April Degustabox

We are always looking forward to our Degustabox delivery, which arrives every month and is full of foodie surprises. This monthly food and drink subscription box is an excellent way to discover products which have only just appeared in the shops or those which might have been around for 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 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 first box (and you can unsubscribe any time) - just use a code 8EVI8 when you place an order.

What did we receive in April Degustabox? Let's have a peek.

The food box was delivered just in time for our Bank holiday BBQ. The weather was pretty abysmal, and we had our BBQed sausages and burgers indoors. While the food was cooking under the merciless drizzle, we shared snacks in the warmth of the house.

Seabrook Lattice crisps are sliced both ways to hold more flavour and give a satisfying crunch. We got Sea Salt and Black Pepper which is a classic and much loved flavour.
Thumbs up from all of us.

I have also offered a bowl of VIP nuts (Hot Chilli), and we all dared each other to try them. They are lethal very hot indeed. If you love chillies, you will enjoy this blast of heat.

Nothing But is a range of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, containing nothing but 100% wholesome ingredients. Suitable for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets.

Typically Edgar likes pineapple in juice, and so far resisted my attempts to feed him with dried pineapple slices. He tried a piece of a Nothing But freeze-dried pineapple, and gobbled up the whole pack.
These snacks are light, delicious and full of flavour.

Pineapple & Grape snack freeze dried fruit slices offer 1 of your 5 a day.
The pack contains 40kcal, no added sugar, salt, colour or preservatives.

I have noticed a new brand of chocolate Doisy & Dam in Sainsbury's recently, and even bought one of the flavours to try.
Doisy & Dam Quinoa, Smoked Tea & Vanilla organic milk chocolate bar is made with popped quinoa. Quinoa is a trendy ingredient these days. It might have been an interesting combination of flavours, but I wasn't quite convinced. Quinoa doesn't add much except a bit of texture, and I would have liked a more prominent flavour of Lapsang Souchong. The milk chocolate was a bit too sweet for me.

There was another trendy super food in the latest box -
GOOD HEMP Hemp Seed Hearts. These are nutty seeds, high in protein, fibre and omega 3. They are also free from nuts, gluten free and are environmentally friendly. Use them as sprinkles for your yogurt or cereal, or add to stir fries and bakes.

Whitworths Full of Super Vanilla Maca-Roons are made with almonds, coconut flakes and golden flax seeds. Naturally high in fibre and pantothenic acid, they are gluten free, soya free, suitable for vegetarians.

They are tasty enough, but do look like bird food. A light snack, they are handy to carry in a bag, for when you're out and about and are feeling peckish.

Dorset Cereals has expanded its varied selection of cereals to include an Ultimate Adventures collection.
We received an American Roadtrip flavour which includes cranberries, almonds and orange zest, as inspired by Route 66.
As we are not big muesli-eaters, I will be using this pack for adding as ingredients to crumbles and oat cookies.

Garofalo pasta is one of the brands we buy regularly, but this was the first time we tried Garofalo Whole Wheat Penne. It has a unique taste and texture. A word of warning - it might take you longer than suggested 11 minutes to cook it. When I tried it after 11 minutes, it was still very much uncooked. I do know the difference between al dente and uncooked, and it definitely needed longer time to cook.

I cooked Asparagus, kale and Dolcelatte pasta for dinner tonight, and it was pretty good.

POLO mints do not need an introduction, this is a classic brand. The POLO you've known and loved since 1948 are now available in a handy convenient pot for on the go.
POLO mints are flavoured with natural mint oils to freshen the breath. POLO sugar free range is accredited by the Oral Health Foundation as being kind to teeth.

Moving onto drinks.
CELIA Organic lager is 100% organic and brewed using just three ingredients. This is a premium Czech lager. It is a refreshing gluten-free drink.

Fentimans Pink Grapefruit Tonic Water is made with ruby red grapefruit and quinine.
Mix it with gin or vodka for a refreshing and zesty long drink
No artificial sweeteners, flavourings or preservatives.
36kcal per 100ml
We had it with sloe gin and ice, and it was delicious. Cin cin!

