A Riverford recipe box contains organic and seasonal ingredients allowing you to prepare tasty meals…
Spice Pioneer Spice Subscription Box Review
The Spice Pioneer spice subscription box is a lovely way to experience recipes from all round the world. Read on to find out what I thought.
I was sent some Spice Pioneers boxes to try out and review. All opinions are honest and my own.
Do you love trying out new recipes and exploring dishes from around the world? If so a Spice Pioneers spice subscription box may be for you. The box contains all the spices you need to make a delicious meal for four. All the recipes are there, you just need to get the ingredients.
When you need to make a meal for your family every day sometimes you need extra inspiration. Recipe boxes and subscription boxes are a great way to get new ideas.
Read more: Gado Gado salad from the Kitchen Trotter subscription box
What is the Spice Pioneer Spice Subscription Box?
The Spice Pioneer travels the world on the search for the best recipes and flavours. He then takes inspiration from his travels to create recipes we can make at home. The recipe cards are then put into a box with the spices and seasonings you need to make them.
The box, which will fit through your letter box, is sent to your door. You can then prepare a delicious meal for your family to enjoy. Every month the recipes are from a different country and you never know which country it will be ahead of time.
How much does a Spice Pioneer subscription box cost?
You can buy the monthly spice subscription for yourself or as a gift for a friend. The subscription costs £24.99 for three months. You can cancel at any time.
If you want to send a subscription as a gift the following prices apply:
- 3 months – £27
- 6 months – £52.50
- 12 months – £99
What do you get in the box?
Each box contains all the spices required for a starter, a main and either a side or dessert. The spices come in small pots with clear labels so you know what they are. As well as the spices you get a recipe card telling you how to cook the meals.
Each spice box has recipes from a different country. The box also contains a postcard from the Spice Pioneer which describes his travels in the country. This helps gives a feel for the sights, sounds and flavours you will encounter if you visit.
These are two different boxes, one is for Boston Beach in Jamaica and the other is for Istanbul, Turkey.
Making a meal from the Spice Pioneer Subscription Box
We are great fans of spicy food in our house. I saw the Jamaican box had a recipe for Jerk Chicken included so thought I would try that. This is one of my husband’s favourite dishes and thought I would see what the twist on it was. Accompanying the chicken is charred pineapple, rice and peas and a green pepper, tomato and chilli salsa. The starter is Accras, a Caribbean fritter.
Read more: Easy Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe
The recipe card has a shopping list on the back which you can photograph to take when you go shopping for the ingredients. (Or write out if you are old fashioned like me). There is also a list of all the utensils you will need to make the recipe.
Inside the card shows the ingredients you need for each dish. It then breaks the whole meal into different steps. Following the steps allows you to prepare each bit of the meal at different times so it is all ready when it is meant to be. The steps are colour coded to match the ingredients so you know which part of the meal you are making. This makes it really simple to follow.
There is also a music playlist on the Spice Pioneer website so you can set the atmosphere while you cook.
The meal from the Spice Pioneer box
The meal took just over an hour to prepare and it tasted great. There was more than enough for the three of us and the recipes were really easy to follow.
Accras (Caribbean Fritters)
Accras or Caribbean fritters are not something I have made before. Now I have tried them I would make them again. They are made from a mixture of white fish or crab meat which you mix with a batter and spice mixture. These are then fried in batter so they puff up into fritters. They look a little odd but they taste delicious. The fish flavour comes through and the spices lift them to a while new level.
Jamaican jerk chicken with charred pineapple, rice and peas and green pepper, tomato and chilli salsa
When I make jerk chicken I usually mix the jerk seasoning with lemon and lime juice and a little oil. This Jamaican jerk chicken blends the jerk seasoning with a mixture of maple syrup, thyme, ground bay, cinnamon, chipotle and chopped spring onions, garlic and red onion. As I did not have a stick blender my marinade is a little lumpy. The flavour is delicious and rather spicy.
The jerk chicken goes well with the rice and peas which counteracts the spicy chicken with its coolness. The chargrilled pineapple has a coating of sugar, soy sauce, lime and rum which sounds odd. It tastes really nice and the marinade brings out the flavour of the pineapple. The salsa adds a nice spicy kick to the whole dish.
Read more: Caribbean street food recipes
The family loved the whole meal and would be happy to try it again.
Overall impression of the Spice Pioneer subscription box
The Spice Pioneer subscription box is a great way to try different recipes from around the world. If you look at it purely at the cost of the spices you might consider around £8 a box to be expensive. It is not just about the spices, it is about the whole experience.
If you have ever tried to cook an exotic recipe you will know it can be difficult to find some specific spices. The accras use the spice Aji Amarillo. Would you know where to find it? I can imagine it would entail having to visit a number of specialist suppliers which could take time.
With the Spice Pioneer spice subscription box all the hard work has been done for you. You don’t need to think up a meal, the recipe comes in the box. It is written so you know what order to make each dish in. All you need to do is to get the fresh ingredients and cook.
A Spice Pioneer subscription box would make a great gift for a novice or an experienced cook. It is a great way to try different recipes from other countries and expand your culinary know how.
Order from https://www.spicepioneer.com/
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Galina Varese says
I subscribed to the spice box for 6 months starting before last Christmas, but didn’t keep up with it, still have some boxes which I haven’t even opened. I think as a concept it is great, it has some rare spices which are difficult to source otherwise. But since my husband decided not to eat meat any longer, I found the recipes a bit too meat-oriented. I think if they had a vegetarian option, that would be great.
Alison Maclean says
A vegetarian option sounds a good idea, I am sure lots of the recipes could be adapted for both