Review and Giveaway: Bluebasil Gourmet Brownies
They say that good things come in small packages and in this particular case, a very good thing, or two, arrived in the post and practically knocked my socks off. Bluebasil gourmet brownies. A little box, small, but perfectly formed. Tied with string with a pretty label. It wasn’t Christmas day, but it could have been. They made my day.
Inside the box, a personal note and an ingredients leaflet. Nestled deeper and well protected, a tissue wrapped parcel…
Inside the triple-wrapped tissue paper, four gourmet brownies, to sample. Each brownie was generous in size. If you are strict with yourself or have any self-control, you could possibly eat half at a time. Not me.
Ordering brownies by post seems to me to be a very good idea. Particularly when the brownies are this good. Bluebasil brownies are not just any old brownies. The Bluebasil Cardamom brownie won a Great Taste Gold Award in 2011. This year, Bluebasil have been nominated ‘Best Local Supplier/Producer’ at the The Cotswold Food & Drink Awards. The Independent called them “The Rolls Royce of Brownies” – they were not wrong!
What can I say? They were dense, truffle-like and incredibly moreish. I had to call a friend to come over for coffee as I was afraid I would eat them all in one sitting. The Classic Chunky Chocolate with added Divine (fairtrade) chocolate chunks, was like sinking your teeth into the most perfect morsel of fudgy chocolate, ever. Chocwork Orange came a close second for me, again, made with Divine orange milk chocolate and orange blossom water; delicate yet rich with an aroma that could almost make you want to leave it out, just to smell it. All four had a thin, slightly crisp top. Beyond that, I practically just melted into each mouthful, falling deeper and deeper into some sort of state of brownie bliss.
The hazelnut brownies had a slightly different texture to the others owing to the chopped hazelnut, giving them a character of their own. I loved the shards of hazelnut sprinkled over the top. The Cardamom brownie was a fairly new taste experience for me, almost floral, and reminding me a tiny bit of eating cardamom-scented rice, not in a bad way, just in a way that has gently nudged me towards trying cardamom more often with sweet things.
There are others on the menu I need to try; a Banoffee brownie, a Caramel Crunch, a Cappuccino and a Chunky White Chocolate. It’s almost as if Bluebasil knew that I would be straight over there to order my next fix… 
Bluebasil brownies are made by a small company based in Oxford who are committed to using local produce, such as local organic eggs, organic flour and local butter along with a fine quality 70% cocoa chocolate. There are also gluten free versions of some of the flavours available.
You can chose your flavours when you order. They will arrive the next day if you place your order between 10am Monday-Thursday. They can be stored in the fridge for up to 14 days, but you won’t be able to delay finishing them that long. You can even send a personal message card.
So, that’s it. All my future gift lists sorted. These would be perfect as a new baby gift (for the mummy), as a birthday present, anniversary present, a “sorry you are leaving” present. Send them to someone who is ill, send them to someone who is sad, send them to your mum or dad. Whoever receives these brownies will be your friend for life. Actually, be your own friend and just send them to yourself.
Flavours: Caramel Crunch, Classic Chunky Chocolate, Chunky White Chocolate, Chockwork Orange, Cappuccino, Hazelnut, Banoffee, Cardamom. Chunky Chocolate and White Chocolate available in gluten free.
Prices:
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£14.50 for 9 brownies (+P&P)
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£17.50 for 12 brownies (+P&P)
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£21.50 for 16 brownies (+P&P)
As far as I know, they don’t sell them by the crate.
Giveaway
Since Bluebasil are a nice company, they have offered to send a gourmet Bluebasil brownie gift box to one of my lucky readers. The winner will receive a gift box of 9 generous brownies (worth £14.50) – I’ve taken the liberty of chosing Classic Chunky Chocolate, Clockwork Orange and Banoffee – unless the winner is gluten free.
Enter! Tweet! Like! I think you’ll love them, too.
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Entry to this giveway is via the Rafflecopter form below. There is no alternative prize.
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To begin, please enter your name and e-mail address on the Rafflecopter form so that I can contact you if you win.
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A mandatory question will appear, which you need to answer by leaving a comment at the bottom of the post, before going back to the Rafflecopter form and hitting “Enter”.
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After this, you can complete the bonus entries as explained on the form to increase your odds of winning!
