Reviewed by
Caroline
BoroughBox is an artisan box of carefully selected food and drink that you can choose to give as a gift or subscribe as a monthly box delivered to your door. What makes this box different is the balance of hand selected foods which have been expertly chosen by Andy Lawson – the founder who is a former market trader and enthusiastic foodie and Dr Deborah Quinn, the wellbeing specialist casting a critical eye over all the food to give health based knowledge and expertise on every item included.
The box I received was delivered quickly and in in a very sturdy large box, all the contents were carefully protected ensuring no damage in transit and right away I was excited by the array of contents. This is like no other food box I have discovered as all the items not only have been chosen for their health based benefits but also are seasonal and extremely tasty. What a treat to find a service that takes out all the hard work of sourcing specialists across the country to produce a monthly discovery box delivered to your door to enjoy. Every item we tried in the box we felt were perfectly placed and enjoyed by everyone in our family. What I really liked about the BoroughBox was that it was full of food that was chosen for its health benefits paired with its delicious taste.
It’s so good to find a service which brings healthy snacks and foods to your door and by sampling the contents of the box, many of the foods I have found I would most definitely source and try again. Each month the contents will change of course and seasonal items will be included as well as food from new suppliers, think luxurious healthy snack foods that really pack a punch on flavour. I will go through this month’s box below, but each month will be different and if you subscribe you get the benefit that you really don’t need to do anything else except wait for it to arrive and enjoy it. This is the second month of the discovery box and I’m sure it will go from strength to strength as this is what many people want to see, tasty real food with a healthy twist.
First out of our box was the Serious Pig Snackinham Chilli & Ginger – loved the name, and this is utterly delicious what a treat and welcome in any lunchbox! In fact even though the pork is infused with herbs and spices and my daughter’s are fairly picky, they both said they would love to see this added to their daily school lunch boxes! Fair to say it would be hard to let any go as the adults enjoyed it so much. Not at all what I was expecting (I somehow thought it would be quite dry – pork jerky?) but soft and full of taste and the chilli and ginger doesn’t overpower the flavour at all.
From Coconut Merchant the Coconut Chips which are baked and contain 180 calories, 14g fat, and 10g sugar for the entire 40g bag are a really great alternative snack to the traditional bag of potato crisps and really tasty too. There are only three ingredients, coconut, cane sugar and salt and yet they taste very decadent and sweet, and the 40g bag is more than enough for two as it’s quite filling too.
The second product from Coconut Merchant was the Raw Organic Coconut Oil which we have loved using as this year we have found more and more useful in everyday cooking. Containing extra virgin raw Sri Lankan coconut oil you can use it for cooking, baking and even in your beauty regime, it’s amazing how many ways you can use it! The glass jar will last a long time too as a little goes a long way.
Staying on the snack foods next are Chika’s Plantain Crisps, which are a snack food of a West African recipe baking the plantain (similar to the banana but used in many savoury dishes instead of potatoes) with salt. Very filling as well the 35g bag is 178 calories, 4.4g sugar and 10g fat, very crunchy and quite sweet and the very subtle addition of salt gives it a lovely flavour. These were really different to try and such a great snack alternative, much more filling than I thought they would be as well.
Now the next item may see a few raised eyebrows but stay with me, the Cacoa & Cricket Flour Bar Crobar by Gathr is indeed made with crickets. Cricket meal to be precise and if you have been to south east Asia as Christine Spliid the founder of Crobar has, you will be familiar with the vast array of insects to try and taste at the food markets. That was the starting point for the company and with the high protein of the cricket flour, low fat and rich iron content and tasty varied ingredients to add to the cricket flour – the Crobar bars were born.
We all tried the bar in our family and I was the only one who knew the ingredients beforehand , I was myself a little sceptical but I’m pleased to say everyone had the same opinion, the bar is really tasty and very filling too. It reminded me of an athlete’s protein bar, high in protein and contains natural ingredients. Once we had all tried the bar I let the family in on the secret ingredient and it really didn’t take away any of the enjoyment which was great to hear. I would happily stock up on these to have as snack bars or in place of protein bars which my partner uses for his sports training.
Smokey Brae – Smoked Sugar Made in Scotland in a 235g tin, what an unusual and lovely find! Cold smoked Mauritian demerara made using Smokey Brae’s blend of hardwoods to create a really unique caramel/smokey sugar to use for a whole host of cooking possibilities. A great substitute to the regular sugar and I’m looking forward to using it in my baking.
From Souffles the Pitta Chips with Rosemary & Thyme were a perfect accompaniment to any dips or pickles and are seriously crunchy. Enjoyed by us all one lunchtime these are very addictive and the rosemary & thyme flavouring have a good balance and not too strong. We tried the Pitta Chips with some yogurt dip and crudités and they were lovely.
Louola’s Superfood Mix 150g was packed full of mixed nuts, sunflower seeds and cranberries and was a very welcome addition to breakfast time as we sprinkled it over yogurt and fruit and I really liked the fact it had no other ingredients. This raw superfood mix is a great swap for more sugary substitutes and you only need a small amount each time too.
From The Vegetarian Caviar Club the Vegetarian Caviar was a product I was new to so it was a great discovery for us. Dairy and gluten free and of course not derived from animals, the vegetarian caviar offers a versatile alternative to traditional caviar and can be used in many ways, as a garnish, on baked vegetables, with crackers or in canapés. It’s such a different product to try and what a pleasure to have in this food box.
The Hemp Snack Bar from Themptation have 5 seed types included and are nut free, more filling than I imagined and a brilliant swap to the usual sugary offerings for lunch boxes or handbags. The bar is certainly a healthier option and it’s always great as a parent to find a bar which both adults and children like, as well as being a much healthier option.
From The Spice Kitchen the Organic Turmeric Powder (65g) one spice I do use quite a bit so it was great to replenish my stocks with such a good quality spice. The health benefits are numerous for using turmeric in your cooking and it’s a great spice to introduce in a very subtle way into family dishes. Not to mention the beautiful colour it will turn the dishes and not just for rice either, we have got adventurous and used in in soup, rice, curry and in our vegetables over the last week with huge success.
So there you have it 11 new products to try with a healthy slant to them and I am incredibly excited to see what will be in the next instalment based on this month. At £34.99 per month (or £99.99 for three months, £189.99 for 6 months) I feel for the contents the BoroughBox offers very good value and if you particularly like any of the items in the box you can order easily via the BoroughBox website – just navigate to the ‘Marketplace’ on the website.
By Evelyn 
