Review: Degustabox Best of British (April)

I do love a themed Degustabox and I was excited to find out what was included in the April 'Best of British' themed box. Inside there was a fab mix of some classic brands such as Heinz and Ty-Phoo, alongside a discovery of interesting new products.

About Degustabox:

Degustabox is a monthly foodie subscription service that sends out 10 to 15 specially selected foodie products per box. There's always a great mix of new products that I haven't tried before, as well as plenty of treats from more established brands. Each Degustabox costs £12.99, delivery costs are included in the price, and there is no fixed contract involved. 

www.degustabox.com/en/

Here's a quick round up of all the products I received in the latest Degustabox:

Bulls-Eye NY Steakhouse BBQ Sauce: This is a very unique sauce - it's not smooth but has visible onions and peppers. It's essentially a cross between a relish and a sauce. It's also full of flavour and tastes almost homemade with plenty of natural ingredients and spices - it packs a zing at the end with a hint of heat too.

Slim Rice Sushi: This is made using Japanese sushi rice and konjac rice for lower calories. It doesn't need any cooking so can be used straight onto a nori sheet to make sushi. I will probably use it as a replacement for rice the next time I make a stir fry dish.

TyPhoo Tea: Typhoo has been around since 1903 and is a much loved British tea brand. As much as new products are exciting, I also love it when storecupboard essentials are included in the Degustabox - and they don't get much more essential (and British) than teabags!

Robinsons Pressed Pear & Elderflower: This is the perfect combination for a grown-up fruit cordial. My husband especially enjoyed the crisp fruitiness of the pear combined with the refreshing and delicate elderflower. I haven't been a fan of some of the flavours in this range so I was pleased with this discovery.

London Flavours Crisps: These hand-cooked crisps are available in three street food inspired flavours; Pho, Teriyaki & Sticky Ribs - I received the Street Food Pho. All flavours are suitable for vegans. I really enjoyed the texture of these, each chip is thick and crunchy, with a lovely tangy flavour too.

Candy Kittens Wild Strawberry: Ever since I tried these in a previous Degustabox, Candy Kittens have become my favourite brand of sweets. I always treat myself to a bag for movie nights or special occassions. The Wild Strawberry is up there with my favourite flavours, although I also love the Peach and Blueberry varieties too.

Crafted by Cracker Drinks Co: A new brand that I've never tried before. This is a fruit juice drink with no added sugar or sweeteners, packed in an environmentally friendly carton. It's a lovely tasting juice, very a gorgeous tropical flavour and not too sweet. I would definitely buy this again if I was out and about.

Pachamama: These vegan bars are made with a mix of cacao, dates, nuts, grains and seeds. I received two flaovurs; Andean Berries & Raspberry and Cocao & Cashew. The texture is very dense and packed full of ingredients. I preferred the slightly sweeter and fruitier hints of the Andean Berries variety.

Love Corn: These little vegan corn kernals are simply delicious. The barbecue flavour is absolutely delicious and perfectly matched to the natural crunchy corn. This was my favourite snack in the whole Degustabox.

Heinz: I'm sure I don't need to describe either Heinz Baked Beanz or Heinz Tomato Soup as they're both classics. Funnily enough I have never tried the Organic version of the Baked Beanz or the convenient microwavable pot for the Tomato Soup so it was still fun finding these in the Degustabox.

Skinny Food Co - Not Guilty Bites: Interesting little packs of high protein White Chocolate or Milk Chocolate Crispies. These seem to be made with soy flakes and have a similar appearance and texture to traditional rice krispies. Each pack has about six bites and comes in under 99 calories. 

Nestlé Oat Cheerios: Another grocery classic that I buy regularly. Nestlé Cheerios are one of my kids' favourite cereals and we're fans of this Oat variety too.

Once again I enjoyed the selection of surprise groceries in this month's Degustabox - there were plenty of new brands to discover. I was especially happy to find the Love Corn, London Flavours Crisps, and Candy Kittens. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this months Degustabox in the comments below.

For more details:
Degustabox website: www.degustabox.com

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DegustaboxUK
Follow on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DegustaboxUK

I received a Degustabox in order to provide an honest review.

Around The World: Macedonia: The Pelagonia Range - Aivar

Another great find at the BBC Good Food Show a couple of weeks ago was the award winning Pelagonia Range - The Macedonian Kitchen. This range encompasses jars of traditional meze, stuffed red peppers, and vegetable jams. It was hard to choose which gorgeous looking jar to get (I was very tempted by the Pumpkin Jam!) but I finally decided on the Aivar - a traditional combination of sweet roasted red peppers, roasted aubergines, and spices. I'm including this in my Around the World Challenge (well over the halfway point now!), and am very pleased to have found a product to represent the Republic of Macedonia. 

