You are now looking at the newest member of the Graze 50 club, who quite literally survived on Graze boxes to get me through agonizing early morning university lectures. From Moroccan Harissa Pitted Olives to fruity mango chutney, the explosion of multiple cultures left my tastebuds tingling, while my student loan quite happily paid out for the most exceptional snacks mankind has tasted. After eight years in the running Graze remains as popular as ever and is now being stocked in selected retailers including Tescos, Wh Smith and other leading retailer chains. Having created over 100 different flavours, adventurous taste ‘explorer’ Eleanor always looks to source the freshest, most exciting flavour combinations that targets a range of nutritional needs including those on a GMO/ Vegan/ Vegetarian diet and draws inspiration from foodie destinations like ‘India’ and Thailand, renowned for their emphasis on spice and sweet paradigms. During my time as a Graze enthusiast I began bulk buying my favourite snacks to have healthy, nutritional snacks whilst on the go, alongside my weekly Graze boxes that delivered four surprise treats every week. Over time I realized which treats I liked or disliked and Graze allowed me to mark off treats that I was not keen on and favourite treats I loved or treats that I wanted to try as soon as possible. Sadly when my student finance came to an end and I graduated from university I had to choose between my Netflix subscription and Graze boxes and I was devastated because my snacks had come to an end. That was until recently; at a Blogger Hangout workshop I met two team members who after hearing my ‘Graze Woes’ decided to make me part of a very cool and exclusive blogger group called Graze 50. GRAZE 50 will allow me to receive exciting boxes with treats galore and be able to sample and review snacks that have not even made it onto the site so I cannot wait to get started.
I was kindly sent a Grazetastic goodie box with a handwritten note from the team, delighted at welcoming me into the Graze family fold. It was the little personal touches that made my heart melt and with the addition of two hand written notes, including a voucher for 10 boxes I felt as though the team was truly dedicated to their customers needs. The team took the utmost time to painstakingly put together four boxes that fit my nutritional and dietary requirements, featuring the Italian inspired Herby Bread Basket, the droolworthy Lemon Drizzle Flapjack, a Deconstructed White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake and Juicy Peach and Raspberry which was bursting with moist flavour. The Italian inspired Herby Bread Basket featured garlic crostini, mini basil breadsticks and oregano rice crackers; containing a delightful blend of mild spices like Paprika, flavours are wonderfully Italian, with Grazes own personalized fun twist. The spices are subtle with strong garlic undertones while oriental rice crackers with tangy oregano powder flavoring uses Jasmine rice to create an Oriental-Italian fusion that melds together effortlessly. The hint of oriental ingredients reinvented a typical Italian snack and has revitalized the notion of Italian food equaling ‘pasta’ and ‘garlic bread’. As someone who sees flavour as the key to a good meal, why should snacks be any different?Verdict: Italian Stallion 4/5 
The second culinary delight a ‘Lemon Drizzle Flapjack’ used rustic rolled oat flapjacks topped with lemon curd and yogurt drizzle, for a sweet treat that would dare to tantalize the senses. Using only free range yolk, Graze reassured me that no hens were unlawfully harmed during the making of the flapjacks and because I only buy ‘free range’ eggs it was important to ensure that my snacks catered to staunch moral ethics. As a vegetarian and an animal lover, knowing that I am eating a delicious snack that was created in morally ethical conditions where hens are given free roam of their enclosures makes me incredibly happy. I cannot tolerate hens being forced to be bred in cramped cages for our own personal satisfaction so I did not feel guilty stating how much I loved the lemon flapjack’s tart and rich flavour, because the hens were happy too. By far the most delicious snack in the Graze 50 box, the tartness of the lemon created a stark contrast to the creaminess of the yoghurt drizzle, enabling me to have what I would call a ‘foodgasm’. The flavours and ingredients were simple proving that less was more, while the slight crunch of the rolled oats was moreish and left me feeling ‘snack-ified’ for longer. Verdict: Tangy mouthwatering bites of deliciousness 5/5
Confession: In fact the flapjacks were so good that due to having to wait nearly three weeks for a photographer I only had one flapjack which I promptly demolished after the shoot.
As someone whose two favourite deserts are ‘cheesecake’ and ‘tiramisu’, knowing that there was a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake for my inspection was a heavenly delight come true. The idea of deconstructing a cheesecake and recreating it as a ‘snack’ cheesecake was an alien concept but I was confident that Graze would do me proud and I was right. Retaining the traditional cheesecake’s ‘taste’, the Belgian white chocolate buttons created a divine food party in my mouth while raspberry fruit strings delivered much needed tang. If there is one thing I love it is the saying that opposites attract because its true; the sour fruit strings stopped the white chocolate buttons from becoming too ‘sweet’ while vanilla cookie drops and almonds created delightful secondary flavours that were made to be subtle rather than draw attention away from the main attractions ‘fruit strings’ and chocolate buttons. Verdict: Hello Gorgeous 4.5/5
It was goodbye gorgeous and hello Juicy Peach and Raspberry, as the final attraction came off the Ferris Wheel, waiting for the ringmaster to approve its taste. Noted as one of your five a day the juicy fruit selection featured dried pear, peach drops and raspberry fruit strings. A far cry from the usual dried fruit, it delivered much needed juiciness all in one little 100% biodegradable graze box. The taste was tart for the most part although the peach drops injected a dash of summer sweetness into the healthy dried sweet box. Packed with antioxidants, the dried peach has over 1826 different vitamins including iron for those who are iron deficient like myself and Vitamin A, while the humble pear has anti-inflammatory flavonoids, and potentially anti-cancer phytonutrients like cinnamic acid, shared by the popular berry choice ‘raspberries’, which naturally is included in the dried fruit box. The promise of a healthier me was more than enough incentive to truly appreciate the benefits of Juicy Peach and Raspberry and although it was not my favourite box it would still make an excellent healthy snack. Verdict:Healthy Living Done Good 4/5 The Graze 50 Box 1 Graze pencil 1 Graze voucher – 10 free boxes 1 badge 4 Graze boxes1 Graze notebook Overall Verdict It is very rare that I have a review without a negative word about a product but all the Graze products sent were exceptional and delivered a delicious mix of savory and sweet. The only critique I would have is to say I would prefer a more balanced mix of sweet and savory snacks i.e. two sweet and two savory but overall the Graze 50 box proved to be a flavoursome hit. 
What would be your favourite Graze Snack?
Leave a Reply