Degustabox August Review & a £7 Discount Code

My August Degustabox actually arrived in early September as I had to delay the delivery (I was on holiday when it was due to arrive). I love how easy it is the reschedule the Degustabox delivery if the time and date isn't convenient. Anyway, as usual the Degustabox was once again packed full of new foodie products that I can't wait to try.  

Discount Code: BLDEG15

Degustabox is a monthly foodie subscription service that sends out a range of specially selected foodie products. 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 £12.99p, delivery costs are included in the price, and there is no fixed contract involved - you can cancel at any time.

The discount code has been increased and now offers a massive £7.00 off, bringing the cost to £6.99 delivered. Check out the Degustabox website below and enter the discount code: BLDEG15

www.degustabox.com/en

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

Willy Chase's Fit Corn: I've never heard of this brand before but the bright packaging and interesting flavour made it instantly appealing. There were one of four possible flavours in the Degustabox: Apple Cider Vinegar, Smokey Bloody Mary, Goats Cheese, Onion & Thyme or Salted Honey. I'm definitely pleased with the flavour I received! The combination of sweet honey and salty flavours worked together perfectly.

NutriPot: Another new brand to me which I'm always keen to try out. The NutriPot are designed to be healthy and nutritious, with each pot containing 50% of all the 28 vitamins and minerals your body requires every day. I received two flavours that are both simple to make by just adding boiling water. The Aromatic Thai Noodles has a slightly spiced flavour while the Moroccan Couscous is flavoured with sultanas and herbs. 

Clipper Lime & Ginger Green Tea: I've only recently become a convert to lemon flavoured green tea. I'd always assumed it wouldn't be for me but I tried a cup at a friends house and became hooked. This Lime & Ginger flavour works just as well with the lime added a refreshing sweetness and the ginger providing extra warmth. Lemon green tea is still my favourite but I would buy this one if I fancied a change.

Dorset Cereals Bircher Mix: Bircher Muesli is traditionally made in Switzerland by soaking oats overnight in juice and yogurt and adding grated fruit. The Dorset Cereals Bircher Mix came with a little scoop for measuring out the perfect portion, and is then made by adding 60ml of apple juice, a spoonful of yogurt on top and refridgerating for 30mins (or overnight) in the fridge.

The result is an absolutely delicious and creamy muesli that is packed full of fruity flavour. I've never had oats made with apple juice before and now I just can't stop! It's become my favourite breakfast and I've had it every day since I first tried it. I'll be buying this regularly from now on.

Mahou Cinco Estrellas Lager: This lager is produced in Madrid and has a history going back 126 years. It's available in most supermarkets such as Asda, Sainsbury's and online at Ocado. My dad loves this one!

Get More Multivitamins: This drink is made with spring water, natural flavours and no added sugar. There are six different flavours available and I received the Sparkling Lemon & Lime. It's a refreshing drink with a flavour similar to a diet lemonade. I preferred the Still Mango & Passionfruit version which I tried in a previous Degustabox.

Fentimans Sparkling Lime & Jasmine: I'm a fan of Fentimans' botanical drinks, especially their Curiosity Cola. This Sparkling Lime and Jasmine is new to me so I was excited to give it a try. The initial flavour is quite sharp, with the citrus notes kicking in straight away and quite a sour taste overall.

Rakusen's Snackers: Available in Plain and Gluten Free varieties. These Snackers are less than 1% fat and have seven calories per cracker. The ingredients in both are very simple, resulting in quite plain tasting crackers - a bit like water crackers. They're very crunchy which makes them good for dipping and topping.

Geeta's Curry Pastes & Chutney: There were three different products from the Geeta's range in the Degustabox. The curry pastes, a Tikka and a Rogan Josh, are quite small so are ideal for two rather than for family meals. The Premium Mango Chutney is an award-winning chutney that is sweet, tangy and full of flavour.

Tabasco Sauce: My other half was very pleased to find this in the Degustabox. He loves trying out different barbecue sauces - any excuse to fire up the BBQ! This Sweet & Sticky Barbecue sauce and marinade has a rich and smokey flavour and works well on ribs and pulled pork.