I looked to The Pelagonia Range recipe blog for ideas on using my jar of Aivar. As a fan of falafels I quickly settled on this recipe HERE - Baked Falafel Wrap With Aivar. I used the recipe as the inspiration to put together some delicious wraps using ready made falafels. Unfortunately home made ones are currently beyond me as we're in the middle of building works and I have no kitchen - I'm definitely missing my oven the most! 

My finished wrap was simply heavenly. I started with a base layer of Aivar, added a few sprigs of watercress and rocket, three small falafels, and finally an extra helping of Aivar (couldn't resist!). The picture above shows the magnificent colour of the Aivar, it's nothing like the sad jars of sauces and condiments that I usually see. The Aivar is vibrant and flavourful, tasting of the delicious red peppers with the added creaminess from the roasted aubergines. The whole family enjoyed the flavours, and they've all requested that I make these wraps again soon!

The Pelagonia Range is available online and at Waitrose. http://www.pelagonia.co.uk/

Grocery Gems Verdict: Pelagonia Aivar

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Price: £3.59 (Waitrose)

Dolmio Lasagne Sauces Review

A few months ago I was sent two ginormous bottles of Dolmio Tomato Sauce and Creamy Sauce for Lasagne to try. I held back on opening them until I happily realised that the sauce could be frozen - so I could use what was needed and freeze the rest in individual portions.

I have used these sauces to make lasagne many times before, and even though I'm perfectly capable of making a tomato sauce for pasta and a basic white sauce from scratch, I find the Dolmio versions create prefect results and are just so easy to use. I'd like to say I only use them on busy days when I don't have time to put together a proper meal, but the truth is I'm more likely to reach for the jars on days when I'm just too knackered to cook.

The Dolmio Creamy Sauce for Lasagne is always successful in creating a delicious lasagne that all the family can enjoy, and guarantees that they all go back for seconds! Both sauces are also extremely versatile and can be used to create many different pasta based meals.

The above photo shows what I think of as fast food - a pasta bake with anything you like added, and some Dolmio sauce on top to make it all taste delicious. It's a great way to use up all kinds of leftovers and takes no time at all to put together. To a large oven dish I added some par boiled fusili pasta, any veg I had going (in this case courgettes, red peppers, mushroom), then I added some chunkily cut sausages (that's what I had in the fridge but it could be chorizo or chicken), threw some black olives in, and covered the lot in the Dolmio Tomato Sauce for Lasagne. I then grated some cheese over the top and let the oven take care of it for 15 -20 minutes. Served with some salad, or crusty bread, it's a fast delicious family meal that's better than buying a ready meal or takeaway.

To make things even simpler, I also spotted this Dolmio Original Lasagne Kit in the supermarket recently for £2.00. It's a boxed kit similar in size to the Mexican dinner kits that are extremely popular. This Lasagne kit comes with the tomato sauce, creamy sauce and 9 pasta sheets needed to make a lasagne. Just add the mince and cheese.

I was sent the Dolmio Lasagne Sauces for an honest review and all views expressed are my own.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Dolmio Lasagne Sauces

RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes, I always keep a few jars in the food cupboard.
Purchased: Available at any supermarket (although in a smaller size!).
Price: £1.98 (but often on half price or multibuy offers).

New Heinz Spoonable Tomato Ketchup Review

Heinz have recently shaken up their famous range of Baked Beans but now they have decided to update their classic Tomato Ketchup too. Say goodbye to desperate attempts to tease the ketchup out of it's glass bottle because now you can just grab a spoon a delve straight in! Heinz Spoonable Tomato Ketchup comes in two varieties; Balsamic Vinegar, Basil & Oregano and Roasted Garlic, Thyme & Honey.

This range is described by Heinz as "rich, thick & full of flavour". The consistency of these sauces is a lot thicker than standard sauces, making it perfect for spooning out. The colour is darker too, with flecks of the herbs visible. The Heinz Tomato Ketchup Balsamic Vinegar, Basil & Oregano has the instantly recognisable sweet and tangy Heinz Tomato Ketchup flavour but with added depth from the balsamic vinegar. The basil and oregano give it a rich Italian flavour which would make this a perfect addition to many Italian meals. 

The depth of flavour means that this is not only good as a side sauce to meals, but would also be great to use in pasta sauces or pizza bases to give an extra boost of flavour and sweetness.

The Heinz Tomato Ketchup Roasted Garlic, Thyme & Honey is delicious too. The tomato ketchup flavour dominates at first but is instantly followed by the rich taste of the added garlic and thyme. The honey flavour follows at the end leaving a lingering sweetness. None of the flavours are overpowering, but they add an extra dimension to the thicker sauce.

