Home Comforts Degustabox

 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 the Home Comforts Degustabox box?

Aqua Libra Infused Sparkling Water Blood Orange & Mango/Cucumber, Mint & Lime (£1.15) is a lovely, refreshing summery drink.

Available in three tasty flavours. You will find two items in your box. 

Contains no sweeteners, no sugar, no artificials. Best enjoyed chilled.

Nutritional values: 1 kcal per 100ml.

Available in single 330ml cans and multipacks of 4 cans in all major supermarkets.

B.INK Red Blend (£2.50 for 187ml bottle) is a rich and full-bodied red wine, with flavours of dark chocolate coated raspberries, with gentle oak.

Contemporary and bold in style, this lovely Australian wine is carbon neutral certified.

Typical values: 86kcal per 100ml.

Serve a glass with a cheese board, with fresh figs, grapes and salted nuts.

This is a sample size, and not available for sale. The 750ml bottle is available at ASDA, Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsbury's for £9.

Simply Roasted Sea Salt crisps (£1.19 for 21.5g pack) are made with real sliced potatoes. They are triple roasted and never deep fried, so that you get a satisfying crunch and a superior taste, and less calories, fat and salt.

These are vegan crisps, made with all natural ingredients

Typical values: 50% less fat, 94kcal and 0.16g of salt in a 21.5g pack.

Available at Waitrose, Ocado, WHSmith, Whole Foods Market, on Amazon and simplyroasted.co.uk.

Bio & Me Super Seedy & Nutty Gut-Loving Porridge Pot (£1.50) is based on a recipe, created by Dr M. Rossi, known as the Gut Health Doctor. 

This is a prebiotic porridge with 14 plant-based foods, like almonds, hazelnuts, chia seeds, linseeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and more. Just add boiling water, leave to stand/cook for 3 minutes, stir and enjoy.

Nutritional information: 240kcal and 9.7g of sugar per 158g serving.

Available on the Bio & Me website, Amazon and Boots.

Nescafe Azera Americano (£3.60) is a super premium barista-inspired instant coffee. 

Rich and smooth, this is a blend of instant coffee and finely ground roasted beans. If you enjoy coffee-based desserts, try Azera Americano as an ingredient in a luxurious Tiramisu.

Available in all major supermarket chains.

Coffee and KitKat go nicely together. Every time I have a KitKat, I think of my late friend who insisted that dunking KitKats into a cup of coffee brings out the best flavour of it. While I don't like dunking anything in my coffee, I think my friend would have enjoyed trying this new Caramel flavour.

KitKat 2 finger Caramel (£1.99 for 9x20.7g) is the latest addition to the classic range. Made with sustainably sourced cocoa and Rainforest Alliance certified, these chocolate bars are ever so handy to carry in a bag, whenever you're feeling peckish. In fact, we enjoyed it on the train to London, it was just the right amount to stave off the sweet craving.

You get the same crispy wafer biscuits, covered with smooth caramel flavoured milk chocolate.

Typical values: 103kcal and 10.2g of sugar per 2 finger bar.

Available in all major supermarket chains and retailers.

Heinz Plant-based tomato soup (£1.70) is finally here. This is a variation on an iconic tomato soup, minus milk.

Ingredients include tomatoes, fermented soy, modified cornflour, sugar, rapeseed oil etc. The classic version has dairy milk, which has been removed from this vegan variant. You can taste the difference if you compare the two, but if you follow the plant-based diet, this soup has a rich satisfying taste.

A good base for curry sauces, casseroles or pasta dishes.

Available at online retailers and other major stores.

Heinz Beanz and Vegan Sausages (£2) is another plant-based product from the iconic brand. 

Vegan sausages are made with wheat protein, rapeseed oil, potato starch, wheat starch, stabiliser, natural flavourings, yeast extract, salt, sage, spices etc.

Typical values: 192kcal and 9.1g of sugar per 1/2 can.

Use as a topping for a jacket potato, or serve with scrambled eggs (if you're not a vegan) and fried mushrooms.

Available online and all major retailers.

Zest Vegan Pasta Sauces (£2.99) is a new range of plant-based pasta sauces, gluten free and soy free.

You should receive one item of two in your box. We got Vegan Spinach Mushroom & Ric***a sauce with lentil protein.

Let me just say, I am not a fan of this trend of writing dairy words with punctuation symbols. It makes you think of swear words on certain forums. I prefer proper names for products, none of that M!lk or ric***a. Just say coconut-based product or something else. Please!