Capsicana Latin Flavours: Capsicana Cook Sauces are available in three Latin American inspired flavours; Peruvian Chilli & Lemon, Brazilian Chilli & Coconut, and Mexican Chilli & Honey. This looks like a fabulous new range and the flavours all look really appealing. I'm looking forward to giving these one a try, I'll probably use it with chicken but it can also be used with fish or vegetables. The Capsicana range is now available at Waitrose.

Overall, I really enjoyed the surprise selection in this months Degustabox. There was a wonderful mix of useful items and many new brands. I also received a packet of Oloves which I've reviewed previously here - Oloves Olives Review. My favourites this month were the Clipper Tea, Tabasco BBQ sauce, Chase's Popcorn and the amazing Dorset Cereals Bircher Mix.

For more details on Degustabox:

Degustabox website: www.degustabox.com/en

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.

Review: Tic Tac Popcorn

It's been a while since my last Tic Tac review but I couldn't resist this new special edition Popcorn flavour. It's certainly a surprising concept/product pairing! 

The actual flavour is very strange at first because it's almost like sucking on a sugary popcorn kernel - it's a mellow and sweet popcorn taste in one small candy. The popcorn flavour is surprisingly authentic, not buttery as such, but very sweet and quite 'toasty'. They're not minty at all but I liked the fact that the popcorn taste does give way to a more refreshing sweetness towards the centre. 

Grocery Gems Review: Limited Edition Tic Tac Popcorn Flavour

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Purchased: Local newsagent.
Price: £0.50p for 18g.

New Instore: Butterkist Hot Cross Bun Popcorn

A big thank you to Richard W. who sent me this photo via Twitter.

Butterkist Limited Edition Hot Cross Bun Popcorn: Butterkist released a Gingerbread Popcorn at Christmas (which I have to admit I never got around to trying) and have followed it up with this cheerful Easter edition. It's a limited edition so give it a try while you can! Purchased at the Cadbury outlet in Braintree, Essex but should be in supermarkets soon!

If you spot this one instores then let us know where it's available in the comments below. Also, if you've tried it then I'd love to know whether you whether you enjoyed it. Thank you :) 

New Instore: Butterkist Gingerbread Popcorn & Fox's Chocolatey Mousse Biscuit Bars

Thanks to Lucy W. for the photos!

Butterkist Limited Edition Gingerbread Popcorn: I've been looking for this in various supermarkets for a few weeks now and finally found it today in a discount store where everything costs £1. Lucy was able to get her pack for a far more bargainous price of 69p at B&M Bargains. I'll have a review soon.

Fox's Chocolatey Mousse Biscuit Bars: Lucy also sent me this photo of these new Fox's biscuits - the Fox's Chocolatey Dark Chocolate & Raspberry Mousse Biscuit Bars. Apparently they are also available in a lemon variety. If you've tried these then let me know what you thought in the comments below - thanks! Spotted at B&M Bargains.

Many thanks again to Lucy W. If you've spotted any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email grocerygems@gmail.com or tweet me @grocerygems.

New Instore: Cadbury Rudoph & Robin Cakes & More.

Cadbury Rudolph & Robin Cakes: The Cadbury Christmas range that I've seen so far seems fairly similar to previous years. These Rudolph & Robin Cakes have a cute design and are described as a chocolate flavoured sponge layered with white chocolate creme, covered in milk chocolate and finished with white chocolate decoration and a light sweet dusting. £1.00p at Co-Op.

Image: Cadbury

Cadbury Festive Cake Selection: The Rudolph cakes also seem to feature in this new Festive Cake Selection Leave One for Santa. There are ten cakes in each box, including one with Santa's name for Christmas Eve! £3.00p at Morrisons.

Kellogg's Coco Pops Seasons Greetings Box: Staying on the Christmas theme, look out for the new festively decorated boxes from Kellogg's. So far I've spotted three different ones. £2.00p at Sainsbury's.

Kellogg's Rice Krispies Seasons Greetings Box: This box is just the cutest and I've already picked up a box. Even though my kids are not really keen on Rice Krispies as a breakfast cereal they won't say no to Rice Krispies treats! £2.00p at Sainsbury's. 

Kellogg's Corn Flakes Seasons Greetings Box: Finally, a very retro looking box for Kellogg's Corn Flakes with a jolly laughing Santa and plain white background. If you spot any other festive Kellogg's boxes then let me know via the details below - thanks! £2.00p at Sainsbury's. 