The labels says that these sauces are excellent with beef, chicken and fish but however you currently like to enjoy your ketchup then just substitute it with this spoonable version; I can tell you right now that they taste amazing with chips and on a burger! I'm sure that these sauces, with their glass jars, will appeal to people who shudder at the thought of a plastic bottle at the dinner table. It's not a problem that bothers me, the more condiments the better is always my motto, but even I have to admit that these jars would look nicer at a gathering.

The Heinz Spoonable Tomato Ketchup 300g jars normally cost £1.79 but they are currently on offer at Tesco for £1 so it's time to stock up!

Patak's Bengali Coconut Stir Fry Sauce

It's National Curry Week (8-14 October) and in celebration here's a lovely new way to enjoy a curry. I love cooking Indian food, but it can sometimes take too long, especially on weeknights. I usually keep a few Patak's jars in the cupboard for making quick chicken based Indian meals. They certainly cut down on the amount of time spent on preparing the meal and they still taste great. I was instantly drawn to the new Patak's range of Indian Stir Fries because the flavours sounded absolutely delicious. There are three varieties; Bengali Coconut (mild), Punjabi 5 Spice (medium) and Goan Hot & Sour (hot). If you've read my blog before then you won't be surprised to read that I went for the Bengali Coconut variety for my first try, I love coconut flavours!
 
The idea behind these Indian Stir Fries is to take the flavours of India and use them to create a quick and easy stir fry dish. I often cook Chinese stir fries at home so this is something that really appeals to me. With this new Patak's stir fry range you simply stir fry some chicken and fresh vegetables and then add the sauce. Completely simple and fool proof. The instructions on the back of the pack suggested using chicken and red peppers to create the Bengali Coconut stir fry but it would be easy enough to adapt to whatever meat, fish or vegetable combination you want to use. I used the suggested chicken and peppers but also added some chick peas simply because I love the taste of chick peas in Indian food. I served the stir fry with buttery basmati rice, a few naan breads and a good dollop of natural yogurt.

The Bengali Coconut sauce is described as "mild" and with a "subtle taste". I loved the taste of the creamy coconut and the delicate spices. This is a flavour that the whole family can enjoy as it is not too spicy or hot, it was thoroughly enjoyed by both my kids. I will definitely be buying this again, it is great for those busy midweek days. They are currently on offer in Sainbury's for only £1.00 each and I've already bought the Punjabi 5 Spices to try.

The sachets come in 140g packs and are perfect for a meal for two. The ingredients in the Bengali Coconut Stir Fry are; Coconut Cream (36%), Water, Sugar, Tomato Puree (5%), Pineapple Crushed (5%), Pineapple Juice, Citric acid, Chinese Rice Vinegar (3.5%), Minced Chilli Paste (3.5%), Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Red Onion (3%), Modified Maize Starch, Light Soy Sauce (2%), Ginger Puree, Vegetable Oil. 

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of this range. How will you be celebrating National Curry Week? :)


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Heinz Tomato Ketchup Indian Spices

This Limited Edition Indian Spices Ketchup from Heinz has been around for a few months now. I first bought a bottle back in May but then it just seemed to disappear from all my local shops. I finally found another bottle on a recent visit to Waitrose and made sure to stock up on a few bottles!

If you are expecting a spicy or hot sauce then you will be very disappointed because this ketchup has no heat in it at all. There are no chillies or peppers in the ingredients. Instead the Indian flavour comes mainly from the addition of the spices cumin and coriander. These are two flavours that I use a lot in my cooking, both as herbs and seeds. My eldest son for example loves rice that has been fried with butter and cumin seeds. He actually isn't a big fan of ketchup (which is rare amongst boys his age!) but he loves the taste of this Indian Spices ketchup, probably because he loves the flavour of cumin.

This ketchup has a lighter and more orangey colour than regular ketchup. The Indian flavours are quite subtle and not overpowering but they still change the ketchup completely. They give a whole new depth and sweetness to the tomatoes and vinegar. This sauce is obviously fantastic with chips but I've also tried it with chicken and it was divine.

My husband was a bit more skeptical about this sauce. He would have preferred something with more of a heat kick to it but there are plenty of sauces like that already on the market. Heinz has created something very unique with this Indian Spices sauce and I don't know if I can ever go back to the normal stuff again!

 The full ingredients are Tomatoes, Spirit Vinegar, Sugar, Salt, Cumin (1%), Coriander (1%), Onion Powder, Spices, Roast Garlic Extract.