Tea party with Degustabox

I love a good cup of tea. With a biscuit. Oh and some cake. Why not throw in chocolates whilst you are there. Oh, look a perfect tea party. Gather round and join me whilst I enjoy some Degustabox treats!

At my tea party, there was cups of Irish tea, amazing American cookies, Italian chocolates and some homemade cakes.

Barry's Tea - A brand I'd never heard of until my Degustabox turned up at the door. Being an international box it was great to discover some new brands from overseas. I'm pretty much a Yorkshire Tea girl through and through so getting me to try this tea was tough. When I did get a cuppa I enjoyed it. It was nothing super special that would get me to change my tea of choice, but a lovely cup of tea nonetheless.

Debeukelaer Cookies Bakery (Creamy Cookie) - An exciting packet to discover stashed in my parcel and a welcome one. When I finally got round to trying these treats (after the hoards of photos) I was a little underwhelmed. The gooey middle was certainly brilliant, almost like Nutella, but the cookie was a letdown. It wasn't soft and squidgy like I would have liked, it was quite dry.

Kinder Chocolate with cereals - Whenever I find chocolate in a Degustabox I am very happy. This box didn't disappoint with two bags of different Kinder chocolates. I used the Choco-Bons to make the cupcakes and shared around the cereal ones which were a lovely change from normal chocolate flavours.

*April Degustabox was sent to me free for review

Kinder Choco-Bon Chocolate Cupcakes

I used to be really obsessed with subscription boxes. Every time a new one popped up I'd be all over it. Now that I am older and a bit smarter with my money, I like to research them before I commit. A few have caught my eye recently but one I've always liked is Degustabox. I've had this a couple of times in the past and loved all the new food I had to try! I really enjoy getting a massive box filled with full-sized products sent to my door once a month. Some people don't seem to get the excitement I feel when I receive it, but for me, it is about trying new foods from upcoming and established brands.

I recently was sent a box to review which happened to be their international box and it was filled with all sorts of amazing goodies which I will be posting about. One product that caught my eye was the Kinder Choco-Bons. I've always seen people make cakes with other treats inside, so I thought this was my chance to do the same. I'm not much of a baker, I'm more of a cook, but I thought I'd give this a go. Boy was I glad I tried!

Kinder Choco-Bon Chocolate Cupcakes

You will need (will make 8 cupcakes):
85g/3oz self-raising flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
55g/2oz butter, softened or soft margarine
55g/2oz caster sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
8 Kinder Choco-Bons

For the icing (will make enough for 12 cakes):
150g unsalted butter
280g icing sugar
2 tbsp cocoa powder
6 Kinder Choco-Bons

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Put 8 cupcake cases on a tray.

2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Mix in the butter, caster sugar and the egg. Continue beating together until smooth.

3. Spoon a little mixture into the cupcake cases using a teaspoon. Put one Choco-Bon into each of the cases, squishing into the mixture to ensure coverage. Put another dollop of the mixture on top if the Choco-Bon to cover it over.

4. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until risen and firm to the touch. Leave to cool for 20-30 minutes before icing.

5. For the icing, measure out the butter and beat until soft and pale. Sift in the icing sugar a bit at a time, mixing it in well to ensure light fluffy icing, until it is all included. Add two tablespoons of cocoa powder to make it chocolatey.

6. Cover the cupcakes in the chocolate buttercream. Break up the remaining Choco-Bons with a knife and sprinkle over the cakes.

What do you think? Will you have a go making these?

*The April Degustabox was sent to me for review

Recipe - Chicken Paella with Schwartz Flavour Shot

Recently I came across a new subscription box in which every month you get different food products. The Degustabox can contain snacks, drinks and ingredients. In the first box I received I had two types of the Schwartz Flavour Shots, one which was for a Spanish Paella. I had always thought I didn't like paella as it was made with seafood but inside the packaging was a recipe for chicken paella so I thought I'd have a go!

This recipe is Schwartz's, I've just made the effort to type it up for you!

1 Schwartz Spanish Paella Flavour Shot
1 Onion
100g (4oz) Chorizo, diced
450g (1lb) boneless chicken breasts, diced
325g (11oz) paella or risotto rice
1 litre (1 3/4 pints) water
1 red pepper, diced
100g (4oz) frozen peas

1. Prepare all your ingredients - dice the onions (or use frozen like me), the chorizo and the chicken.

2. Heat the pan and add your Schwartz Flavour Shot.

3. Add the onion and chorizo and gently fry for five minutes.

4. Add the chicken and fry for a further 2-3 minutes.

5. Add the rice, stir and fry for another minute.

6. Add the water, peppers and peas. Bring to the boil whilst stirring. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

This was a lovely spicy dish which I think would have been hard to achieve without the amazing flavour shot. I hope I can use the other shot that I got which is the Italian creamy herb tagliatellle.