Müller Corner American Classic Raspberry Cheesecake Brownie Yogurt: This latest limited edition yogurt was spotted by Lucy W. in Tesco. Many thanks for the photo Lucy! It's described as a cheesecake flavour yogurt with a raspberry layer and chocolate brownie pieces. £0.68p at Tesco.

Boots Delicious Cranberry, Orange & Belgian White Chocolate Popcorn: Thanks also to Luci J. for this new find and photo. This combination of cranberry, orange and white chocolate is a really unique and interesting one. Luci said that it was really delicious and a great flavour for popcorn lovers. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for these next time I'm in Boots! £0.70p at Boots.

Thanks again to Lucy W. and Luci J. If you've spotted any new products instore then I'd love to hear from you - email grocerygems@gmail.com or tweet me @grocerygems.

Review: Thorntons Toffee & Milk Chocolate Popcorn

Last week I was lucky enough to win a bag of Thorntons Popcorn in a Twitter competition. There are three new varieties available; Toffee Popcorn, Toffee & Milk Chocolate Popcorn and Toffee & White Chocolate Popcorn. I wasn't sure which flavour I was going to receive and I was pleased when it turned out to be the Toffee & Milk Chocolate one. 

The Thorntons Toffee & Milk Chocolate Popcorn is simply described as a toffee coated popcorn drizzled with milk chocolate. There are no artificial colours or flavourings and the ingredients are suitable for vegetarians. As you would expect from Thorntons the toffee coating itself is really tasty with a smooth buttery sweet flavour and crunchy texture. The milk chocolate drizzle is lovely and thick and even though it sort of sits on top of the toffee popcorn pieces, the flavours do combine well together. The overall snack is extremely sweet, a bit too sweet for me, but it's utterly delicious in small amounts, and I'd recommend it as an interesting twist on standard toffee popcorn. 8 out of 10.

Mini Reader Review: Thorntons Toffee & White Chocolate Popcorn. Regular photo contributor, Lucy W. had sent me a photo of the Thorntons Toffee & White Chocolate Popcorn last week and kindly added a few thoughts on this flavour. Over to Lucy W:

The texture of the Thorntons Toffee & White Chocolate Popcorn is your classic Butterkist style toffee popcorn that we all know and love, very sweet and crunchy. The flavour was pure luxury - it's like standard toffee popcorn has been missing something all along! Think Butterkist meets dreamy white chocolate, it's just a match made in heaven. The combination is brilliant and well done to Thorntons for coming up with this one. I'd definitely recommend it for your next popcorn snack - it can become greedily addictive! 10 out of 10.

Grocery Gems Review: Thorntons Toffee & Chocolate Popcorn

RATING: See individual flavours above.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition(per 25g): 110 calories.
Purchased: Asda. 
Price: £1.00p each. 

Butterkist Salted Caramel Popcorn Limited Edition

Butterkist have released quite a few interesting limited editions in the past year, such as the summer Strawberries & Cream variety and even a Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar earlier in the year. Even though I enjoy flavoured popcorn, I haven't really been tempted into any of these limited edition flavours from Butterkist until I saw this Salted Caramel pack - this one was a MUST try! 

The popcorn has the familiar Butterkist appearance, with a thick layer of caramel on many of the pieces. The caramel flavour is quite similar to their regular toffee variety but with a smoother and more buttery edge to it. The addition of the salt results in a lovely sweet and salty balance in the caramel that is extremely tasty. It's a bit like the Butterkist Sweet & Salty popcorn but with added caramel - so much sweeter but even more enjoyable!

Grocery Gems Verdict: Butterkist Salted Caramel

RATING: 8 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Yes.
Nutrition: 104 calories per 25g serving.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £1.49p.

Review: Teapigs Popcorn Tea

This Popcorn Tea from Teapigs is a traditional tea from Japan which has a lovely story behind it. Apparently when green tea was too expensive for the peasant folk to afford it regularly, they would add grains of toasted rice to the tea to make it go further. From these humble beginnings it's now celebrated as a popular tea in it's own right called Genmaicha tea. I couldn't resist picking up a pack of this Teapigs version when I saw it in a Wholefoods Market recently. 

