Somewhere in the middle of February I took delivery of the second Degustabox* of the year. I’ve been so busy lately that I did wonder when on earth I’d get a chance to open, let alone photograph the contents and taste, but thankfully now the days are getting longer and the light (a little bit) better I was able to get there in the end.

This box was a visual delight in terms of colours of the products and I was pretty excited by pretty much everything that I pulled out of the box. I had to pull in a few testers from elsewhere thanks to dietary restrictions and personal preferences but I’m pretty confident I’ve covered everything by now.

These Haribo Fruitilicious were passed on to my sweetie loving boyfriend for review, he’s having to watch his sugar intake right now but can never resist the lure of Haribo so the fact these contain 30% less sugar than their standard offerings was a real bonus. He rated the highly too, he did mention that they don’t taste quite like standard Haribo, but he’d certainly buy them again and really enjoyed them. Each bag costs £1.29.

My Mum’s eyes lit up when she saw the Tootsie Roll Midgees nestled in the box. These are one of her favourite treats which I often buy her if I see them in the shops over here. I love the retro look of the packaging, and the taste which I can’t quite describe. These didn’t hang around for long at all. RRP £2.50 per bag (I often pick them up for less in discounters such as B&M).

I think the KitKat is highly under-rated as a chocolate bar, it’s one of my all time favourites be it in it’s standard finger format, or the undoubtedly more satisfying chunky style. It’s always good to see brands come out with new flavours, and whilst New York Cheesecake doesn’t add anything hugely unique to the market (when you think it’s essentially vanilla) this is still a delicious and hefty snack. You’ll find these in all good retailers at around 65p each.

I’ve been a fan of fruit crisps for a while now and Emily Crisps is a favourite brand for the range of flavours and the gorgeous packaging. These crunchy red apple snacks are so good, I’ve been buying them constantly since the arrival of this box and they make an ideal snack to keep at my desk for day time energy boosts. They cost 99p a bag, so a bit of an indulgence, but super tasty.

The February product of the month was this raw granola from Primrose’s Kitchen. I passed this straight on to my Grandad as he is a granola enthusiast and a big fan of both beetroot and ginger- and I won’t lie, I just couldn’t get my head around this as a combination. He however clearly could and when I asked what he thought of this he gave two thumbs up. Packed full of nutrients thanks to the lack of cooking and good and wholesome ingredients I have no doubt this makes for a zingy start to the day (with plain yoghurt perhaps) but it’s not something I can yet convince myself to try. If you have tried this, am I being a massive wimp?

Now here was a product I could get my head around- cherry and almond is such a classic flavour combination and these snacks from The Protein Ball Co. look and sound infinitely appealing. Made from raw pitted dates, free-range egg white protein, sultanas and sour cherries these are a must try for anyone put off by artificial tasting protein snacks. Another luxury product at £1.99 each but a wholesome and delicious pick me up on the go.

I’m a serious savoury snacker and regularly graze on crackers and crisp breads during the working day. Dr Karg’s is a brand I’ve tried in the past and highly rate and these Emmental Cheese & Pumpkin Seed Crispbreads are no exception. I like them just on their own, but they’d be a good accompaniment to a winter salad or steaming bowl of soup too. £2.00 is a fairly reasonable price considering these are a cut above most savoury snack brands I’ve tried and they are widely available in supermarkets and health food stores.

These Pretzel Bites from Indie Bay Snacks are totally new on me- rare to find a savoury snack brand I don’t yet know! These are just like regular pretzel snacks but made from more wholesome ingredients such as spelt and quinoa to give a boost of protein and flavour. Sunflower wouldn’t be my first choice in snack flavours but these are moorish and tasty, although I’m a little put off by the £2.49 price point as the bag is pretty much only two servings for me.

Lastly we have True Nopal Cactus Water- I think by now everyone who’s read my Degustabox posts knows I won’t have tried these, being super fussy about what liquids I will consume. I was almost tempted though- it only contains 29 calories per 330ml serving (less than half that of coconut water) and comes from the juice of the Prickly Pear that grows on the Nopol Cactus. I may well come back to this product and pop a review up on Instagram as I am quite curious as to how this will taste- has anyone tried Nopol Cactus water and wants to give me some insight?

For those who don’t yet know, Degustabox* is 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 6HZJ8 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.
Let me know if you’ve tried any of these products and what you thought of them.