‘Your Big Night In’ – Review of their ‘Puzzle Night In’

Reviewed by Alexander Wilde

“Staying in in is the new going out out!”

There have certainly been plenty of nights at home over this last year, and just when I thought we had exhausted all available entertainment offerings, along came ‘Your Big Night In’ and made our Saturday night extraordinary!

On Friday afternoon, we received a totes-amazing, skillfully curated bag of goodies to review and break up another humdrum weekend. ‘Your Big Night In’ are a new venture on a mission to provide the very best at-home experiences, combined with delectable drinks and snacks. When we opened and unwrapped our carefully boxed tote bag of delights, we knew we were in for a unique treat.

Upon unpacking, what struck me was the consistently ‘green credentials’ of the brands that the company had partnered with. Their commitment to sustainability was further exemplified when I read the tote bag was made from recycled cotton and for every package sold a donation goes to Plastic Oceans International. They definitely had me on side before the fun began and, as you can see from the photo above, we certainly were not left wanting in terms of food and fizz.

My package was the ‘Puzzle Night In’ bundle of awesomeness! Our evening’s entertainment was split into two parts – a challenging and fun mystery to solve from Puzzle Post and to chill out with a HD movie rental from Rakuten Tv.

We received the ‘Missed Flight’ from Puzzle Post. An intriguing letter and an envelope full of notes and objects kept us thinking and immersed in the mystery for just over an hour (to begin with). The enjoyment game from reading the clues, debating and trying to convince each other our theory or approach was the correct one. The idea is to unlock a secret message from an online vault using a series of seven numbers decoded from the various items. The production values, variety and authenticity was first-class. Once we had our seven numbers, we visited the game website and entered them to unlock a personalised message. Unfortunately, the fourth number was incorrect and we spent another hour trying to identify the answer. Maybe it was the wine or that we were to proud to visit the hints section of the website, but this did take longer than advertised! All good fun though and great for escape room fans or those looking for a board game alternative.
Mystery solved it was time to head to the cinema (sofa). Creating an account and redeeming our code to rent a movie from Rakuten Tv was a simple process. Their app is available on a wide range of devices and we found the service easy to navigate. We opted for ‘Trolls World Tour’ to keep our mood jubilant!
In brief, the accompany brain-food and thirst-quenchers were:
– Recyclable cans of white and rosé wine from Hun – both crisp, fruity and refreshing. Fairtr ade and vegan to boot.
– Vegetarian and gluten free nibbles from Cheesies – matched with the wine, these one hundred percent cheese crunch snacks were sooo moreish.
– Recyclable cans of low calorie and low sugar soft drink from Gunna – all bursting with natural flavours and would make for the perfect mixers if you fancied something stronger. My favourite was the lemonade with a hint of mint.
– A vegan pair of pretzel packets from Indie Bay – simply salted and barbecue bites for a savoury hit high in protein and vegan too.
– Salt and sweet mix popcorn from The Kernel – popped to perfection and sealed fresh, we had a big bowl each to complete the cinema experience.
– Super-natural gum from Milliways – a vegan and plastic free mighty mint refresher fit for the planet. I didn’t know there was an alternative to the big brands and how much better chewing gum should be.
– Plus, a whopping kilogram of mixed sweets from Sweetie Pie – we barely made a dent in the rainbow of unbelievably good, assorted jellies, fizzies and liquorice; even with help from our seven year old!

Although highly indulgent, no one item was overpowering and spoilt the taste of another, it was evident that thought had gone into the food and drink pairings. One of things I liked most about the UK fare was that they were all personally untested brands and not something you’d find in the big supermarkets. Trying new snacks made the evening even more special.

It would be easy to think that ‘Your Big Night In’ is something to help you survive lockdowns, however these packages are perfect for a multitude of occasions, celebrations or ‘just because’ nights at home, whether that be as a couple, family or with friends.

Why go “out out” when this Five Star fun at home can come to you.

Currently, ‘Your Big Night In’ (https://yourbignightin.uk/ & https://www.instagram.com/your_big_night_in/) is available for delivery to select locations via UberEats. They offer a choice of four packages, starting at £27.50.

Rating: 5/5 Stars