Just before the UK increased it’s restrictions to help control the spread of Covid-19, our March Degustabox arrived. Already the shop shelves were empty, so it was fun to open this box and see what treats were in it…and having a box of Homepride Superior Sponge Flour inside when it was impossible to find flour in the supermarkets was particularly pleasing. It will be put aside and turned into a delicious cake for a little girl’s birthday next month. Let’s find out what else was waiting to be tried out…
Degustabox is simplifying their boxes so there won’t be a choice between alcoholic and non-alcoholic in the future; some months there may be alcohol within the box while other months there may not be, which may simply add to the surprise inside. There may be different product flavour versions available randomly within boxes as well. Please note that as reviewers, we often receive most or all of these variations so we can try them all out and share our thoughts with you (I will note this where applicable below).
Let’s start with the contents of the March Degustabox before moving on to our top picks. Each monthly box contains between 10-15 products; some aren’t yet available in the shops which gives you the first chance to try them out! The short version of this month’s box is that there are 14 items; 4 snacks, 5 beverages, and 5 meal items. The long version is….
The Hello Spring Box Contains:
- £1.59 Smarties Buttons
- £1.30 Merchant’s Heart Floral Aromatics Tonic Water
- £2.50 Marmite Crunchy Peanut Butter
- £1.59 Nudie Snacks Broad Bean Sour Cream & Cheese
- £1.50 Galaxy Oat Drink
- £1.20 Naked Noodle Singapore Curry
- £2.49 Cadbury Hot Chocolate 30% less sugar
- £1.00 x2 Wotsits Flamin’ Hot & Sizzling Steak
- £2.00 Homepride Superior Sponge Flour
- £1.99 Highball Alcohol Free Cocktails Pink G&T
- £0.95 x2 Knorr Kaffir Lime & Ginger Stock Pot / Paprika & Sundried Tomato Stock Pot
- £3.00 Seedlip Garden 108
Hello Spring Top Picks
Each month we feature our top picks in the box. Of course, these choices are based on our own tastes, and I’d love to hear what your favourites are, just pop them down in the comments at the end of this post.
Smarties are always fun, and these Smarties Buttons are little mini smarties embedded in a chocolate coin. You will have received either white chocolate or mild chocolate, but as reviewers we received a package of both. They are all very colourful, as you can see, and very yummy, too. Kallista used some to top Mother’s Day muffins that she made (I should have taken a photo). I’m not a big fan of white chocolate, but with the smarties inside, they’re also very nice. Have an early Easter hunt around the house to keep the kiddies busy and leave a trail of buttons to follow.
Wotsits Flamin’ Hot & Sizzling Steak were included in March’s box, which was coincidental because a friend of mine showed a family pack of Wotsits on Facebook the day before and I had commented that I hadn’t had them in probably over a year or so. My preference between these two flavours is the Flamin’ Hot because I like heat, and Phil scoffed down the Sizzling Steak ones in no time. These are light, crunchy, squishy, and leave their colourful orange tell-tale signs on your fingers.
The Kids’ Top Picks
Tristan was a little disappointed that he didn’t get the entire Galaxy Oat Drink as he can now tolerate dairy products so we all shared this. It’s thick, rich, and chocolatey, but not over the top, nor too sweet. It’s very similar to the chocolate milk I enjoyed as a kid in Canada.
A cup of hot chocolate is always a treat in our home, and we all loved Cadbury Hot Chocolate 30% less sugar. The children enjoyed the flavour, and I believe we all think it is better than regular hot chocolate! There isn’t any artificial sweetener in this, and the reduced sugar means that the chocolate flavour is better!
Knorr Paprika & Sundried Tomato Stock Pot came in handy when I was making a fresh pot of tomato and lentil soup last week. Instead of using plain veggie stock, I used a pot of this and it added to the richness of the soup.
More Hello Spring Products
The children and I weren’t fans of Nudie Snacks Broad Bean Sour Cream & Cheese, but Phil really liked them. The sour cream and cheese flavour was very strong so that the bean flavour didn’t take centre stage.
The Marmite Crunchy Peanut Butter was all for Phil in this box – two of his favourite flavours in one hit, he could hardly wait to try it! Phil says it is very good, but also very runny, so keep a paper towel handy (if you’re lucky enough to have some at the current time).
In the box was a recipe that had Merchant’s Heart Floral Aromatics Tonic Water mixed with Seedlip Garden 108 for a non-alcoholic drink. The tonic water on its on was quite good, but the Seedlip Garden 108 to me tasted like earth, snap peas and flowers – not my favourite aroma, but when the two were blended together, it was a much better combination, and Phil really enjoyed this combination.
Jubel Beer cut with elderflower was this month’s alcoholic choice. I really like elderflower, and this was citrussy as well, which reminded me of lemon beer when it was popular in Canada in the late 90s. It wasn’t something I would go out of my way for, as it was a little bubbly and tart for me, but I know many people who would enjoy this.
Phil had Naked Noodle Singapore Curry for lunch one day when the kitchen was in chaos in the midst of me trying to do some spring cleaning. He was surprised at how plentiful the noodles were in the pot, and how filling it was, as well. In the current climate, I didn’t want to have a taste after he’d already finished half the pot, so I’ll take his word for it that it was a good meal!
Highball Alcohol Free Cocktails Pink G&T is a nice alternative to alcohol. I’ve been trying a couple of gins over the past while, and this still has undertones of juniper, but it isn’t in your face strong. The bright colour gives it some fun, too.
There you have it! The full run-down of the March Degustabox – the ups and downs and in-betweens. Have you tried a Degustabox yet? Give it a whirl and see what delights are in the next box! Use Code ZPH3A and save £5.00 off your first box!
You can can connect with Degustabox through their sites: UK website, UK Facebook, or UK Instagram.
