Issue 16 of our weekly bite-sized review series.
This week we’ve been taste testing all sorts of lovely new things: the highest quality olive oil straight from Italy, a Japanese seasoning made with Scottish seaweed, healthy protein snacks, Korean fried rice and some rather delicious sparkling ginger beer.
Mara Seaweed Furikake – this is my new favourite seasoning! Furikake (pronounced fuh-ri-ka-key) is a popular shake-on rice seasoning in Japan, but the dulse seaweed in Mara’s version is hand-harvested in Scotland and Ireland. This blend also contains black and white sesame seeds and chilli flakes. Packed full of nutrients this seasoning will add gorgeous splash of flavour to any meal. It’s also available in America! RRP £5.47 for 30 grams, available exclusively from Morrisons.
Nutri-Bombz© Snack Box – superfood snacks delivered straight to your door. These protein packed snacks are made with 100% natural ingredients with no added sugars, syrups or additives for guilt free snacking. The main ingredient in most of the flavours is dates, so keep in mind that they are still really sweet, but they’re a great pick-me-up when extra energy is needed. I really liked the salted caramel protein boost (71 calories and 3.7 grams of protein each) and the coconut flapjack (85 calories) in my sample box. Choccy hazelnut and choccy orange were also included, but I found the date flavour overpowering. £4.99 for a box of 12.
Cawston Press Ginger Beer – are you doing Dry January too? Award-winning Cawston Press come to the rescue with a range of delicious sparkling drinks with no added rubbish. Their ginger beer combines fiery root ginger with crisp apple juice for a refreshing drink with a kick. They’ve even got a competition on for Dry January: Win a crates of sparkling Cawston Press every day for your workplace, and have it delivered straight to your door. Click here to enter the competition. Ends on the 20th of January 2017. RRP £11.88 for a case of 12 on Amazon, but 6 packs are available in many leading supermarkets.
Simply Cook – I know I mentioned this subscription box not too long ago, but we’ve just tried another box and I am so in love with the recipes! Each box contains all the spices you need to create a restaurant quality meal for two people in under 20 minutes. Each Simple Cook delivery features four different recipes from around the world; this week we tried the Bokkeumbap, a Korean fried rice recipe. You will be introduced to new flavours and recipes without having to fork out loads of money in buying jars of hard-to-find spices. All you need is a few fresh ingredients (I added leftover Christmas turkey to our Bokkeumbap!). I’ve just signed up with Simply Cook as an affiliate, and if you use the code TRIAL3 you can get your first box for only £3 and I will get a nice little commission too. Subsequent boxes only cost £8.99 (that’s only £2.25 per meal). Choose from a Discovery Box, Light Box, Gluten Free Box or Vegetarian Box and get started!
Pomora Olive Oil – I have been using this oil for over a year, and I absolutely love it. Each quarter a shipment of 3 x 250 ml tins of the highest quality olive oil drops through my letterbox straight from the growers in Italy. A fellow named Antonio from Campania grows the olives my olive oil is harvested from. Pomora works a bit differently than a lot of olive oil producers in that you adopt an olive tree from the grove of your choice. Right away you receive an Adoption Pack and information about the tree your oil will come from. Subscriptions start from £29 per quarter and you are free to cancel any time you want.
BRANDS! – would you like to be featured in this weekly bite sized review series? Contact me!
With thanks to all of the above brands for the review samples. This is not a paid post, although the Simply Cook and Pomora links are affiliate links and we will earn a small commission if you make a purchase. The link in orange is an Amazon affiliate link, and we will earn a small commission on any purchases made from Amazon in the next 24 hours if you enter their website via ours.
Mum of three, daydream adventurer, OU Life Sciences graduate, occasional crafter, ex-pat Canadian & quite possibly Britain's most northerly food blogger.
Elizabeth O. says
I am not familiar with some of them but thanks for the info about each one. I love trying out new food and new ingredients for cooking.
Carol Cassara says
Wow! They all sound amazing! I’m glad you shared your experience with all of these products. I definitely appreciate it.
Carol Cassara recently posted…The difficulty of being human
Debbie-jean Lemonte says
Simply Cook is the best. I absolutely love it. I’m glad it made this list.
Lisa Rios says
Such a wonderful collection & I am in love with everything you have listed here. I use Olive Oil regularly and I would love to grab that Nutri-Bombz© Snack Box with so many goodies right away!
Shannon says
Love the sound of the snackbox! SOunds yummy
Fatima Torres says
This snack box sounds interesting. We’re always looking for new ways to stay healthy in our home.
Misty Dawn Nelson says
That is absolutely looks a good Breakfast! I should try this at home. Thanks for sharing this with us
Sondra Barker says
Nutribombz Snack Box sounds amazing! By far, it sounds like one of the best snack boxes out there!
Sondra Barker recently posted…JFAT Opens in Brea and Dinner is Just as Good as Brunch!
Anna nuttall says
The ginger beer sound interesting and something would love to try out.
