May your holidays
be happy days,
filled with love
and laughter.
And may each day
bring joy your way
in the year
that follows after!
Dark December mornings and early evenings are much more enjoyable, if you have daily little treats of advent calendars to look forward to.
Oh the pleasure of opening the little doors every day! While my sons had their own advent calendars filled with chocolate surprises, I treated myself to a beauty advent calendar. I also received the most glorious Degustabox advent calendar for reviewing.
I loved last year's Degustabox advent box so much, and I knew the new one will be as special. When Degustabox has offered to send one of those beauties for me for reviewing, I was delighted. The Degustabox Advent Calendar makes an awesome gift. I also bought one of them as a gift for my friend, and she was thrilled with it. She later told me they loved it so much, that they plan to buy one next year.
First of all, it's huge - it includes 24 foods and drinks, and comes in a well-designed sturdy box, which opens into two parts like a gigantic book with windows. The cardboard box is recyclable, and there is no plastic.
There is a little booklet enclosed to give you clues of what to expect in the coming days. You could either ignore it, if you want a complete surprise, or if you're impatient like me, you might have had a quick look and rub your hands with glee.
The selection of products differs from the last year.
What did we get?
Day 1: Love Raw Nutty Choc Balls (£1.69) are a lovely vegan chocolate treat. There are two whole hazelnuts in cocoa coating and nut croquante. Basically, it's a plant-based version of Ferrero Rocher.
Nutritional information: 81kcal and 4.6g of sugar per choc ball.
Available at Holland & Barrett, ASDA and independent retailers.
Day 2: Belazu Ingredient Company Rosemary Nut Mix (£3.95) is a delicious mix of almonds, cashews and giant corn roatsed and blended with rosemary and sea salt.
Using small batch techniques and the highest grade nuts and corn, this mix is hand roasted and seasoned.
A perfect snack at a party table, for sharing with friends, or while relaxing with a film.
Nutritional information; 541kcal and 1.5g of salt per 100g.
Available at Belazu, Waitrose, Ocado, Planet Organic and on Amazon.
Day 3: Cadbury Christmas Puds (£0.65 each) - festive Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate with truffle centre, hazelnut pieces and crunchy puffed rice pieces.
You should receive 2 items in your advent calendar.
Available nationwide.
Now you can prepare your chicken gravy in a flash - just use one pot of Knorr chicken gravy, made with high quality ingredients.
Free from artitifical colours or preservatives, these pots will make cooking a family meal easier. Lovely with chicken sausages too.
Available in all major supermarket chains.
Day 5: Bounce Indulgent Energy Ball Millionaire/Choc Brownie/Hazelnut Praline (£2) - these balanced nutritious vegan snacks are very popular.
The chocolate coated range is a mini treat of plant protein, filled with a squishy centre and coated with chocolate.
We received a Choc Brownie. Inside there is a tasty nut butter. High in fibre and protein, it comes at 190kcal per energy ball.
Available at Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-Op, BP, Ocado and Holland & Barrett.
Day 6: Maretti Oven Baked Bruschette Chips (£1.49**) are crunchy, crispy pieces of bread, made with carefully selected ingredients and offered in a variety of flavours. They are seasoned on one side to offer you a choice of more intense or mild taste.
Add your own toppings or offer with dips like hummus or guacamole as a starter.
Available at Iceland, Lidl, Ocado, Holland & Barrett, www.goodfood-company.co.uk and many local stores.
For many years Yogi Tea have been supporting the non-profit Nevandra Association, which provides children in India with an education and a roof over their heads with the motto "Education - The Key for a Bright Future".
This is a beautiful flavourful tea, with great taste and great credentials too.
Available at independent health food stores nationwide.
Day 8: Terry's Chocolate Orange Crispy Oranges (£1)
Terry's Chocolate Orange is back with these fun crispy oranges.
Made with smooth creamy milk chocolate flavoured with real orange oil and a crunchy cereal centre, these little treats will make a lovely lighter snack. They are also a perfect ingredient for decorating all those festive bakes, from cookies to chocolate log. Or drop them in the brownie dough for an extra indulgent twist.
Nutritional values: 131kcal and 11g of sugar per 9 balls.
There are two bags in the calendar.
Available at all major supermarket chains and in convenience stores.
Day 9: La Baleine Coarse Sea Salt Box (£1.95) is a naturally white sea salt.
It's being harvested in France from the Mediterranean sea for over 150 years, and crystallized thanks to the sun and wind.
Free from additives, this salt is excellent in cooking.
Sprinkle over a focaccia dough, with sprigs of rosemary, for that lovely crunch.
Available at Ocado and on Amazon.
I used some of this salt to prepare a home-cured salmon.
Day 10: Dorset Cereals Marvellous Pecan and Almond Muesli Crunch & Ultimate Fruit and Nut Muesli Crunch (£1.29) is a tasty breakfast for one.
You will receive one item of two.
We got a pack of Pecan & Almond Muesli Crunch.
It's a mix of delicious signature muesli grains with crispy granola pieces, caramelised maple pecans and nutty almonds.
Nutritional values: 459kcal and 10.3g of sugar per 100g (one pack is 75g).
Available at Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado and on Amazon. Pecan and almond is also available at Sainsbury's.
What's better than getting a surprise? There is a mystery product inside door 11, you won't know what it is from looking inside the booklet.
As it happens, there is a Starbucks Signature Chocolate Salted Caramel behind the door no.11 - ten sticks of hot chocolate with a hint of salt.
Stir with milk and indulge in the chocolatey treat.
Nutritional values: 178kcal and 21.1g of sugar per mug.
Starbucks is known for its high sugar content drinks, and this one is way too sweet. I plan to use it, mixing with plain cocoa to make several cups of hot chocolate, to lower the sugar content.
Day 12: Filippo Berio Basil Pasta Sauce (£2.50) is an excellent Italian pasta sauce, made with naturally sweet Italian tomatoes, fragrant basil and Filippo Berio Extra Virgin olive oil.
This lovely sauce will enhance many a pasta dish, bringing you the authentic flavours of Italy.
Gluten free and lactose free, this sauce is suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Available at www.filippoberio.co.uk.
That's the first half of the Advent Calendar. To see what other treats were available, check out the Part II of Advent Degustabox post.
This amazing box of foodie delights worth £50 costs £39.39 to purchase on Degustabox.com (while stocks lasted).
Top marks for the selection of foods and drinks, great design of the packaging and value for money.
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