year, with a theme of home comforts I really don’t think there was a single product in here that hasn’t been enjoyed by either Bob or myself over the last few weeks. Read on to find out our collaborative thoughts.

Before I became obsessed with almond milk, I went through a phase of only using Koko original milk in my porridge or cereal. I’m not vegan, but I hate the taste of cow’s milk so I always look for a plant based alternative. Getting a carton of this in this month’s Degustabox reminded me of how much I love the Koko original- it’s light and fresh and a little bit sweet. I’m definitely going to switch things up a bit and buy more of this. Available in all major supermarkets and independent health food stores for £1.50.

I’ve been a long time purchaser of BelVita breakfast biscuits, ever since they first launched in 2010; they are so handy for breakfast and snacking on the go, but I’ve never really taken the time to explore the other products in the range. The soft bakes are really rather nice, it’s hard to explain the texture, somewhere between and biscuit and a cake. They are also quite crumbly and not as sweet as you might think and certainly a lot more substantial than they look. These are something I’ll pick up again for sure, I preferred the chocolate flavour over the blueberry (surprise!) but at 60p per single bar I’d happily grab any flavour for an on the go snack. Available in most grocery stores.

On a weekday I always make Bob some toast before he goes to work (pretty sure this is why he’s marrying me!) and his topping of choice is nearly always jam. There’s a reason Hartley’s is the UK’s No. 1 jam; it’s fruity, it’s delicious and on white bread with melted butter makes for the ultimate comfort food.
When he’s not in the mood for jam Bob will sometimes have honey. He really liked this little pots of Hilltop Blossom Honey which will also be perfect for us to take camping with us over the summery- is there anything better than campfire toast?
The jam is £1.59 and widely available in all major supermarkets. The honey is 75p and again, widely available.

Growing up Pot Noodles were a rare treat and something I always coveted. It’s been years since I last had one and I’ve kind of lost track of the brand, but I loved the spin-off Lost the Pot Noodle. My preference was for the roast chicken, but both had a good hit of flavour and at 80p per pack they are a great lock-down lunch or emergency dinner option. Available in all major supermarket chains. I definitely need to hunt down a chicken and mushroom pot noodle too, for old times sake.

Here we have a few items that you’re likely to find in our store cupboard regularly (but we had actually run out of). We love the Very Lazy chopped chillies- we add them to stir fries mainly, and in place of fresh chillies where a recipe calls for them, it saves the pain of chopping and also saves waste as well.
Since we started batch cooking more (hello new freezer) stock pots have become a must-have for casseroles, soups and, well, just about everything really! I find the pots have more flavour than stock cubes and make a lot less mess; I’m yet to master the art of crumbling a stock cube!
Chillies £1.50 from all major supermarket chains (we also regularly buy and use the garlic). Stock pots 95p per two pack.

Snacks Snacks Snacks! I love snacks. Boka bars have been my favourite cereal bar since I first tried one a few years ago thanks to Degustabox. These bars have the perfect texture, taste amazing and score all green on the nutritional traffic lights. They come in 4 flavours and my favourite is hands down the choco mallow one. They cost 75p per bar or £2 for a pack of 4. Available from Sainsburys, Amazon or the Boka website.
The Bounce Almond Plant protein ball was also really, really good. Full of vegan protein, fibre and nut butter…all for under 160 calories. I’m hooked. £1.69 from Holland and Barrett, BP and WHSmith stores.

I’m not entirely sure you should mess with a classic, and nothing will ever beat the original Jaffa Cakes, but these new flavours were quite exciting. I was all over the cherry ones which Bob rejected in favour of the passion fruit ones. Both pair really well with the dark chocolate and iconic sponge base… I would happily eat both again but only if orange wasn’t available! £1.20 per pack from all major grocery store chains.

Love to share?! I do not love to share where these Milkybar Cookies and Cream bits are concerned. Creamy white chocolate with crunchy cookie pieces? I could eat these all day everyday if I wouldn’t wind up the size of a house. £1.59 from most major supermarket chains.

And finally we have a nice cup of tea! Eloments Vitamin Tea (Ceylon breakfast blend) is not only a delicious cuppa in it’s own right, but it also boats 9 essential vitamins including B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, B9, vitamin C and zinc. Wow. All derived from herbs, fruits and spices this is probably the hardest working brew you’ll have in your life! It’s also certified organic and fair trade. It costs £3.99 from Holland and Barrett & Ocado.

I hope you enjoyed this month’s round up. Let me know which products caught your eye the most and what some of your favourite festive snacks are.

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 £3.00 off of your first box (making it just £9.99!) 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.