A handy product to keep in the pantry, for when you fancy a quick and easy pasta meal.

Nutritional information: 103kcal and 3.9g of sugar per 100g.

Available at Ocado, Morrisons, on Amazon and www.zest.com.

Very Lazy Chilli Boosts (£3) is a range of oil-based condiments, blended with chillies. 

You should receive one of two items in your box. We've got a Very Lazy Smokey Chilli Boost Medium, which is a mix of dried chillies, garlic, red pepper, smoked chillies with smoked paprika in balsamic vinegar and oil. 

You only need a little amount to jazz up a pasta or rice dish. It could also be added to pizza, hummus, and used a dip, swirled into a thick Greek yogurt.

Typical values: 630kcal and 6.5g of sugar per 100g. 

Available at Tesco.

And finally, the Product of the Month, the latest Tilda rice product. We are very fond of Tilda, both raw and pre-cooked ranges. My younger son loves Tilda Masala rice, while I prefer the Coconut one.

Tilda Golden Vegetable rice (£1.54) is the latest addition to the range. This is an all-time family favourite combining long grain rice, carrots, sweetcorn and peas (21% vegetables) - a lovely side dish to roasted fish, chicken, or fried halloumi.

Perfect with halloumi, courgette and cherry tomato skewers, also great with prawns or chicken skewers

Typical values: 164kcal and 0.71g of salt per 125g, nothing artificial, vegetarian and vegan, gluten free.

Available at Sainsbury's, Tesco and Ocado.

What is your favourite product from the latest Degustabox?

Breakfast & On the Go Degustabox (January 2020)

It felt like January will never end, but here we are, ready to say Good bye to the grey winter month. The evenings may still be rather dark, but have you noticed the mornings are getting light earlier?!
For many people January was the month of abstaining - perhaps you've also joined in the Dry January and Veganuary.
January Degustabox is a reflection of these two food trends - it is alcohol-free and has several vegan products.
This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover new products which have only just appeared in the shops, or those which might 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 probably wouldn't have tried otherwise.
Each time the monthly box arrives, it's 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 whopping £7 off discount from your 1st box (and you can unsubscribe any time), just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in Breakfast & On the Go box?

Sun-Pat peanut butter (£1.79) is the nation's best tasting peanut butter. Packed with 96% peanuts, Sun-Pat is a great source of protein to fuel you through the day.
It is a palm oil-free product, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Subscribers will receive 1 of 2 items, while reviewers get both varieties.

Enjoy it in a classic peanut butter and jam sandwich, on toast or crackers, or use as an ingredient in baking (how about a batch of peanut butter choc chip cookies?).
I used a jar of smooth peanut butter to bake peanut butter and chocolate brownies.

Eat Natural Simply vegan peanuts, coconut and chocolate (£1) is a gluten free bar, which combines chunky peanuts, coconut shreds and creamy seeds.
Unsulphured apricots add a note of sweetness and chewiness, while roasted chickpeas deliver an extra protein boost. An undercoating of dark chocolate turns this healthy snack into a more indulgent one.
Available at Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose, Boots and WHSmiths amongst others.

Bounce Energy Ball Peanut (£1.79) is "the alpha-male of the Bounce Ball range". Weighing 45g, this gluten-free ball contains an impressive 13g protein, with healthy fats and antioxidants.
Nutritional information: 184kcal and 13g of sugar per ball.
I'm not a big fan of protein balls, but my husband said it was good.
Available at Waitrose, Ocado, Holland and Barrett, Planet Organic, BP and Shell.

Yorkie More & KitKat Chunky More (£1.29) are the latest addition to the range.
Kit Kat Chunky includes a layer of raspberry & hazelnut, while a chunky Yorkie bar has a layer of Oats, apple and cinnamon.
Both have 30% less sugar than similar chocolate bars, contain real fruit and are a source of protein, with Yorkie also being a source of fibre.

While I am all in favour of less sugar in chocolate products and do love fruit, I cannot say we were very enthusiastic about the added fruit.

Whitworths Shots Berry & white Chocolate (£1.60) is a tasty mix of dried cranberries sweetened with fruit derived syrup, raisins and creamy white Belgian chocolate buttons.
Each pack contains 98kcal and 15.7g of sugar. It's a handy little snack to keep in a bag for when you're feeling peckish.

