Degustabox February Box

 

Degustabox is a monthly food and drink subscription box. It's an excellent way of discovering new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which have been around for a while, but you haven't had a chance to try them yet.

Thanks to Degustabox, I have found new favourites to add to our shopping list, including some products which I otherwise wouldn't have tried.

Each time a monthly box arrives, its contents are a total surprise. You get a good selection of foods and drinks.

If you haven't tried Degustabox subscription box yet, and would like to have a go, I have a £3off discount from your first box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use code DKRLN when placing an order. 

What did we get in February Box Degustabox?

Kellogg's KRAVE Choco Brownie Flavour (£3.29) is the latest addition to the Kellogg's range. If you love chocolate-flavoured cereals, you will enjoy these cocoa flavoured mixed cereal pillows, with the gooey-melty chocolate filling inside.

This cereal is made of natural grains, and contains B vitamins, no artificial colours or flavours. Suitable for vegetarians, RSPO certified, and Rainforest Alliance certified (cocoa).

Nutritional information: 131kcal and 7.5g of sugar per 30g serving.

Available exclusively at ASDA.

Snatt's Bocaditos Tomato and Oregano (£2.20) are Mediterranean snacks. These oven-baked bread pieces are flavoured with tomato and oregano.

Nutritional information: 8g of protein, 8g of fibre, 2g of salt, 503kcal per 100g. No palm oil, no added MSG. 

Great with tapas, or toppings for creating authentic pintxos. Or serve with creamy dips, or a bowl of soup.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

Tweek Sweets Fizzy Fusion 80g/or Smoothie Chews 70g or Foam Fever 70g (£1.99) is a traditional candy with a twist. Their brand name is inspired by the word "tweak" meaning to fix, fine tune and improve. Try the new tweaked recipes and be the judge whether the new versions come up trumps.

These sweets have natural colours and flavourings, they are high-fibre, have no added sugar and 50% fewer calories. Also gluten free and halal certified.

Available online at tweeksweets.uk, on Amazon, Protein Package, TK Maxx, Margiotta, Skinny Food Co and Muscle Food.

You should receive 1 item in your box.

Maggi Recipe Mix Piri-piri and Fajita (£0.99 each) are blends of herbs and spices.

I might be one of a very few people who didn't get an air fryer when it became trendy, and if you don't have one either, don't worry. These blends could be used for cooking in the oven, pan or grill too. Check out www.maggi.co.uk for more information.

You should receive two items in your box. 

Maggi Piri Piri is recommended to be used with chicken fillets, but it will give a lovely kick to a vegetarian dish as well, you could add it to veggie burgers or dips.

Nutritional values: 249kcal and 1.4g of sugar per serving. A packet makes 4 servings, when prepared.

Maggi Fajita is perfect with chicken, peppers and onions, but again could be used in vegetarian recipes.

Available at Sainsbury's, Iceland, B&M stores.

Maggi Chow Mein Flavour Instant Noodles (£2) are instant noodles, that could be eaten as a main or side dish. Add these noodles to your stir fry, or  a bowl of soup, with a little bit of garlic, ginger and black pepper for a satisfying meal.

This is a multipack of 4.

Nutritional values: 273kcal and 1.10g of salt per each pack. Low in saturated fat and suitable for vegetarians. Just add boiling water, wait for 3 minutes and enjoy.

Available at Poundland and Iceland.

Boundless Sweet Chilli Nuts & Seeds (£2.50) are gluten free vegan snacks. The motto on the package is We deliver Gut happy snacking.

Full of fibre and packed with nutrients (magnesium, potassium, zinc and iron) in every crunch to leave you feeling good.

Nutritional values: 172kcal and 0.26g of salt per 30g serving (3 servings in a packet).

Add these nuts and seeds to porridge, salad, soup or yogurt, or snack on their own.

Available at ASDA, Ocado and at weareboundless.co.uk and on Amazon.

Heinz Chicken Broth (£1.70) is a comforting soup made with pearl barley, carrots, parsnips, swede, chicken, leeks and other ingredients. Heat it gently in a pan before serving. A handy standby in the kitchen pantry, for a quick and easy meal, when you have no time or desire to cook. 

Contains no artificial colours or preservatives.

Typical values: 68kcal and 1.8g of sugar per 1/2 can.

Available at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, ASDA and Ocado.

Just Spices Mexican Allrounder/ Pancake Spice Mix/ Chips Seasoning, or Avocado Topping (£1.90 for two sachets) are funky seasoning blends.

I discovered this brand a few months ago, and bought quite a few little jars to try. Our favourite is Egg Topping, it really lifts up boring fried or scrambled eggs. A real winner. There was also an Advent Calendar from Just Spices, which looked fabulous.

We received two sachets of Avocado Topping and Chips Seasoning. These seasoning blends are made without additives.

Available at justspices.co.uk only in the Taster Box at £9.99. You can buy bigger pots at Waitrose. 

Sparklean Tropical Vegan Protein Drink (£2.50) is a fizzy soft drink which promises health perks of a nutritional supplement, as it contains 15g of vegan protein in each 330ml can.

Ingredients include: water, pea protein, white grape juice, natural flavours etc.

It's available in tropical, strawberry & lime, as well as orange flavours.

Nutritional values: 80kcal, 1g carbs, 1g sugar.

Available at Boots, Amazon and Direct.

Whatever Brands Jelly Belly Fruit Drinks (£1.29 for 550ml) is a range of soft drinks with iconic flavours such as Very Cherry, Berry Blue and Tutti-Frutti.

