It feels like an absolute age since I last did a Degustabox* post, although in reality I only skipped one month and that was due to the chaos of moving house. It’s good to be back, and with a bang as November’s festive themed box was a great one, packed full of fantastic products (although I’m not 100% sure how festive it really was!)

I’m a year round soup enthusiast and I was already familiar with this month’s product of the month- organic chunky tomato and organic lentil vegetable soups from Amy’s Kitchen. I prefer fresh soups when possible, but when it comes to tinned ones Amy’s Kitchen is a brand I trust and gravitate towards. They are pricey at £1.80 per can but totally worth it, full of flavour and 100% organic- my favourite is the lentil and vegetable with some fresh crusty bread for dipping.

I say this every time but my savoury tooth trumps my sweet one most of the time and I’m always down for trying new products. Emily Veg Crisps sweet potato sticks are a fairly new addition to the Emily range, and my favourite product in their range from here on out. The sea salt stands out by a mile for me, I prefer simple tastes, but the chilli and lime are also delicious. Find this in stores for around £1.00 per pack.

Jack Daniels and I go back a long way, and most of my night out horror stories involve JD and diet coke in some capacity (or in one memorable incident, a litre of JD straight…I was later fished out of a wheelie bin). I’ve avoided it for several years now, being a more sensible woman than I once was, but I like the idea of being able to get it in a single serving can- Bob and I have these stashed away for over the festive period. £2.00 per can – an ideal price for keeping dignity intact.

I’m rarely without a bottle of tabasco sauce in my cupboard- it’s just so versatile! I love it on a salad or pizza, mixed in to scrambled eggs and I’m betting it’s a great way to spice up a festive prawn cocktail! This year the brand are celebrating it’s 150th anniversary- the perfect excuse for a tabasco infused Bloody Mary!
I’m not quite sure what stock pots have to do with Christmas other than they are a great store cupboard addition and one I always keep on hand. I use them a lot in soups, and find the pots much easier to use than stock cubes. Kallo have the added bonus of being fully organic and free of nasty MSG and artificial ingredients- worth the £1.80 price tag.

Moving on to some more festive items, first we have Jules Destrooper Almond Thins & Belgian Chocolate (£2.19). These are utterly divine with a cup of strong coffee so great for serving when guests come round. They are also luxe enough to be at home in a festive food hamper.
Reese’s are also on to a festive winner with their peanut butter snowman (£3.00) which I passed straight on to my dad now he’s discovered how good the peanut butter cups are! This is a great stocking filler idea, or an indulgent treat to yourself after a long day Christmas shopping!

Oh a healthier note we have a coconut bar from Nick’s (£1.45). This is a naturally sweetened coconut bar covered in milk chocolate, with no added sugar this is basically a more virtuous version of a Bounty. A classic combination and a good idea for popping in to the stocking of someone trying to be good.

I’m puzzled as to what a kid’s breakfast product has to do with Christmas but whatever! We haven’t actually tried these as they aren’t really our thing- if you have given these a whirl I’d love to know your thoughts.

I also haven’t tried the Cranberry Marshmallows from Mallow and Marsh yet as I haven’t seen these in any shops near me and I want to put some out at Christmas as Bob and I are hosting both days (are we mad?!) I’ll pop a review up on social media over the festive season though – I love this brand and I know they’ll be good!

Finally we have The Bees Knees non alcoholic sparkling wine- this is a vegan friendly alternative to sparkling wine, made from grapes and green tea. It’s vegan, gluten-free and low in sugar and calories and definitely the kind of thing I’ll be keeping on hand over Christmas.

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.