Kallo Organic Honey rice and corn cakes (£1.89) is a new addition to the Kallo range. Long gone are the days of the boring rice cakes.
Honey rice and corn cakes contain 37kcal per cake, no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, are low in fat, gluten free and vegetarian friendly. Taste-wise, they are mildly sweet and pleasant.
Lovely for breakfast or when you're feeling peckish.

Wholesums Fresh Veg Popped Chips (£1.75) are a first to the market innovative snack. Made from whole potatoes, whole peas and whole carrots, they leave none of the good stuff out.
Wholesums are only 86kcal per serving, as well as being Vegan and gluten free.
You will receive 1 of 4 flavours in your box,
22g bags are available from Sainsbury's local.

Chescots SuperGut Porridge Pots (£1.99) are on-the-go porridge pots. Chescots brand was founded by the doctor and nutritionist Dr Jamie Mills. SuperGut pots contain half of your daily fibre and prebiotic fibres to support your gut, with over 3x the average fibre content of the other porridge pots.
It comes in two delicious flavours - Raspberry or Blackcurrant & Coconut.
They are vegan, dairy free and gluten free.
You will receive 1 of 2 pots in your box.
Available on Ocado, chescots.co.uk and Amazon.

PrepCo Mediterranean Couscous/Indian Rice/Thai Green Curry/Mexican Rice (£2) are a solution to a quick an easy lunch break dilemma. Convenient to take with you as an office lunch, it just needs some boiling hot water and a few minutes to make a quick and easy meal.
Made with tasty natural ingredients, they contain enough veg to tick off one of your 5 a day.
You will receive 1 of 4 flavours in your box.
Available at Sainsbury's and on Ocado.

I used a pot of Mediterranean couscous as an ingredient for stuffed peppers, which I roasted in the oven.

Zest Vegan Basil Pesto (£2.20) is another vegan product to bring to your attention. It's made of the leaf of the basil and without cheese, or any other animal products.
Free from anything artificial, suitable for vegans and vegetarians, this product is available on Ocado, Amazon, Morrisons and independent stores.
Ingredients include basil, rapeseed oil, ground cashew nuts, white wine vinegar, garlic puree, concentrated apple juice, salt, black pepper, toasted sesame oil and chilli powder.

Crafted Blueberry & Blackberry fruit juice drink (£1.50) is a fragrant refreshing blend of fruit and water. Best served cold, or over ice.
All Crafted juice drinks are made from natural ingredients, with no added sugar, sweeteners or preservatives. They are certified by the Vegan Society and count as one of your five a day.
A pleasant drink, not overly sweet and very flavourful.

And finally, product of the month:
Nescafe Gold Almond Latte (£2.98) is a delicious dairy alternative almond latte, made with a blend of high quality coffee and almond. Each sachet is easy to use and prepare, just add some hot water and stir well.
It has a smooth creamy taste.
Available at Tesco and Ocado, and soon will be available in ASDA, Morrisons, JS and Co-Op.

Disclosure: we receive a monthly food box for the purposes of reviewing.

Photo diary: weeks 1 & 2 (project 365)

I stopped writing photo diary posts last year for several reasons, one of them being considerably less popular than recipe and review posts traffic-wise. But I missed taking part and looking at what the other bloggers where up to, so albeit later than I should have, I'm joining in again this year with Project 365.
With school holidays last week, I had no chance to do my first post, so here is a glimpse of our two weeks of taking photos, or not taking much, as in my case. I realised that most of my photos are food-related, and I must work on making an effort and taking different photos.

On the 1st of January I was pondering on my non-resolutions for the coming year, and doing some scribbles in a Moleskine journal, which was one of my Christmas gifts.

In the last couple of weeks Eddie got it into his head that he needs to wear a scarf at home. In fact, there is no need, the heating is on most of the day. But apparently it is more fun. OK then.

On the 3rd we baked nutty oat cookies and mostly moaned about going back to school on the coming Monday. Nobody was enthusiastic about the school.

I have several orchids in the kitchen, all of them gifts from different friends. Despite the kitchen being the coldest room in the house (it's the only one that doesn't have a double glazing), most of the orchids started to bloom. As I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, these blooms cheer me up and make me think of my lovely friends.