Some of the toasted rice grains look just like tiny popcorn pieces!

The tea itself is a refreshing green tea and the addition of the toasted rice pieces gives it a really interesting and different edge. The flavour is certainly unique, with an unusual toasted sweetness. It's described by Teapigs as being a bit like Sugar Puffs and it really does have a similar toasty wheaty taste, but thankfully nowhere near as sugary!  Of course this doesn't actually taste of popcorn but it's a very tasty tea nonetheless.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Teapigs Popcorn Tea

Rating: 8 out of 10

Purchased: Wholefoods Market or online at www.teapigs.co.uk 

Price: £4.49p.

Review: Propercorn Coconut & Vanilla

I could easily make this the shortest review I've ever written, because all I really want to say is THIS POPCORN IS HEAVENLY.  However, I'll try to provide an actual review, even though it's obvious where this one is heading.

From the minute I saw this popcorn featured on Foodstuff Finds, I knew I would have to try it - the coconut and vanilla flavour profile is one that I just adore.

My sad attempt at a "macro shot" above. Sadly I don't think my camera was up to the job! What I really wanted to point out was the visible coating which covers this popcorn. It's packed full of fresh coconut flavour, that is deliciously natural tasting. It's not that horrible artificial coconut that you get with some products, this has a pure fresh taste. The natural Madagascan vanilla gives the whole thing a subtle sweetness and creaminess that is just divine, whilst the addition of just a hint of sea salt lifts all the flavours to the levels of snacking perfection. I shall be back to Boots to stock up and hoard so many packets of this I will never need any other snack.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Propercorn Coconut & Vanilla

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: YES!!
Nutrition: 109 calories per 25g (pack is 30g).
Purchased: Boots. 
Price: £0.80p a pack. 

Around The World: Philippines - Chef Tony's Gourmet Green Tea Popcorn

I couldn't resist this tub of green tea flavoured popcorn from the Philippines for my Around the world Challenge. I bought this during a visit to one of the many grocery stores in London's Chinatown. There was a fairly large selection of flavours in the Chef Tony's range of popcorn, from savoury cheese to the more appealing sweet cinnamon, but I decided to go for the most unusual flavour available.

I  liked the fact that this popcorn comes in a large tub, which helpfully doubles as a serving bowl. What I wasn't so sure about was the bright green colour - this stuff is seriously green! I'll be honest I didn't really have high expectations for the flavour here, I bought this more on a whim for my Around the World challenge. It's not obvious at first, but underneath all that bright green colour the popcorn has a crunchy toffee layer. This meant the popcorn tasted much like a regular toffee popcorn, but with an added earthy green tea flavour. Despite the high impact colour, the green tea was not too overpowering and it was still a tasty toffee popcorn. I couldn't eat too much of this popcorn in one go, but overall I enjoyed the flavour and the popcorn itself had a decent crunch and texture. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Chef Tony's Gourmet Popcorn Green Tea

RATING: 7 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Maybe.
Purchased: Grocery store in London Chinatown. 
Around The World: Made in the Philippines.

Metcalfe's Skinny Popcorn - Sweet Cinnamon Spice

I've been wanting to try this Sweet Cinnamon Spice popcorn for some time now so I was pleased to finally find it in a local Tesco. It's not just in my absolute favourite popcorn flavour, cinnamon, but it's also a lighter version with only 117 calories in the whole bag.

The popcorn is excellent quality with lots of light, and fluffy pieces with just the right amount of crunchiness. Each piece has a perfect dusting of the cinnamon flavouring - a combination of cinnamon, sugar and cream. I loved the sweet flavour of the cinnamon, it's not too spicy or overly strong - it's just delicious. I have no idea why cinnamon is such an underused flavour in mainstream popcorn (in the UK), but it's a real shame since it's such a great combination. It works brilliantly here in the Metcalfe's Skinny Sweet Cinnamon Spice and I'll definitely be buying it again in the future.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Metcalfe's Sweet Cinnamon Spice

RATING: 9 out of 10
Buy them again?: Yes!
Nutrition (25g): 117 calories.
Vegetarian: Suitable for Vegetarians.
Purchased: Tesco.
Price: £0.79.

