FIRST DISCLAIMER
This box was released for Coeliac Awareness Month. I do not have an official diagnosis of coeliac disease. Controversially, I am gluten-free by choice for reasons I have outlined in my blog post and unboxing video for the Love Free From March 2024 box. I am not a medical professional either. If you suspect that you have coeliac disease, please consult your GP for advice.
Overview
Although this blog post is up a year later than planned due to only just recently getting around to upgrading my blog plan and having several things going on in my personal life and my work life, the May 2024 box was dedicated to Coeliac Awareness Month.
I like how the tissue paper inside the box was bright orange rather than the usual shades of blue. I believe that orange was used to represent Coeliac Awareness Month.
The front of the leaflet also used the orange colour scheme effectively, especially the pictures of the people displaying common symptoms of coeliac disease.
Here are the items I received in the May 2024 box:
Eleat High Protein Cereal Chocolate Triumph
I have already tried a few different gluten-free chocolatey cereals such as Freee Chocolate Stars, M&S Made Without Wheat Choco Pops and Sainsbury’s Free From Choco Rice Pops, all of which I enjoy.
Upon opening this cereal, I was met with a vanilla aroma.
Despite my initial excitement to try this cereal, it also tasted more like vanilla than chocolate, although I got a slightly chocolatey aftertaste. The cereal had a slight crunch to it but it became a little bit soggy quite quickly.
The cereal also turned the milk chocolatey.
Rating: 7/10
Ballymaloe Foods Ballymaloe Relish
I have purchased this product time and time again over the years, so I was pleased to find it in my box.
Upon trying it again for the first time in a while, it had a fresh tomato taste but its vinegary taste burnt my throat a bit probably because I had hay fever at that time.
For the purpose of this blog post, I tried this relish with a Strong Roots The Pumpkin & Spinach Burger, some oven chips and some baked beans.
Another way I enjoy this relish is in a cheese toasted sandwich with gluten-free bread and lactose-free Cheddar cheese.
Rating: 8/10
The Curators Cheese Flavour Pork Puffs
I like eating pork scratchings (as long as they’re gluten-free) and similar snacks from time to time, so I was intrigued to receive this unique spin on these snacks.
The flavour patterns of these puffs were variable. When I first tried them, they had a cheesy taste that was similar to that of Love Corn Cheese and Onion and this taste alternated between one that was more like Quavers (which are cleverly censored on the back of the packet) despite not including actual cheese in the ingredients. I could also taste the more regular pork flavour throughout eating these, especially at the end. The snacks also had a light and airy texture with a slight crunch.
Rating: 8/10
Henry’s Bakehouse Caramel Biscuit Cake
I was surprised when I saw that this cake was bigger than it looked in the Love Free From Instagram post for this month’s box.
When I first heard about this cake, I thought it would have a Lotus Biscoff kind of taste. I was disappointed when I tried it because the icing had an unusual earthy taste while the texture of the cake itself was dry and dense. Most of the icing had also stuck to the inside of the film. Still, the cake had a slightly sweeter taste than the icing. I added some golden syrup to the cake and it was a bit better this way. I also tried this cake with Coconut Collaborative Custard and golden syrup and it was as good as it was with just golden syrup.
I also received this cake as a freebie at the Love Free From stand at the 2024 Allergy & Free From Show, so I decided to take it to my family home when I stayed there that summer. When my mother tried it, she found that it had an unusual taste. She thought the icing tasted a bit off.
Rating: 6/10 on its own, 8/10 with golden syrup, 8/10 with golden syrup and custard.
My mother’s rating: 0/10.
Simply Roasted. Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Potato Crisps
As I mentioned in my March 2024 box review, I enjoy eating sour cream and chive flavoured savoury snacks.
Although these crisps had a pleasant crunch and didn’t taste like washing up liquid, they still tasted rather bland with the stronger taste coming at the end.
Rating: 7/10
Joes’s Tea Co. Ever-So-English Breakfast Tea
While I mostly drink decaffeinated hot drinks, I still thought this was worth trying even though it is caffeinated.
One thing I like about this tea is that it is plastic-free and better for the environment.
Although the flavour of the tea is described as, “delicate, floral and refreshing,” I found it more bitter tasting even if I added coconut milk to it.
Rating: 7/10
Peng Roasted Chickpeas Sea Salt & Vinegar and Coconut & Dark Chocolate Flavours
I had already tried roasted chickpeas after having bought them from my local international food shop, so I was intrigued to receive not one, but two different flavours of them in this month’s box.
While the Sea Salt & Vinegar ones have the same classic salt and vinegar taste as crisps with this flavour, they had a slightly meaty aftertaste despite them being vegan. They also had the same crunchy, dry and powdery texture as the ones from my local international food shop.
