BritBox is a new monthly subscription box that sends you a taste of the United Kingdom! Whether you’re an expat living far from home or just want to impress your friends with food that has British pound signs on it, sign up and get ready to be transported across the pond for $39 a month. *Goes great with Downton Abbey reruns*
DEAL: Take $5 off your first box! Use coupon code HELLO5.
I loved the color coordination that went into this box!
There were two inserts: one was a card with some info on posting the box to social media, and the other was a letter about the history of the Christmas pudding. I would love to see a card or sheet with info about the products. Someone who might be trying some of these foods for the first time and who may have never set foot on Britannia might enjoy learning about what makes these choices so special.
I’ve never tried a Christmas pudding before so Matthew Walker’s Classic Christmas Pudding (on sale for $3.56) is my first! It’s made with 13 ingredients in honor of Jesus and his 12 disciples and doesn’t actually have any plum in it, although it does have rum and that rhymes with plum. It does have sultanas, which we call raisins in the States.
I had planned on steaming this and topping it with rum hard sauce but I wasn’t feeling well and simply nuked it in the microwave. It had a sweet, dense texture and was moist and lovely. This reminded me of a cross between a fruit cake and bread pudding.
There was also a sixpence coin with Queen Elizabeth II on it. (Has anyone else been watching The Crown on Netflix?) Not only is it considered good luck to find it in your Christmas pudding, it is also supposed to be worn by a bride in her shoe on her wedding day. I was married in England and can’t remember if it did that or not. Maybe my husband and I should have a do-over?
There was a cute card from Wiscombe Art ($4) that features a full English breakfast. For years after my return to the states, I would try to recreate my own version to serve to my husband on our wedding anniversary but couldn’t find the right type of sausage so this card made me hungry. Also, I don’t remember ever getting tomatoes with my breakfast, only sauteed mushrooms. And corn flakes. And the best tea.
I tried the Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom ($2.14) for lunch. Just add boiling water to the fill line, wait two minutes, stir, wait two more minutes, then eat. I tried sharing it with my daughter but she wouldn’t have any of it. I think this is like Cup O’ Noodles but I haven’t eaten anything like this since I was a teenager due to the sodium.
I’m going to try the Bisto Gravy Granules ($4.19) with hamburger patties and sauteed mushrooms and serve alongside mashed potatoes for a quick Salisbury Steak weeknight dinner.
I got this box of Aunt Bessie’s Sage & Red Onion Stuffing Mix ($9.08) just before Thanksgiving and have been charged with making stuffing for our Friendsgiving celebration. I’m going to make my classic bread stuffing but I am also going to take this along and see what my friends and family think of it. I like that this product has couscous and no artificial ingredients.
Here’s another new-to-me product: Colman’s Bread Sauce Mix ($3.60). Just mix with milk and heat for a few minutes and serve alongside roasted chicken or turkey.
Walker’s Shortbread Fingers (66¢) are a classic choice and remind me of my visit to Scotland, where I bought some at a tourist shop.
The first thing to go was Terry’s Milk Chocolate Orange ($1.28). Creamy milk chocolate, orange oil for flavor, what’s not to love? My family savored each little “orange” segment.
There were two traditional Christmas Crackers ($3?) similar to these ones from Pudding Lane. My daughter had fun opening her first cracker and found a paper crown and a set golf tees inside (she didn’t know what golf tees were!).
I am happy with my very first BritBox! I thought the items fit the Christmas theme well, with products that would go great with a traditional dinner (with a few shortcuts to make it easy on the cook). I also enjoyed the sweet treats and the little touches that reminded me of the two years that I lived in that delightful, historic country. I think this box would be great for people who are far from home and would love a little taste of their birth country or for Anglophiles who love all things English and would like to try some classic choices. This box has a value of around $32 which is a little under the price of the box but some of these items were only available in bulk and I don’t really want to purchase them by the case, plus, this is about an experience and a trip down memory lane and that makes it worth it to me (although a box of tea wouldn’t hurt!).
What did you think of BritBox?
Comments
Awesome thing to do, love the Brits!!!
They do have some lovely food over there!