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Anosa says
Not sure what happened to me this year but all of a sudden I am a super lover of ginger beer and I am having a cocktail every night made with it so would love to try this one here
Anosa recently posted…{2017} Bedroom Wishlist
Wren says
I will have to try these out. I love trying new things and these are now at the top of my list!
Andrea says
Oh, these are all great choices! I would definitely like to try the olive oil and the seaweed! I am always looking for recommendations for new foods to try!
Nicole Aguilar says
That breakfast picture looks soooo good! People are so talented!
Kaitlyn says
The “Simply Cook” boxes sound awesome. I have a hard time deciding what to make so that would be perfect for me. Great post!
Kaitlyn
http://www.mypostpartumlife.com
Krysten says
I love that you do this! First of all that Japanese rice seasoning (not even going to try to spell it) sounds so amazing! I want to get some for my rice. I love ginger beer and the one you review sounds perfect. And I LOVE subscription boxes, I am going to have to try this one out!
Lhourdes Mercadero says
I loveghe Koran fried rice. I’m quite curious with the taste of the ginger beer. How i wish to taste some more a nrlew flavors and things
Annemarie LeBlanc says
I would love to try the Mara Seaweed Furikake. It would make plain rice more palatable! I have tried Ginger Beer, although it is another brand, and I would say it is good, not great, but good.
thi says
This is a must try! Need to get back into shape!
thi recently posted…surrendering to my sweet tooth
Maryanne says
Have never taste some of them before but it looks interesting! Thank you for sharing!
Christina Gardner says
I have never dared try any of these “box” foods. After reading your post, I just might! Thank you for a great post.
Azlin Bloor says
Fantastic selection of yummies! I’ll have to check out that olive oil brand you mention. We love making our own Furikake so we can control what goes in there, but this Mara brand sounds handy. Will look it up.
amanda says
great mix of products! No dry january for me though – january is depressing enough as it is without alcohol!
MishyV says
That olive oil looks good, I’m currently looking for a good one so I might try this one, thanks for the tip!
Ana Rose | Roads and Pages says
Those are interesting collections of foods. I would love to try those when I visit those countries where those foods can be found. I bet those foods come with its own benefits that will really boost our health. Thanks for sharing these wonders.
julie porter says
I would really like to try the ginger beer, it sounds so delicious. I really need to see if I can get some shipped to the US.
tauyanm says
that mara seaweed sounds interesting. my family loves seaweed and nice to know that there are another options to try.
kylie cre8tone says
The 5 picks are fabulous! It’s really nice and I’d really hv the 5 top picks, too!
kylie cre8tone recently posted…Toss for prosperity at Dorsett Grand Subang
Sandra Crespo says
These all look amazing! I would love to try out that Olive oil! We love trying different olive oils here at home <3
Steven Goodwin @ MyFamilyOnABudget says
Subscription boxes are all the rave right now! That one looks pretty interesting! Nice to see that they come in so many different varieties too!
Steven Goodwin @ MyFamilyOnABudget recently posted…2017 Goals: 7 Areas I’m Getting Focused On This Year
Michelle Gwynn Jones says
Its amazing how things that have been around forever seem to get popular. Ginger beer is one of those things. But I love ginger, so that’s a good thing.
Sarah-Louise Bailey says
We all know the benefits that a simple ginger can do for our health. And why not have some Cawston Press Ginger Beer? I am sure it taste awesome with an apple juice mixed-up.
Amy Jones says
Holy! Those truffles look heavenly. I need to take a few!
George says
Nothing beats Italian olive oil, its so versatile. One of my favorite after noon snack is fresh bread with some olive oil and sea salt.
Emily G Davis says
Ohhh the olive oil thing sounds really cool! Unfortunately I don’t cook with olive oil anymore, but still love using it for salad dressings and dipping bread. 🙂
Amber Myers says
How interesting. I would give these a taste. I know I’d like that olive oil.
Katja says
Great stuff, the ginger beer especially sounds exciting. I love the sound of the olive oil, but since I found coconut oil I’ve never looked back ☺
Katja xxx
http://www.katnapped.com
Author Brandi Kennedy says
These sound like great companies, and great ways to try new things without a lot of risk. I really like the idea of the Snack Box – it seems like a fun way to sneak better quality food into my kids!
Author Brandi Kennedy recently posted…Works For Me Wednesday: The Pomodoro Technique
C. Poly (@CPoly69) says
Those truffles look divine!
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Alexandra Moresco says
I love anything that has to do with food. That ginger beer looks so tasty and fresh! Might have to try it next time I need that ingredient for drinks!
https://alpluslex.com/
Alexandra Moresco recently posted…A Crudité Platter Your Friends Will Actually Want To Eat
Adriana says
Very interesting post. I really like it!
Divine Mwimba says
I love to do food tasting. I believe I use to use Pomora olive oil back in the days. I switched to olive oil. I think I may do the switch back. These are great finds for sure.
Divine
Divine Mwimba recently posted…How I made money in my Second month blogging and how you can do it too
robin masshole mommy says
It sounds like you found some really great things. I am very interested in trying that olive oil.