The food box included a flyer with a list of products and a recipe for Pasta all Norma, as cooked by your humble servant. I knew that my recipe suggestion would appear on the flyer, but actually seeing it in print made me feel all warm and fuzzy. My five minutes of fame.

Disclosure: We receive a monthly food box for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are our own.

LEGO Disney Moana's Ocean Voyage

You have probably seen the meme doing rounds on social media which says "It's been a long three years but I'm glad "Let it go" is finally out of my head. - You're Welcome". I'm sure many parents nodded their heads in agreement. You're Welcome is one of the most popular earworms these days (I'm humming it as I'm writing this post. Sigh.)
Eddie and I enjoyed the film, we've seen it both in the cinema and on DVD at home (don't ask how many times). We love the plot and the main characters. The animation is wonderful, and there are a couple of "really cool" songs. Apart from "You're welcome", there's a catchy tune "I'm so shiny".
To coincide with the release of the latest Disney blockbuster, LEGO has produced two Moana sets.

Just before Easter I saw that LEGO Disney Moana's Ocean Voyage was offered at 40% off. There is no way I would have paid the full price of £39.99, but the offer looked very tempting, and knowing how much my son loves LEGO, I couldn't resist buying it.

This play set includes a big outrigger sailing canoe with minifigures of Moana, Maui and chicken Heihei, an island of Te Fiti and a little raft with two aggressive coconut warriors.
Moana holds a little printed tile with a fish hook constellation map.
Chicken Heihei looks grumpy, according to my son. Don't know if it's a slightly "off" chicken that we got, or whether that was an original design, but it does look cross rather than just silly.

Maui is pretty huge for a minifigure. He doesn't have as many tattoos as the character in the animation, so that's a bit of a disappointment. He holds his magic hook, which is plain white and again not quite the same as you see in the film. Perhaps a couple of stickers would have helped.

The canoe is well-designed, with two parts. I don't know any sailing lingo, so won't offend you by naming its parts. There is a small trapdoor with space for food storage and hiding Heihei.

You will find the "kind of cute" and scary Kakamora, nasty coconuts whom Moana and Maui encounter during their voyage. Their raft is tiny, it might be the remains of their big vessels. The Kakamora's raft has a small catapult to launch the attack.

I think a Kakamora ship could make a splendid separate LEGO set.

Te Fiti is a goddess who has powers to create life. When Maui has stolen her heart, she turned into a demon Te Ka, a creature of fire and magma, a symbol of destruction, the opposite of what she used to be. To take revenge on Maui, she is seeking to punish the humans by turning their world into a dark and inhabitable place.

The island of Te Fiti is smaller in size than the canoe, but it is well designed. It is easy to build, with bits of greenery and tiles for the beach.
The main part of the island has two faces to spin around. One is the dark side - Te Ka, the other is Te Fiti with a green heart and pure soul. The heart of Te Fiti is a small printed round tile.

This colourful creative playset will amuse all the fans of Moana. Eddie now asks me to buy the second set in the range. Well, we'll have to see...

Red kidney beans, peas and ham hock salad

There are days when I don''t feel like cooking anything elaborate. I can just about throw some ingredients together in a semblance of a meal. Salads are very forgiving in a sense that you can layer them up with whatever you have in the kitchen, mixing fresh ingredients with tinned foods and other staples that you might find in the cupboard. In my case, I had some ham hock in the fridge, the remains of lentil sprout mix and half a bag of salad. It could have easily turned out differently - ham hock could be replaced by tinned tuna, lentil sprout mix by tinned chick peas etc.

Red kidney beans, peas and ham hock salad (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 tin of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (240g drained weight)
80g frozen peas, cooked
3tbsp lentil sprouts mix
1/2 bag of mixed salad leaves with beetrout
50g shredded ham hock
3 cherry tomatoes, halved
1tsp English mustard
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp cider vinegar
1tsp maple syrup

Open a tin of red kidney beans and rinse them in a colander under a running cold water. Drain well.
In a medium mixing bowl toss together beans, cooked peas, lentil sprouts mix, halved tomatoes and ham hock.
Divide the salad between two plates and arrange the bean-ham mix on top. Prepare a simple dressing from English mustard, olive oil, vinegar and maple syrup and drizzle it over the salad. Season with a little bit of salt, if you like.
Serve with bread.