I had previously tried My Sweet Chickpea Coconut & Dark Chocolate Roasted Chickpeas when I received them in my February 2020 Degusta Box. Upon opening the Peng Coconut & Dark Chocolate variety, there was a slightly alcoholic-smelling aroma despite them not containing any alcohol. The chocolate coating is thick and although these chickpeas had a slight floral taste to begin with, the dark chocolate flavour shone through at the end. The dark chocolate flavour overwhelmed the tastes of the coconut and the chickpeas, but these chickpeas were not as dry as the Sea Salt & Vinegar ones. I also did not quite enjoy the Peng Coconut & Dark Chocolate variety as much as I enjoyed the My Sweet Chickpea ones.
Rating: 8/10 for the Sea Salt & Vinegar Flavour, 7/10 for the Coconut & Dark Chocolate Flavour
Perkier Peanut Dark Chocolate Bar
Although I already knew that this bar had dark chocolate in it, I was initially surprised to see that it was dipped in chocolate.
While the mixture of nuts and cereal had a rich caramel taste, this overpowered the taste of the dark chocolate.
Rating: 7.5/10
Aquapax Sparkling British Spring Water
I only like sparkling water if it dilutes squash or cordial, but I liked the concept of this sparking water being in a can rather than a plastic bottle. I tried this water with some apple and blackcurrant squash and this combination worked perfectly to begin with. When I topped it up with a bit more water, the taste of the squash was weaker(I didn’t think about adding more squash because it was double-concentrated).
One thing I feel I could have done was save my Keto Baker bread mix from my April box so that I could have added the Aquapax sparkling water to the mix, but I didn’t know what I was going to receive in my May box upon receiving the April one.
Rating (with the squash): 9.5/10
Buttermilk Coconut Choccy Bar
Buttermilk is one of my favourite brands of free-from chocolate because they make free-from versions of popular chocolate bars such as Mars, Snickers and Bounty.
As with the Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, this is another product I tried before receiving the box.
Rather than the 2 or 3 pieces Bounty bars usually come in, this came in one single bar. The chocolate was smoother yet more thinly coated than that of a regular Bounty and the coconut part had a similar texture to that of Bounty if a bit more dry.
Rating: 9/10
Linwoods Cold Milled Organic Flaxseed
I was a bit sceptical about receiving this product in this month’s box because I might have tried flaxseed before and it tasted bitter. When I tried a teaspoon of it, it was dry and tasted bitter but it also tasted quite nutty.
I used the flaxseed in this month’s suggested Blueberry Pudding recipe. I combined 2 tablespoons of it with 125g fresh blueberries, 125ml coconut milk and 1 tablespoon of coconut yoghurt. I chilled it in the fridge overnight and ate it the next morning with extra coconut and blueberries. Although quite a lot of liquid formed at the bottom, the “pudding” (it can also be eaten for breakfast as I have done) firmed up very well and made the flaxseeds a more pleasant way to enjoy them.
The second time I made the “pudding,” it didn’t have as much liquid at the bottom as my first attempt did. I put this down to adding more flaxseeds to the mix.
Rating: 7/10 on its own, 8/10 in the blueberry pudding/breakfast.
The Protein Ball Co. Salted Caramel Natural Energy Balls
I am not a fan of salted caramel, so I gave these to my parents when I stayed with them last summer. While my mother thought they were okay, my father didn’t like them as much.
Mum’s rating: 6/10, Dad’s rating: 2/10
Pimp My Salad Plant-Based Cashew Parm Cheez
I was a bit sceptical when I received this because I’m not too keen on most vegan cheeses. When I opened it, I was surprised to see that it had some quite chunky pieces of cashew nuts. I was even more pleasantly surprised when I tasted it. Although it had a strong taste of cashews, it still had a Parmesan cheese-like taste.
I tried this sprinkled on a salad that I made from various ingredients. The salad was so big I ended up eating the rest of it the next day.
Rating: 8/10
The Skinny Food Co Skinny Sauce Garlic and Herb
I tried this or a similar sauce in the past but I didn’t like it that much because it had an unpleasantly sweet aftertaste. I donated this to a food donation point in a shop.
Final Verdict
I was more impressed with the selection of products in this box than I had received in my March 2024 and April 2024 boxes. My favourite drink was the Aquapax Sparkling British Spring Water and my favourite food item was the Buttermilk Coconut Choccy Bar. My least favourite product I tried was the Henry’s Bakehouse Caramel Biscuit Cake (which my mother gave a lowly zero) while my father gave The Protein Ball Co. Salted Caramel Natural Energy Balls a very low score.
Overall rating including those from my parents: 131/150
You can watch the unboxing video below:
More disclaimers: This is not a sponsored blog post. All opinions expressed are my own except those from my parents.
All photography is my own.
List of brands included in the May 2024 box
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