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If you can’t see the Rafflecopter widget, please refresh the page!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thank you to Bluebasil brownies for my review package and for offering a giveaway gift box. I received the brownies for free in the hope that I would mention them on my blog and was given no incentive to write a positive review. I only recommend food/products or services I use personally and believe my readers may be interested in.
I think Caramel Crunch! It sounds the naughtiest! Chewy brownie and smooth caramel…droooool 🙂
caramel crunch
Hazelnut for me!!!! Although they all look and sound FAB!!!
Ummm gorgeous brownies!!! All the flavours sound fab to me x x
I’m a nut for Hazelnut!
Has to be caramel crunch, although they all look delicious!
mmmmmmmmmmmmm any flavour for me
chunky white chocolate for me
I think they all sound lovely but caramel crunch would probably be my favourite
I’m gluten free and it is so hard to get nice gluten free brownies, but these ones I’m sure would be fabulous!
Chockwork orange, sounds so yummy xxx
LOVE NUTS!
clockwork orange or hazelnut or just any
Chunky Chocolate for me 🙂
Ohh there would be a fight in our house over these!!
I think Caramel Crunch would be my fav…altho Cardamom sounds interesting too!
Hazelnut
They all sound great but think it would be the clockwork orange!
Cappuccino sounds absolutely lovely
Clockwork Orange and the white chocolate are my favs. Sorry I cannot choose between them.
they all sound yummy, but i think that chockwork orange would probably be the one for me
hazlenut sounds yummy
Chocwork orange – drooling at the thought!
Probably the classic Chunky Chocolate, although the Capuccino and Hazelnut would be very close behind!
I adore white chocolate so it would be them! xoxo
Cappucinno – I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Cappuccino
Caramel Crunch sounds amazing
Chunky Chocolate. It looks original and i bet it does the job!! Fulfilling my Chocolate cravings!
white chocolate for me
Cappucino, I have a love for coffee!
Definitely Caramel Crunch, yum
Hazelnut…. something a little different I would love
Banoffee as I love banoffee pie!!
white chocolate chunkie
I would be happy to win any they all seem very nice
Classic Chunky Chocolate
Definitely the cappuccino for me but they all sound tempting
Classic Chunky Chocolate–but the others sound divine as well!
I would love Cappuccino brownies yum yum
Thank you xx
Would really love to win – they sound amazing!
Think I’ll be traditional and go for Classic Chunky Chocolate
So difficult to choose – I want them all, but id kit’s only one – Hazelnut please
Chockwork orange!
Banoffee
Chockwork Orange sounds scrummy mmm
Cappaccino for me!
Very hard choice, all of them!! But if had to choose just one it would be Chockwork Orange
Chunky White Chocolate for me, yum, yum
classic chunky chocolate!
The Classic Chunky Chocolate
Caramel crunch 🙂
they look yummy!
Certainly the Orange one for me … fab x
Very hard to choose, they all sound wonderful, but Caramel Crunch just has it!
gotta be caramel crunch – nom nom nom xxx
chunky chocolate for me 🙂
The classic chunky chocolate!!! ❤
I think I’d give the cardamom ones a whirl, sound interesting…
Chunky chocolate – can never have too much chocolate!
Caramel Crunch
Classic chunky chocolate for me – but I quite honestly wouldn’t say no to any of them of course!!!
white chocolate please
Chockwork Orange
Orange are my fav
Wow what a great prize……
Chunky white chocolate!!! Mmmmmmmm I am salavating just thinking about it
hazlenut mmmmmmmm tasty
hazlenut mmmmmm sounds tasty
Clockwork Orange
The hazelnut brownies sound delicious, actually they all do, but that would be my first choice.
hmmm would have to be clockwork orange but its very hard to choose they all sound amazing
Caramel Crunch sounds wonderful
my fave would be Chockwork Orange
Classic Chunky Chocolate I expect!
Caramel Crunch
chocwork orange sounds awesome !
Chocolate orange! Ooooh.
Mmmmmm, Has to be Hazelnut!!!
Caramel Crunch
clockwork orange!
They all look mouth-watering but caramel crunch sounds especially inviting
Classic Chocolate, yummy!
Caramel Crunch or Cappucino
I love the sound of caramel crunch
All of them? Chunky white chocolate!
I think the cappucino flavour would be my favourite.
caramel crunch, mouths watering at the sound of it
Chocwork Orange
mmm Chockwork Orange sounds lovely!
The cardamom one sounds really interesting – i like unusual flavours.
