Meal Kits

dlockers · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:15

Anyone on here have any good recommendations?

I have tried Mindful, HelloFresh and Gousto. Frankly Mindful was amazing but too expensive and the packaging was a bit annoying. HelloFresh was mostly salt and I wouldn't recommend it; the packaging even worse and non-recyclable. Gousto has been the best balance at £35 for 4 decent meals for 2.

I should probably get off this 'crack' though and just do a normal shop. But the easiness of it is totally undeniable in a really busy house.

Thoughts?

Admiral Huddy · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:23

Personally, and it's just my opinion, I think they show the worst side of laziness there is. I just don't get it. Pick what meals you want, decipher the ingredients, then go buy. Simple. Furthermore, some of those ingredients can carry on being used.

My son and his girlfriend get them and the packaging is shameful.. In an age when we are supposed to be reducing packaging and waste, how on earth they get away with this is beyond me.

Good luck to the people that run them though.. Profiteering from sheer laziness.

Sui · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:28

I'd love to have Mindful Chef because of the 1 portion ingredients, I don't have much freezer space to store bulk cooking.

When I looked earlier though, it was like £11 per meal for a single person which is quite frankly mental, I might as well get Deliveroo each evening.

chroniclard · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:34

Have tried Gusto and Hello Fresh in the past but once the offers ran out we didn't bother. I dont like the ton of packaging and its pretty much better to find things you like and get all the bits yourself.

Just find recipes, build an online order, delivered.

dlockers · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:43

Sui said:
I'd love to have Mindful Chef because of the 1 portion ingredients, I don't have much freezer space to store bulk cooking.

When I looked earlier though, it was like £11 per meal for a single person which is quite frankly mental, I might as well get Deliveroo each evening.

Yeah it is quite costly. I am black listed from abusing new Customer codes, as that was the only way I could take part! The food was incredible though. Really well thought through. I saved all the recipe books to recreate at a later date.

chroniclard said:
Have tried Gusto and Hello Fresh in the past but once the offers ran out we didn't bother. I dont like the ton of packaging and its pretty much better to find things you like and get all the bits yourself.

Just find recipes, build an online order, delivered.

How many weeks did you do them for before you "switched" back? Do you make recipes you learnt through HF/Gousto? Whats your net spending position going solo? I used to definitely waste quite a bit as I'd have incomplete recipes/ forget to oven cook bits of the overall meal. Following the cards has been the life saver from a timing perspective with a very hectic job.

Admiral Huddy said:
Personally, and it's just my opinion, I think they show the worst side of laziness there is. I just don't get it. Pick what meals you want, decipher the ingredients, then go buy. Simple. Furthermore, some of those ingredients can carry on being used.

My son and his girlfriend get them and the packaging is shameful.. In an age when we are supposed to be reducing packaging and waste, how on earth they get away with this is beyond me.

Good luck to the people that run them though.. Profiteering from sheer laziness.

Gousto is cardboard so not really that impactful. Better than buying a load of food which ends up being thrown away. Meat is definitely reduced packaging as well, as it comes in catering style vacuum packs.

Regarding the laziness, it is actually less about being lazy and more about convenience: I value my time more than supermarket shopping and trawling the internet to discover and try new recipes 4 days a week. I also dislike the daily grind of working out what todays recipe is. Cooking is only a way to switch off from a 10-14hr shift if it doesn't require vast amounts of mental energy.

Give it a go on a voucher code instead of being a moaner and you might be surprised that there is a world outside of corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg

Unless of course you are generation microwave meal.

chroniclard · 19 Jan 2021 at 22:57

Probably did about 2 months of each. Unsure of net spend, we dont really budget.

Not knocking them as such, we enjoyed the majority of the meals we just didnt want to be tied to cooking them all the time and as the kids got older we moved onto more family meals is all.

Mason- · 20 Jan 2021 at 12:31

dLockers said:
Give it a go on a voucher code instead of being a moaner and you might be surprised that there is a world outside of corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg Unless of course you are generation microwave meal.

You know you can discover the world out there by looking up recipes online, and buying the ingredients yourself.

