Do you buy and enjoy food and drink advent calendars? I don't mean just the chocolate varieties. I've seen cheese, beer, wine, gin, spices, chilli sweets, brownies, popcorn and some other tasty and sometimes pretty weird offerings.
I have ordered a Degusta Box Advent Calendar almost as soon as I've seen it being mentioned online, as we have enjoyed it in the past years. Sadly, there was no International edition this year, and I do hope they will bring it back in December'26, for me that was the bees' knees.
Degusta Box Advent Calendar 2025 contains 24 festive surprise food and drink items. Contents value of this calendar is £55.
Let's recap what we found inside, day by day.
Day 1:
Truestart Barista Grade Instant coffee (£6.99) is a delicious instant coffee made with smooth Colombian arabica, that's been lab-tested to ensure you get the cleanest cup.
They say, "No moulds, heavy metals or other nasties and packed with antioxidants or clean coffee makes you feel amazing every time with its regulated caffeine content!"
Glad to have tried this coffee, as I've seen it in the Co-Op and kept thinking I should get one. It's a decent instant coffee, though I won't be buying it, as we love Illy much more.
Day 2
Monty Bojangles Chocolatey Truffles come in a distinct colourful box. A Great Taste Award winner, these truffles are very chocolatey, moreish, dusted with cocoa.
Nutritional values: 600kcal and 39g of sugar per 100g; certified sustainable palm oil; suitable for vegetarians.
Available at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose.
Day 3
Clara's Selections Wafer Rolls Hazelnut & Cocoa (£2) - are indulgent light crispy rolls with a cocoa and hazelnut filling.
Eat them as a snack with or without a hot beverage or ice cream. What a delectable treat (and not just for Christmas).
Nutritional values: 495kcal and 44.3g of sugar per 100g; natural flavourings, suitable for vegetarians, no artificial sweeteners.
Available in Home Bargains and One Beyond.
Day 4
Waterdrop Microdrink Passionfruit (£7.99) will encourage you to drink more water, adding a full-bodied flavour of passionfruit, with a touch of sweetness. This product is made in Germany.
Refreshingly fruity drink, it could be added straight to bottles, allowing cubes to dissolve. My younger son has been enjoying this drink (we had different flavours from the previous Degustabox boxes), taking the bottles with him to school.
This is tasty hydration, made easy. Contains zero sugar. Vegan.
Nutritional values: 4kcal and 0g sugar per 500ml.
Day 5
Divine Orange Milk Chocolate bar (£1.29) is a perfect bite of smooth milk chocolate, infused with zesty orange. A beautiful citrus note. This bar is crafted with Fairtrade cocoa and sugar, 100% pure cocoa butter and free from palm oil or soya.
These bars are ethically sourced, supporting cocoa farmers and their communities.
Day 6
Ambrosia Gingerbread Devon Custard (£1.95) is a festive twist on a classic custard. Smooth and creamy and full of flavour, it's great with mince pies, puddings, or just on its own.
Tastes delicious hot or cold.
Nutritional values: 126kcal and 13.8g of sugar per 130g portion (1/3 can); made with Red Tractor certified milk; suitable for vegetarians.
What a lovely seasonal treat!
Day 7
Mardel Alfajor De Dulce de Leche Negro and Blanco (£1.25) are soft cookies, filled with Mardel dulce de leche (milk caramel) and covered with either dark or white chocolate coating.
My sons enjoyed these cookies a lot. A lovely sweet treat, Alfajor is an iconic product from Argentina.
Nutritional information: 398kcal and 43.5g of sugar per 100g (one package is 50g).
You should receive 2 items, one each.
Available in international Latin shops.
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Day 8 is a day of a product surprise, as you will receive one of Tilda rice varieties (choice of 4).
We got Tilda Easy Meals Sundried Tomato & Beans (£2.50). Ready in 2 minutes, no hassle, no stress. It's a flavourful combination of Haricot beans, carrots, red peppers and sundried tomatoes.
One pack is supposed to be a meal for 1. I served it with other side dishes, just a couple of tablespoons for each person.
Nutritional values: 226kcal and 1.54g of salt per pack; A source of protein, fibre and 1 of 5 a day; no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives; suitable for vegetarians.
Day 9
Baxters Large Silverskin Onions (£2.40) are crunchy & tangy, and full of flavour. They are pickled in malt vinegar, with ginger and cinnamon.
Add them to casseroles, serve with fish and chips, cheese platters or grazing boards, and of course, as part of the Ploughman's lunch.
Typical values: 43kcal and 0.31g of salt per 100g.
I wasn't super excited with this window as we still have an unopen jar of pickled onions from the last year's calendar, as my guys are not big fans of pickles.
Day 10
Flawsome! wonky tonic water pumpkin & apple (£1.33) is a smooth blend of crisp, wonky apples and rich flavours of pumpkin. A lovely seasonal drink, refreshing and bursting with taste.
No added sugar or artificial ingredients.
Day 11
Eisberg sparkling white/Schloss Wachenheim (£2) - is an alcohol free sparkling wine based drink in a can.
I made a lemonade spritz with this alcohol free wine, and it was lovely, refreshing and crisp.
Nutritional values: 23kcal and 5g of sugar per 100ml.