It would have to be Chunky White Chocolate
White chocolate!!! I LOVE white chocolate 😀
They all sound ama\ing but caramel crunch sounds soooooooo good, my mouth is watering!!!
Ooooo I am in love with this mouth watering goodies. I would love a chunky chocolate 🙂
They all look amazing – and i am sure the taste would be as nice as the appearance – although think it would have to be the caramel crunch one! Nom nom!
Chockwork Orange – chocolate and orange is my favourite taste combination!
Clockwork Orange flavour sounds perfect for me, although my children would love the chunky chocolate brownies and my husband would adore the Banoffi option. What a fantastic review, I’m drooling already.
Hazelnut sound yummy
Chockwork Orange sounds wonderful (in fact they all sound wonderful!)
Blog is looking amazing!! Bluebasil Gourmet Brownies look very tasty!
Hazelnut sounds scrumptious
Chockwork orange sounds delightful
Chockwork Orange
It would have to be the caramel crunch 🙂
please feed me – i love cakes
Definitely Cappuccino!
Caramel Crunch sounds yummy
I loooove the look (and sound) of the chocwork orange brownie. I can almost smell it from the description! I think my other half would like the white chocolate ones, as he has a sweet tooth.
Clockwork Orange sound intriging
Caramel Crunch sounds like my flavour. I love food with different textures and I’m already feeling the smooth chocolatey brownie going against the crunchy bits of caramel on top. Mmmm…
Chunky White Chocolate.. yum. yum
Wow!
Banoffee has to be the one!
Chockwork Orange sounds wonderful – think that would be my favourite!
They look delicious
banoffee for sure super yummy
clockwork orange
Caramel Crunch sounds gorgeous!
my favorite brownies is caramel crunch.
Has to be hazlenut, I love any choc that has nuts in it.
Hi, I bet it would Clockwork Orange, thanks a lot! 😀
Yum. ( mouth drools )
oo I really want to try these
Clockwork Orange:)
Oh i’d love a cappucino one. Coffee and chocolate is my fave combination!
Clockwork Orange for me!
caramel crunch although they all sound lovely
Chocwork orange sound deliscious! Love the name too 🙂
Clockwork orange looks lush but so do all of them lol do I really have to choose?
Caramel Crunch is the one I think I’d like best 🙂 X
The Classic Chunky Chocolate does sound brill…
But the orange one sounds nice too…
But which is better? There’s only one way to find out…
I think clockwork orange would be my favorite flavour followed in close second by the cardamom brownie.
BANOFFEE sounds delish!
After much deliberation i think my favourite flavour would be Chunky White Chocolate. I think I need a tasting session to confirm this!
Oh, Hazelnut for me!!
Cappuccino would be my favorite :)))) yum yum
A Caramel Crunch and Bannoffee – I must try them both!Sounds delicious :)))
The cardamon brownie sounds different and delicious!
Chockwork Orange – sounds divine!
Hazelnut! Sounds terrific
White Chocolate, sounds yummy
Mmmmm, Chockwork Orange 🙂
Caramel crunch
banoffee would definitely be a favourite of mine! x
Caramel Crunch looks delicious, drool 🙂
It would have to be The Classic Chunky Chocolate one.
All of them?! I think my most favourite would be the chunky chocolate one x
Hard to choose, but I love the idea of a Banoffee Brownie!!
Hazelnut
@littleboo_21
Bluebasil Cardamom brownie
It would have to be clockwork orange
ALL the gluten free ones! They are amazing!
I love brownies so so much! These look A. Mazing!
Chockwork Orange I think. Or caramel Crunch…. ummm. Maybe Banoffee? To be fair, i think I’d love them all! 🙂 @pipersky1
Got to be the Chockwork Orange, its a classic combination of flavours that really works for me.
Wow these look amazing, I rarely get to eat such delicious treats.
Banoffee Brownie! Yummy
Banoffee
Defo cappuccino for me!
They sound devine but love the sound of Clockwork Orange hmmmm my mouth is watering right now 🙂
all sound nice but banoffee nom
Has to be Caramel Crunch or Chunky White Chocolate or Chockwork Orange! Hell’s teeth hope I win! 🙂
hazlenut
Caramel crunch sounds delicious!
Banoffee
I have to pick a favourite? I love brownies and they all look so good. Hazelnut if I really really have to choose though
Cardamon would be my favourite… Love the cardamon on top of the brownie, simple and nice touch!