And just because I used some odds and ends of packets in the fridge, I'm adding this recipe suggestion to #KitchenClearout linky hosted by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews.

Mischievous Meerkats 500pc puzzle from Ravensburger

In the last couple of weeks our house has been in turmoil, as the plasterers and decorator were working on the entrance room and staircase. I always find having strangers in the house disruptive and frustrating. Puzzles do a good job of putting me in a better mood, so for a few days I worked on a new puzzle, a little bit at a time.
Mischievous Meerkats 500pc jigsaw puzzle from Ravensburger will make anyone smile. The endearing scene features a family of meerkats.

Meerkats' popularity has reached its zenith thanks to amusing TV ads as well as wildlife documentaries. If you are a fan of the villagers of Meerkovo, you will love the latest addition to the extensive range of Ravensburger puzzles.

And while these meerkats don't wear cravats or glasses like Aleksandr Orlov and his sidekick Sergei, they are simply  adorable. Just look at those soulful eyes.

This colourful and detailed puzzle is made from high quality cardboard and measures 36x49cm.

It is suitable for puzzlers aged 10+.
This 500pc jigsaw puzzle might be a perfect introduction to a wonderful world of puzzles.
It will make a lovely gift to any meerkat fan.

Disclosure: I received the puzzle for the purposes of reviewing. All opinions are my own.

Visiting Oxford University Museum of Natural History

"There are moments when one feels a desperate gratitude for museums, whatever their own ambiguous histories. Their objects from lost cities lead us back to who we are".
Amy Davidson

Eddie has been asking me to take him to the Natural History Museum for a while, so during the last Easter break we jumped on the bus to Oxford for a visit. Sash had an activity day with Barnardo's, so it was just two of us who went to the museum.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History was founded in 1860 as the centre for scientific study at the University of Oxford. It holds amazing significant collections of geological and zoological specimens.

In the days when a lot of children-friendly venues cost a lot of money, you appreciate places like Museum of Natural History, which you may attend for free. There are donations boxes at the entrance, but nobody pesters you to pay.

When a couple of weeks ago Eddie mentioned to a family friend that we planned to visit the Museum, she asked if he knew what he would see at the entrance hall. He was curious to know, but I said "Wait and see". It was worth the wait.

The room as you enter is truly magnificent. The layout of the Museum is unique, all the exhibits are well displayed. What is even more exciting for children, a lot of these exhibits can be touched.
Eddie was thrilled by everything he has seen.

The dinosaurs' skeletons make you think of The Night at the Museum movie.
If your children love dinosaurs, this is a great place to visit.

Eddie's recent hobby is collecting minerals and rocks. Going to see the extensive geological collection and buy a few minerals was our big plan. Regrettably, this fossil was not on sale. Eddie was much taken with it.

He loved the fluorescent minerals in a small dark room with curtains (a pity about the smell inside).

The layout and displays are quite old-fashioned, it's like stepping back in time. There are modern gadgety displays around as well, with interactive screens, but they are discreetly tucked into corners or appear in the first floor galleries.

Natural History Museum would appeal to children and grown-ups alike. If you are interested in history and science, this is a must visit.

The architecture of the building and the interior design are worth a separate mention. The ornaments and iron pillars are exquisite. The building itself is an outstanding example of Gothic Revival.

We spent around two and a half hours in the Museum, with a quick run through the Pitt Rivers Museum (which should be explored in a separate visit).
When we visited the Museum, it was very busy, thanks to school holidays and swarms of tourists.

After the Museum, Eddie begged me to go to McDonald's to buy a Happy Meal. It's a big treat for him, as we rarely happen to go there. We also met with a friend for coffee, and bothered Papa in his office.
Papa was happy to take a break and have a game of table tennis with Eddie.

It was an eventful day, and on the way back home, Eddie nodded off on the bus.