Day 12
Wilkin & Sons Ltd/ Tiptree English Damson Gin Liqueur (£4.99) comes in a mini bottle. It's such a vibrant festive colour. Each damson plum is carefully hand-picked, then rested in locally distilled Hayman's gin.
The gin liqueur has a deep sweetness of English damsons, with a hint of almond. Perfection.
Day 13
Bonne Maman Hazelnut Chocolate Spread (£410) is an indulgent spread, carefully crafted from simple ingredients and containing no palm oil. This jar is a limited edition, with Christmas decor.
Day 14
Indie Bay Pretzel Thins Ligthly Salted (£1 each) are tasty savoury snacks which have a satisfying crunch. They are thin and crispy and absolutely delicious. Great for dunking, dipping and topping, enjoy them on the go or while watching a film.
They are vegan, a source of fibre and protein, and are made with natural ingredients. Nutritional information: 137kcal and 2.5g of salt per 35g bag.
Available on Amazon, indiebaysnacks.co and good independent shops.
Day 15
Birchall Great Rift Breakfast tea/ or Great Rift Decaf Tea (£3.35) is crafted using the finest tea from across East Africa.
Great Rift Breakfast: It's the UK's most awarded tea, winning a prestigious Great Taste Award for a record 15 consecutive years.
Great Rift Decaf: All tea leaves are hand plucked before they are carefully decaffeinated, which gives tea its golden colour and strong refreshing taste.
We received a Breakfast blend, which is 100% black tea. Enjoy with milk or a slice of lemon (lemon all the way for me, with a spoon of sugar or mint leaves and honey).
Day 16
Skittles Desserts (£1.15) are chewy bit-sized candies, a mix of your favourite dessert flavours: Strawberry Ice Cream, Choco-Orange, Blueberry Tart, Cherry Cheesecake, Lemon pie.
Day 17
Galipette Cidre Brut 4.5% (£2.50) is a superior cider, dry to medium dry.
The balance between acidity and tannins, dry and mild sweet flavours is just right. All cider apples come from traditional orchards near the river Rance in northern Brittany.
A classic cider, made with 100% pure apple juice, no added sugar.
Available in Waitrose, Tesco, Ocado, Whole Foods and Booths.
Day 18
Filippo Berio Balsamic Vinegar of Modena 250ml is a classic Italian condiment, smooth and full of flavour, tangy and sweet.
Made from specially selected Modena grapes and aged in oak barrels according to tradition, using the Solera method.
Filippo Berio's balsamic contains 40% grape must, among the highest levels for an everyday balsamic, and double the required minimum of 20%.
For new year eve's party I served a starter of chickory boats with blue cheese and walnuts, drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, one of my favourite starters. The vinegar enhances the saltiness of the blue cheese and creaminess of walnuts.
Day 19
Mentos Feeling Berry Good (£1) come in a sharing pouch. Packed with three irresistible flavours - Cherry, Blueberry and Raspberry.
Day 20 - Product surprise no.2 (one product from a choice of 5: Forest Feast Honey & Sea Salt cashews and peanuts, or Starbucks premium instant coffee/Pumpkin spice latte, or Kitkat Hazelnut Chocolate sharing bar, or KitKat Salted Caramel Chocolate sharing bar, or KitKat Double Chocolate sharing bar)
KitKat Salted Caramel Sharing Bar 99g (£2) is one of the newer flavours of the classic confectionery. You get crispy wafer fingers covered with caramel flavour milk chocolate and white coating, with a salted caramel flavoured filling.
Nutritional information: 172kcal and 16g of sugar per 3 fingers.
Available in the major supermarket chains.
Day 21
OXO Signature ready to use stock/ Chicken (£2.50) is inspired by homemade stock, using natural ingredients & 100% UK meat.
This stock has been simmered for up to 15 hours, extracting deep, rich flavours.
I used this pack for making a chicken gravy to go with a roast.
Day 22
KIND white chocolate raspberry - new (£1.40) is a new nutty bar from KIND.
It was gone in 60 seconds, as my older son loves fruit/nut bars, so I presume it was tasty.
Day 23
Filippo Berio Arrabiata pasta sauce (£2.65) is a delicious pasta sauce, made only from finest quality, carefully-selected ingredients: 100% Italian tomatoes, Filippo Berio Extra Virgin olive oil and chili peppers.
No preservatives, artificial flavourings or ingredients; gluten and lactose free, suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Day 24
Poppets Wicked toffee 39g (£0.60 each) are milk chocolate coated toffees. Quite a retro candy, but with a modern makeover, as you can spot characters from Wicked on the box.
Soft and chewy toffee in milk chocolate coating, these are lovely treats to share in the cinema or while watching your favourite show on TV.
Nutritional values: 474kcal and 58g of sugar per 100g (one box is 39g).
Available in Morrisons, B&M, Home Bargains, Farmfoods and The Range.
While lovely as a little candy, Poppets don't quite equate to a Christmas treat in my mind, and I was mildly disappointed to find them in the final window of the calendar. We've just had them in the November food box, and it's not the most exciting way to end the calendar. You would expect something really special for the last day.
And that's all, folks. Would I buy it again? Yes, I would, especially if they bring back the International edition.
If you bought this advent calendar, what did you think? What was your favourite product?