Banoffee
I would love the Banoffee. Got a sweet tooth although they all sound delicious.
They look lovely xx
Hazlenut for me x
Caramel Crunch sounds delicious!
Has to be Chockwork Orange for me!
caramel crunch sounds lovely. x
Definitely cappuccino!
cardamon
CLASSIC CHUNKY CHOCOLATE
Wow, these look amazing! Cappuccino would be my fave.
Hmm.. I love a bit of cardamom so I’m going to have to say that one, they sound delish!
I’ve wanted to try these for ages, look amazing! 🙂
For a coffee addict like me it would have to be – Cappuccino
hmm, how do you choose… they all sound delicious! If forced I think I would go for chunky white choc x
I think they all sound amazing but the Chunky Chocolate sounds best
That’s a toughie!
Probably the orange flavoured one.
i would love to try the Banoffee flavour
THE BANOFFE IS MY FAV BUT ANY WOULD DO ME 🙂
Caramel Crunch if you please 🙂
Cappuccino yummy!
They all look and sound delicious, but the caramel crunch just edges out the white chocolate.
caramel crunch
I would have to choose banoffee.
My husband adores brownies and flavoured ones would be a fantastic treat!
I think ‘Chockwork Orange’ would be my favourite, but they all sound very tasty!
clockwork orange sounds lovely!
These look delicious, please enter me into your competition
Caramel Crunch sounds divine 😀
Clockwork orange would be my favourite, I love the combination of chocolate and orange.
Hazelnut
Hazelnut!
I would like the hazelnut brownies as I love hazelnut!
Classic Chunky Chocolate
Banoffee sounds divine x
Cappuccino ! Intense and divine ! x
I think my favourite would be Classic Chunky Chocolate because it’s a classic, but there’s only one way to know for sure!
Caramel crunch. My hubby won’t like that one so it will be all mine!!!
Caramel Crunch would be my favourite although I would happily sample them all x
Banoffee brownie would definitely be my favourite
Classic Chunky Chocolate for me 🙂
White Chocolate
Has to be hazelnut 😀
Hazelnut sounds delicious.
The white chocolate ones look mouthwateringly good!
Caramel crunch sounds nice.
Clockwork Orange
Banoffee
Definitely Banoffee
Classic Chunky Chocolate , so good that they are gluten free
The hazelnut one sounds like something I couldn’t resist.
Hazelnut (obviously) – provided it was glutenfree.
Hazelnut. Definitely. Yum.
Caramel Crunch – oh my mouth is watering just thinking of it…
Blue Basil Cardamom Brownies Sound Delicious
Chunky chocolate is my favorite
My eyes are closed and my mouth wide open. Surprise me!
White chocolate preferably.
I think the classic chuncky chocolate would be my favourite 🙂
Hazelnut
Chockwork Orange or Caramel Crunch i cant decide until i try them
Chunky White Chocolate
ChocworkOrange
Caramel Crunch would be my fav! 🙂
Hazelnut
clockwork orange sound amazing!
definately white chocolate, definately
Got to be Banoffee!
classic chunky chocolate without a doubt- original brownie flavour 🙂
I’d have to try the White Chocolate Brownies, I love white chocolate and have never tried it in a brownie before.
(Would that actually make it a whitey instead? LOL!)
I wouldn’t mind the Hazelnut either, I imagine it has a sort of Fererro Rocher taste to it??
OMG, I am so hungry now looking at those brownies, yet all I have is butterfly cakes. They just don’t compare really do they.
White chocolate yum yum
Banoffee
WOW these looks so wonderful, this is the type of thing i like and you dont see this kind of thing around, bet they taste devine?! .. Esp Chockwork Orange, Ahh my mouth is watering now!!! Stunning.
Classic Chunky Chocolate is my favourite
Can you not just make a huge chocolate brownie made up of little squares of each flavour that you could break off like chocolate squares? That would be my favourite as its impossible to choose just the one.
Chockwork Orange
Clockwork Orange sounds good 🙂
yum yum
Chocwork orange would be my favourite!
Chockwork Orange sounds delicious !!!!!
It would have to be Caramel Crunch…no maybe the Classic Chunky Chocolate or even the Chunky White Chocolate….no I think it would be Chockwork Orange AND Cappuccino AND Hazelnut AND Banoffee AND Cardamom or Chunky Chocolate and White Chocolate….hmmmm maybe just all of them because I’m greedy and love brownies….
