Degustabox Advent Calendar'22, part II

 

This post is Part II and wrap-up on the Degustabox Advent Calendar: I keep unboxing 24 foodie surprises each day. The Degustabox advent calendar included a great selection of festive snacks, sweet treats and drinks.

Day 13: Ricola Soothe & Clear Original/Honey Lemon Echinacea (£1.49)

Winter season and inevitable colds could be made more tolerable with a selection of Ricola herb lozenges. I buy them regularly at Holland & Barrett, as they are soothing for the sore throat.

We received a bag of Honey Lemon Echinacea lozenges, just perfect for this time of the year. These candies are made with Fair Trade honey, lemon juice and Vitamin C. Other ingredients include a mix of 13 Swiss mountain herbs, echinacea dry pressed juice, mint oil, peppermint oil, menthol.

They taste like mildly medicinal, old-fashioned candy, but pleasant.

Nutritional values: 14kcal and 2.6g of sugar per lozenge.

Available at H&B, Sainsbury's, Tesco, online and other retailers.

Day 14: Well & Truly Oat M&lk Chocolate (£2) is a plant-based chocolate treat.

Gluten free, ethical and fairly traded, vegan and containing 43% single origin cocoa.

I still prefer dairy chocolate, as the vegan milk chocolate has a slightly powdery aftertaste, but it's not bad at all. I would also prefer less sugar.

Nutritional values: 166kcal and 11.5g of sugar per 30g.

Available at Ocado and online on wellandfruity.co.uk and Amazon.

Day 15: Double Dutch Drinks Cucumber Margarita with Chilli Soda (£1.20) is a premium mixer, which is low in calories and has natural flavours.

We've had Double Dutch in the past Degustabox boxes before, and they are all high quality mixers, suitable for a variety of cocktails. 

Nutritional information: 19kcal and 4.6g of sugar per 100ml.

The suggestion on the bottle is to pair it with tequila. We don't typically buy tequila, and I wonder if gin will be a suitable alternative? (still haven't opened the bottle).

Available at major supermarket chains.

Day 16: NICK'S nut bar almond crunch (£1.50) is a vegan nut bar with almonds and chocolate. 

No added sugar, no gluten, no palm oil. There's a good amount of crunchy chewy nuts in the bar.

Nutritional values: 173kcal and 1.2g of sugar per 40g bar.

Available at WHSmth and online on Amazon and try-nicks.co.uk.

Day 17: Gunna Drinks Gunna Ginger Rebel - Ginger Lemonade (£1.20) is a flavourful and zingy soft drink. If you like ginger-flavoured drinks, you will enjoy this sharp lemonade.

It is uniquely sweet, sour, bitter and spicy.

Nutritional values: 21kcal and 4.9g of sugar per 100ml.

Available at Holland & Barrett, Ocado and on Amazon.

Day 18: Treat Kitchen Good Egg Message Bottle (£6) is a bottle filled with egg gummy sweets. 

They have a tangy centre filled sweet flavours of citrus, mango and passionfruit - a posh twist on the classic sweet shop candy. Not suitable for vegetarians and vegans as they are made with pork gelatine.

My guys loved the funky bottle, and enjoyed the sweets.

Nutritional values: 340kcal and 51.6g of sugar per 100g. Suggested serving: 30g.

Day 19: FULFIL Chocolate Salted Caramel Vitamin and Protein bar (£2.25) is a healthier snack to enjoy. Packed with 9 vitamins and containing low sugar and high protein, it's a handy bar to have in a bag for when you are out and about and are feeling peckish.

Nutritional information: 148kcal and 1.2g of sugar per 40g bar.

Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Co-Op, Morrisons, Waitrose, Ocado, Boots, Holland & Barrett, Superdrug, WHS Travel, BP, Shell, most convenience stores and online on Amazon.

Day 20: Clearspring Organic Seaveg Crispies Original (£1.19) is a delicious, light and crispy seaweed snack. I am a big fan of seaweed snacks, and prefer the original plain flavour.

This toasted Nori snack is gluten free, MSG free, has high fibre and contains only 24kcal per pack.

You can add them to salads, but I prefer to eat them on their own. You can also find it in Ginger, Turmeric, Chilli and Black Pepper flavours.

Available at Ocado.

Day 21: Rootles Milk Chocolate Carrot Biscuits & White Chocolate Beetroot Biscuits (£1.20): these are truly unique - chocolate covered root-vegetable-based biscuits. They have more crunch, fewer calories and are bursting with natural sweetness.

Each pack contains 3 crunchy chocolate fingers, baked with 35% root veg. 121kcal each, they are a guilt-free treat.

Baking cakes with vegetables is very trendy nowadays, and these biscuits prove you can add vegetables to any bakes.

You should receive two items.

Available on Amazon, Rootles website and Roadchef.

Day 22: Raw Bean Definitely Decaf Pyramid Bean Bag, Relax Revive Go Pyramid Bean Bag (£1.15) is a proper coffee in a bag. The slogan on the pouch promises "No mess, no fuss, just cracking coffee".

Definitely Decaf is made with 100% Arabica coffee from El Eden, Quindio, Colombia, and is naturally decaffeinated by the 100% chemical free Swiss Water Process.

Just like with tea bags, pop the bean bag in a mug and pour hot water over it, steep for 3 minutes and enjoy.

Available on www.rawbean.co.uk.

Day 23: Hellmann's Gravy Mayonnaise 250ml (£2.50) is a restaurant-inspired condiment. Drizzle on top of burgers, fried or crumbed chicken, or chips.

It has a rich flavour with a touch of onion and garlic to add an extra oomph to your meals.

Suitable for vegetarians, it adds a meaty flavour to any veggie burger and other non-meat-based dishes too.

Nutritional values: 43kcal and 0.7g of sugar per portion.

Available at Morrisons.

Day 24: Montezuma's Chocolate Milk Chocolate Buttons (£2.59) is the final treat of the calendar. A decent sized box of chocolatey delights - buttons in different sizes, smooth, creamy and melting in the mouth.

Made with 38% cocoa, these buttons are organic and gluten free, always free from palm oil and made in 100% recyclable, compostable or biodegradable packaging.

Available in all Montezuma stores, and on www.montezumas.co.uk.

This excellent box of foodie surprises 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. 

A few thoughts and perhaps suggestions on the future boxes: if it's feasible, to make separate selections for vegans and non-vegans. 

With a few exceptions, vegan chocolate is just not the same as dairy-based. 

Maybe add more festive snacks for sharing rather than individual protein bars, and more Christmas-themed foods, like Santa or reindeer shaped chocolate, festive crisps, pouches of olives, crackers for cheese, cheese straws, anything that could be added to buffets and festive tables. 

Did you have this advent calendar? What was your favourite treat?