I am addicted to buying books set in Cornwall. Christmas in the Cornish cafe by Phillipa Ashley was one of recent purchases. It is a classic chick lit, with some darker undertones. It also has some recipes at the back of the book.
Macarons in the photo are, alas, not baked by me, but are there courtesy of M&S. I rarely buy them, as they cost an arm and a leg, but these were discounted. I have never made macarons in my life.

I don't often bother with porridge for breakfast, but I do sometimes fancy it for lunch or even dinner. Quaker Oats are running a creative competition these couple of months, and I have joined in with this photo. Porridge with sour cherries and pine nuts was as delicious as it looks.

Monday the 8th started early. Back to school and all that. Nobody was happy to get up early and get ready for school. Coming home, I had a morning all to myself, and I was trying to catch up on some of Christmas TV programmes which I missed, and started working on a new puzzle. Bliss.

Our garden looks quite bleak at the moment, there is no much to see, everything seems to be dormant, and waiting for spring, apart from a few brave blossoms.

Wednesday happened to be a sunny day, and Eddie and I came home from school, he went upstairs to change and then ran down excitedly to tell me about the disco room. The sun shone through the window opposite our bedroom, and reflected on the wall via the sparkly sequins on my Christmas jumper. It was pretty, and did look a bit like a disco party.

On Thursday Sash stayed overnight at a respite centre. He's only been there a few times before. We were offered two nights per month for him to stay there, so that we could all recharge batteries and potentially have a better sleep. He seems to enjoy staying there, as they have lovely facilities including a jacuzzi and an indoor hammock.
My husband was abroad, so it was just Eddie and me at home, which felt very strange. We decided to have a film night. I bought a big bag of popcorn, and we watched The Addams Family Values. It is very non-PC, but still funny.
That day I spotted this creepy doll in the local vintage shop. She does look like a Bride of Chucky.
Can't see many takers who would want to have such a cutie at home?!

Friday morning was misty and foggy, we walked to school and admired the flood fields by the river Windrush.

Nothing much happened today, we stayed at home. I cooked fried potatoes with wild mushrooms for dinner. We had a lazy day, and I was watching Victoria series 1 on Netflix, and that's my excitement for the day.

Roots Collective Blends (review and recipe ideas)

"We're not a juice. We're not a smoothie. We're a Blend!" is Roots Collective's motto.
These days the choice of fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies is vast, with new brands appearing on the market almost overnight. Yet most of these healthy drinks are a mix of both veg and fruit.

Roots Collective has revolutionised snacktime by launching the UK's first and only range of whole vegetable Blends.

The main difference between blends and smoothies is the vegetable content, it is at least 80%. No fruit juice is added to blends, so there is less sugar. They are low calorie (at about 127kcal per 230g bottle), and dairy free. They have a thick consistency and offer a filling fibre hit.
There is a quarter kilo of vegetables used in each blend.
You can have them cold or hot, add them as ingredients to different recipes.
I received a selection of Roots Collective blends earlier this month.

There are five inspired flavours to choose from.

Sweet Beet is a blend of beetroot, red pepper, honey & lime. I do love beetroot, but nobody else likes it in our family. Beets have a distinct earthy taste. This drink has a beautiful intense colour and sweet taste.

I fancied trying one of the recipes sent to me by email.
It was meant to be a Valentine's day recipe - Sweet Beets Breakfast. I didn't make it for that particular occasion, as beets and oats don't quite scream Romance to me.
Or maybe they do, for very health-conscious couples.
I have halved the recipe, which is easily done.

Sweet Beets Breakfast Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 bottle of Roots Collective Sweet Beets
2 peeled and coarsely grated apples
6 tbsp of rolled porridge oats
2tbsp of chia seeds
1tbsp flaked almonds
2tbsp plain yogurt
method:
Mix the Roots Collective Sweet Beets, grated apples, rolled porridge and chia seeds in a mixing bowl, stirring thoroughly.
Top with plain yogurt and flaked almonds and divide between two serving bowls.
It is probably best made with Bircher muesli oats, and soaked overnight for a creamier consistency. I used fresh figs instead of flaked almonds, and haven't added yogurt either.
Overall, it's not something I would want to repeat in a hurry.
Red pepper was not quite right there for me. I'd prefer a tomato, or carrot for a borscht-like flavour, though not with oats.

Carrot Zing is made with carrots, root ginger, coconut milk, lime juice and a dash of honey.
This blend was probably my top favourite, as I love all the ingredients included in it. It has a lively bright colour and refreshing zingy taste.
Heated up, it will make a lovely bowl of soup.

Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust used it to make Fruity carrot noodles, a lovely salad or side dish for the main meal. Check out her delicious recipe.

Garden Greens is a refreshing medley of cucumber, mint and peas. I imagine in summer it will make a delightful cold soup, served with a dollop of soured cream or Greek yogurt.

I used it to cook a courgette and asparagus risotto. As an ingredient for cooking, Garden Greens added a beautiful flavour to the vegetarian meal.

Asian Sling is an exotic combination of sunshine yellow peppers, carrot, spinach, lemongrass and coriander.
There are also added notes of honey, coconut milk and avocado, as well as red chilli and lime zest. It is an interesting combination of flavours, reminiscent of stir fries and curries.

Green Warrior is a mighty blend of courgette, spinach, cucumber, lime juice, avocado, coconut milk and honey with a pinch of fresh parsley and chives. That's another great contender for risottos.
Roots Collective suggest to create a salsa verde with this blend, with added oil and garlic.

For a full range of Roots products and more recipe inspiration, check out Roots Collective.

Disclosure: I received a selection of blends for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are our own.

Primrose's Kitchen expands its range

When I was a child, my Mum used to tell me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. She also liked to repeat that rather tired maxim "Eat your breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend and give your dinner to your enemy". The recent research concluded that actually breakfast might not be the most important meal of the day. Either way, I don't quite trust much of the modern research regarding eating habits as it often has its own agenda. I don't skip breakfast, as I need "fuel" to keep me going, and I certainly make sure my boys have their breakfast too before school.
These days the range of breakfast cereals is so vast, you might get lost. Which health benefits to believe, which take with a pinch of salt?
I have recently discovered The Primrose's Kitchen range of natural food. The brand is the brainchild of Primrose Matheson who did Naturopathic and Complementary health studies and has a degree in Homeopathy. She used her knowledge to create a range of the natural and wholesome food which includes muesli and granola, nut and seed butter, sprinkles and smoothie boosters.

The Primrose's Kitchen has recently expanded its range of inspired breakfast products by introducing a new flavour of granola as well as organic oats.

Organic Porridge oats are sourced in the UK and have been milled, using centuries-old methods.
As you know, oats are a great breakfast food which keeps you going for the whole morning (well, until the elevenses anyway, when I do enjoy a cup of coffee with a biccie).

I like to jazz up a meal of porridge by adding some sliced fruit or berries, and pour a syrup or honey. To make it colourful and pretty, slice a couple of small fresh or dried figs and drizzle a good glug of date syrup. Totally delicious! Of course, if you're virtuous, skip the fruit and syrup and have your porridge plain.
Since I don't follow a vegan diet, I used milk to cook the porridge, but for a vegan option cook it with almond milk or water.

I also used these oats as an ingredient for baking oat walnut cookies. The oats gave the cookies a lovely texture and flavour. Oats are my favourite way of adding texture and extra fibre to cookies.

Oatmeal & Chia porridge is another tasty porridge. I wasn't sure if I were going to like it, as it does sounds "too healthy" - chia seeds seem to be promoted by all health gurus as a super food.
I cooked the porridge with milk (and again, use almond milk or water for a vegan version) and topped up with a sliced banana and chopped coconut chunks.
The chia seeds add a little bit of crunch to the creamy porridge. It was a very enjoyable porridge.

Organic Orange & Cashew Granola is a wholesome mix of orange, cashew, sunflower seeds, raisins, coconut pieces, cinnamon, nutmeg and Himalayan salt. All my favourite flavours together, this is a perfect granola for me. It has a delightful aroma and a crunchy texture.

I rarely have a granola in the morning, but I do love a bit of granola in a simple dessert. Just put a handful of granola inside a glass, top up with coconut yogurt (or Greek style yogurt) and a spoonful of your favourite jam for an amazingly moreish treat. Orange & Cashew granola topped up with coconut yogurt and lingonberry jam is just heavenly.
If you want to try exactly the same recipe, look for a coconut yogurt from The Coconut Collaborative and a Swedish rose hips and lingonberry jam from Felix.
My boys enjoy eating granola as a snack, straight from the packet, and without any milk.

We loved Primrose's Kitchen products, they are bursting with flavour and goodness.

Have you tried any of Primrose's Kitchen products?

Disclosure: I received a selection of Primrose's Kitchen products for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are mine.