Chockwork Orange
wow, they all look and sound amazing! I would, if I had to though, choose banoffee
Caramel Crunch sounds amazing. But then again so does the hazelnut one…
Classic Chunky Chocolate…..as nature intended
Hard to chose but if I had to it would be Hazelnut
Chockwork Orange sounds amazing!
The Chockwork Orange sounds really delicious!
Caramel Crunch
My favourite flavour would be the caramel crunch 🙂
caramel crunch yum yum
hazelnut, yummyyyyy!
Classic Chunky Chocolate, as I’m a true chocaholic at heart 🙂
bonoffie
Classic Chunky Chocolate. Pure and Simple…
Chocwork orange sounds simply divine!
White Chocolate!! Yummy x
A Clockwork Orange :O)
Banoffee would be yum but would love any of them! @kikicomp & kiki woo on facebook
Oh dear you want me to pick 1 flavour???? Can I pick 2? I like the chunky chocolate & the clockwork orange.
the caramel crunch sound mouth watering
It would be the Caramel Crunch for me, but they all sound nice, and making me really hungry thinking about them
cappuccino for me
caramel crunch yum!!!
Banoffee
Caramel Crunch sounds yummy
oooh choccy and orange, in fact I love it all!
Hazelnut!
Classic Chunky Chocolate sounds heavenly.
Crunch, Classic Chunky Chocolate, i love chocolate and more chocolate, though the others look great too
Banoffee definitely, I didn’t even realise you could make brownies like that!
Chunky White Chocolate Brownie – mmm – heaven.
They all sound so lovely! I would love the Cappuccino one.
chocwork orange – I lovea good pun
caramel crunch
cappuccino would be my all time favorite!
Sigh drool I am so hungry! They look fab. I think out of all the flavours they make the cappucino might be my favourite as I really love coffee/choc combinations for cakes. Must be time for an afternoon cuppa now…thanks for the competition!
I rather fancy the Chunky White Chocolate
classic chunky chocolate
Chockwork orange would be my favourite. Yummy.
yummy yummy yummy!!!
awesome prize!
All of ’em – I have a VERY sweet tooth – but if pushed to choose Hazelnut – got a Nutella addiction!
Hazelnut would be my favourite!
Chockwork Orange sounds amazing!!!
I would go for white chocolate
Caramel Crunch – yummy!
banoffee sounds great!!!
Chunky chocolate is my favorite
Cappuccino is my very favourite
Definitely Banoffee *drool* 🙂
Banoffee sounds yummo!
Cappuccino – sounds so sticky and yummy – delicious !
It would have to be Cappucino.
Great review Ren, it really made me smile. I was lucky enough to try some of these brownies for review last year and I have to say they are in a class of their own. The cardamom was my absolute favourite, though it was hard to make a decision and that’s the one I would go for again if given half the chance! I am unable to refrain from attempting to win this box 😉
I love cardamom so that would be my favourite flavoured brownie.
They all seem utterly delicious, but caramel crunch !
Chocwork Orange
Banoffe!! closely followed by classic chunky chocolate. These brownies look amazing… I LOVE brownies so really hope I win otherwise I’ll just have to order them for myself 🙂
I would like the chunky white chocolate brownies – anything with white chocolate in it has my vote – and you have them in a gluten free version for my dad too! What’s not to like??
what a yummy prize
Clockwork Orange
Love them all but Banoffee is my favourite
Cardomom, by a “short head”
white chocolate
Chunky white chocolate
chocwork orange would be my choice. nom nom
Hmmmmm. After A LENGTHY deliberation I think I would plump for Chunky White Chocolate. Sounds delightfully amazing. Clockwork Orange a very close second!
I really can’t choose between Chocwork Orange or Hazelnut as I’m a sucker for chocolate in these combinations. Ooh, they just look yummy!
Hazelnut! I love nuts!
Banoffee
caramel crunch for me
the cappuccino beacuse coffee and chocolate go so well together
Mmmmmm Cappuccino!!! I’m a coffee addict and love anything coffee flavoured!!!!
OOH they all sound so delicious,but the caramel crunch just sounds so tempting so that gets my vote
It would have to be clockwork orange or cappuccino for me, although my daughter would be begging for the white chocolate ones. They all look amazing!