Whiteys Original Gourmet Popcorn

Yesterday I reviewed the Cinnamon Sweet Gourmet Popcorn made by Cheshire based company Whiteys, which is just the most perfect cinnamon popcorn. Today I'm reviewing Whiteys Original blend of gourmet popcorn, which promises to be a delicious blend of sweet and salty popcorn. Thank you again to Mark at Whiteys for sending me this fantastic popcorn to review.

Whiteys popcorn comes in a generous 110g portion and is made with all natural ingredients, without any artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The ingredients for this Original popcorn are simply; corn, corn oil, sugar and salt. Add to that a bit of excitement from the way the popcorn is made (in an open pan with no lid!) and you have the perfectly balanced popcorn.

Just like the Cinnamon Sweet popcorn I tried yesterday, the Whiteys Original Gourmet Popcorn is super light and fluffy. These are some of the biggest pieces of popcorn I've ever seen and the texture is amazing. It's slightly crunchy on the outside but super soft and airy on the inside.

The balance of the salt and sweet flavours is the key factor is making this popcorn absolutely delicious. It is indeed "not too sweet, not too salty" as described on the front of the packaging. I love the golden sweetness with the added salty edge that helps to bring out all the popcorn's fresh flavour. Everyone in my family loved Whiteys Gourmet Popcorn. It's truly a fantastically made popcorn, with the perfect blend of ingredients to create a delicious and moreish snack.

You can order Whiteys Gourmet Popcorn from their website for £13 for four bags. They have four flavours in total: Original. Cinnamon Sweet, Cocoa Original and Maplecorn. 

Grocery Gems Verdict: Whiteys Original Gourmet Popcorn

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Absolutely.
Purchased: Available from Whiteys website.
Price: £13.00 for four bags.

Whiteys Cinnamon Sweet Gourmet Popcorn Review

I'm so excited about today's review because finding the perfect cinnamon popcorn has been something of a quest of mine. Well the search is over, because this Cinnamon Sweet (love the name!) Gourmet Popcorn by Cheshire based company Whiteys is simply cinnamon popcorn perfection. Thank you to Mark at Whiteys for sending me this popcorn to try, I will definitely be back for more!

The popcorn comes in a very generously portioned 110g bag. There is absolutely loads of popcorn in this bag and it was easily enough for all four of us in the Grocery Gems household to enjoy. Better still, the popcorn is made with all natural ingredients and contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The ingredients are simply; corn, corn oil, sugar, cinnamon and salt.

My husband is quite a dab hand at making popcorn but he certainly couldn't make it the "Whiteys way" - that is to say - alfresco, using a pan without a lid and all with 250 °C oil! No wonder Whiteys describe their popcorn as being "made with passion and excitement" (and no wonder that Mark Whitey wears a visor and protective gear whilst making it!).

The first thing I noticed about Whiteys popcorn is just how big and fluffy it is. This is a seriously fluffed up popcorn which no doubt owes much of it's airy nature to the unique manufacturing process! Each piece of popcorn is large and light in texture, without any of that jaw aching chewiness that popcorn can often have.

Alongside the soft fluffy texture is the most delicious cinnamon flavour. As I've mentioned before on this blog I LOVE cinnamon, it's undoubtedly my favourite spice and one that I used every single day (baked in banana bread, sprinkled on porridge etc). This probably makes me a bit fussier than most people when it comes to cinnamon as a flavour, but my high expectations were more than met by Whiteys Cinnamon Sweet. It has the perfect balance between the sweetness of the caramelised sugar and the spiciness and warmth of the cinnamon. To top it all off there is a hint of salt running through the popcorn that just pushes all the flavours into the realms of perfection. It's a fantastically delicious combination of sweetness, saltiness and spiciness!

It's no surprise that this popcorn is getting a 10 out of 10 rating from me. You can order Whiteys Gourmet Popcorn from their website for £13 for four bags. They have four flavours in total: Original. Cinnamon Sweet, Cocoa Original and Maplecorn. I'll have another Whiteys Gourmet Popcorn review for you all tomorrow but you can also check out The Review Addict blog for reviews of all the flavours.

Grocery Gems Verdict: Whiteys Cinnamon Sweet Gourmet Popcorn

RATING: 10 out of 10.
Buy them again?: Absolutely.
Purchased: Available from Whiteys website.
Price: £13.00 for four bags.