These drinks contain 20% fruit juice, less than 5g sugar per 100ml, no artificial flavours and are fortified with vitamins A, C and E. They are also HFSS compliant and suitable for vegans.

You should receive 1 item of three in your box.

We received a blue bottle, Berry Blue. I had one sip, and found it way too sweet to my taste, but my son enjoyed it.

Available at local delis, groceries, Home Bargains and Poundland.

And finally, the Product of the Month - Tilda Tasty Sides Indian Black Dahl or Chinese Black Bean (£1.99). 

I saw Tilda's launch of the new products last year, and since Tilda is our favourite brand of pre-cooked rice, I really fancied trying new products. These vegetarian meals are both great with rice.

You should receive 1 item in your box. We got Tilda Indian Black Dahl. Its ingredients include cooked Urid lentils, vegetables (spinach, carrots), single cream, cooked Mung Dhal, tomatoes, caramelised onions, spices and oils. Serve with rice, and a naan bread for a tasty meal.

Nutritional values: 94kcal and 1.3g of sugar per 100g. No artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. High in fibre. Vegetarian, but not vegan. 

Available at Tesco, Ocado and Amazon Fresh.

What was your favourite product in the latest Degustabox?

Murder at the Leaning Tower by T.A. Williams

 

"There was no question that he was a brilliant - and ruthless - businessman with a nose for a lucrative deal, and not too many scruples about how he made his money. According to what I'd read, in his private life he was also far from mundane".

"Murder's never pretty, but in a city of such overwhelming beauty, it appeared even more squalid".

Murder at the by T.A. Williams  is a marvellous and highly entertaining murder mystery set in Italy.

This is the 6th book in the Armstrong and Oscar Cozy Mysteries series. It reads perfectly as a standalone, but it might help understand the dynamics between the main characters, as well as their back story, if you've read some or all of the previous books in the series.

Blurb:

A cozy crime series set in gorgeous Tuscany... It's murder in paradise!

A secluded villa...

When Dan Armstrong is asked to provide security at a private villa on the outskirts of Pisa, he's pretty sure it will be an easy job. Villa Gregory is remote; the gathered guests are rich - what could possibly go wrong?

A glittering gathering...

Inside the high walls of the palatial villa, Dan discovers the gathered guests are some of the most powerful tycoons in the media world, with plans for world domination. With so much at stake, Dan redoubles his efforts to keep everyone safe.

A detective under pressure?

But when one of the group is found murdered, Dan's heart sinks - especially considering Anna's own daughter is in the frame! When the police arrive, Dan meets formidable Inspector Adolfo Vinci, a man whose main talent seems to be for getting things wrong. It all goes from bad to worse for Dan as the man from the Leaning Tower starts leaning on him.

It's another case for Dan and Oscar to sovle and this one won't be easy!

Dan Armstrong is pretty content with his life in Italy. He has a decent job, a comfortable place to live, a loving girlfriend, and a loyal companion, his dog Oscar. "Now that I had resigned from the Met, moved to Tuscany, and set up my own business as Dan Armstrong, Private Investigator, I once again found myself doing my own legwork, and it wasn't always a bundle of fun."

One day he is approached by a Business Development Executive with a request, "My boss is hosting an important meeting there in two weeks' time and he'd very much appreciate it if you could be responsible for security while the meeting's taking place".

Thus Dan agrees to provide security for the top secret meeting of media and finance moguls. "The people taking part are all major players in the field, some household names, and if news of what's being discussed at the meeting were to get out, there would be hell to pay".

The meeting takes place in a remote Villa Gregory, known for its quirky previous owner and the replica of the Leaning Tower in the grounds.

When one of  the guests is found dead in their room, the local police make one blundering mistake after another. The local Inspector called Vinci "fancies himself as a tough guy, like one of those bad Hollywood cops... He likes to think he's a character from a movie - although he doesn't have Clint Eastwood's looks".

The murder victim wasn't universally popular, and though the pool of suspects is limited, it appears quite a few of them would have wanted to see this person dead. Jealousy, and financial misdoings are possible murder motives. Money and sex could be the prime motivators.

Vinci who thinks he's "God's gift to policing" coming with the ludicrous assumptions, one of which is accusing the daughter of Dan's girlfriend.

In a way, this is an Agatha Christie-esque type of plotline, with all the suspects being confined to a secluded villa. Dan has to read the clues and eliminate suspects one by one, if he wants to find the murderer(s) before the time runs out.

There are so many elements that make this series great fun - a gentle humour, a wonderful relationship between man and dog, spectacular settings (a new location in each book), descriptions of social mores and food, vivid characterisation.

This is cosy crime at its best. As enjoyable and delectable as an Italian gelato on a hot summer day, or a glass of zesty Aperol spritz by the seaside. 

You may find many dog characters in cosy crime fiction, who accompany the main protagonist and bring humour into the narrative, but Oscar is by far my favourite.

Murder at the Leaning Tower is a hugely enjoyable mystery, clever and well-plotted, with pleasingly ironic notes.

This post is part of the blog tour for Murder at the Leaning Tower.

Many thanks to T.A. Williams, Boldwood and Rachel's Random Resources for my e-copy of the book!

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/MurderTowerSocial

Author Bio –

T A Williams is the author of over twenty bestselling romances for HQ and Canelo and is now turning his hand to cosy crime, set in his beloved Italy, for Boldwood. The series will introduce us to retired DCI Armstrong and his labrador Oscar and the first book, entitled Murder in Tuscany, will be published in October 2022. Trevor lives in Devon with his Italian wife.

Social Media Links –  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrevorWilliamsBooks

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