It's not "Meal kits" vs meat and 2 veg + microwave meals.

dlockers · 20 Jan 2021 at 12:32

Mason- said:
You know you can discover the world out there by looking up recipes online, and buying the ingredients yourself.

It's not "Meal kits" vs meat and 2 veg + microwave meals.

Well, I'm sure you get this, but that was the point of this thread. Is really the alternative to getting decent, different meals each week, me putting in a load of time to research and buy my own stuff? Feels like a step backwards in terms of trying new things, food waste, and freeing up time.

I was kinda hoping someone would link a recipe site, much like Gousto or the others offer, that I can then click through and it creates my cart in Waitrose or whoever. That'd be cool.

Junglist · 20 Jan 2021 at 12:40

I used to do Gousto a few years ago. It's expensive but I like to use it every now and then if only to try new meals and keep the recipe cards.

Not something I'd commit to full time though, too expensive

Begbie · 20 Jan 2021 at 12:50

dLockers said:
Yeah it is quite costly. I am black listed from abusing new Customer codes, as that was the only way I could take part! The food was incredible though. Really well thought through. I saved all the recipe books to recreate at a later date..

Give it a go on a voucher code instead of being a moaner and you might be surprised that there is a world outside of corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg Unless of course you are generation microwave meal.

You understand this comes across as pretentious, and is very ironic. You understand books have existed for thousands of years, right?

dlockers · 20 Jan 2021 at 13:05

Begbie said:
You understand this comes across as pretentious, and is very ironic. You understand books have existed for thousands of years, right?

Not getting you but sure thang.

Junglist said:
I used to do Gousto a few years ago. It's expensive but I like to use it every now and then if only to try new meals and keep the recipe cards.

Not something I'd commit to full time though, too expensive

I think thats the inflection point I am going through now! £35 quid a week for 4 nights meals...

Ahleckz · 20 Jan 2021 at 13:42

Begbie said:
You understand this comes across as pretentious, and is very ironic. You understand books have existed for thousands of years, right?

I laughed at it. Him claiming superiority because he uses a service which provides all ingredients, portioned into little plastic boxes, with very easy to follow instructions whereas people like you and I who cook from scratch, prepare our food, plan our meals and do the shopping are clearly on corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg. The mind boggles. I'd be willing to bet that I eat a much more varied and 'exciting' menu than he does with his 'ready' meals! So incredibly pretentious. He also got a Waitrose mention in!

Begbie · 20 Jan 2021 at 13:51

Ahleckz said:
I laughed at it. Him claiming superiority because he uses a service which provides all ingredients, portioned into little plastic boxes, with very easy to follow instructions whereas people like you and I who cook from scratch, prepare our food, plan our meals and do the shopping are clearly on corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg. The mind boggles. I'd be willing to bet that I eat a much more varied and 'exciting' menu than he does with his 'ready' meals! So incredibly pretentious. He also got a Waitrose mention in!

Glad someone got what I meant. I cook from scratch, nearly always everyday - most days twice. I don't need some subscription service as I research and travel the world to find amazing foods I love and want to replicate. But of course, I must be eating hash or microwave lasagne

chroniclard · 20 Jan 2021 at 13:55

mmmm got a craving for deep fried battered corned beef now.....or spam! Nice healthy meal like my Gran used to make, fried chips, baked beans and spam fritters....

Thekwango · 20 Jan 2021 at 13:58

Begbie said:
Glad someone got what I meant. I cook from scratch, nearly always everyday - most days twice. I don't need some subscription service as I research and travel the world to find amazing foods I love and want to replicate. But of course, I must be eating hash or microwave lasagne

But but but OP’s way is not lazy so that’s a positive. Right?

dlockers · 20 Jan 2021 at 14:33

Ahleckz said:
I laughed at it. Him claiming superiority because he uses a service which provides all ingredients, portioned into little plastic boxes, with very easy to follow instructions whereas people like you and I who cook from scratch, prepare our food, plan our meals and do the shopping are clearly on corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg. The mind boggles. I'd be willing to bet that I eat a much more varied and 'exciting' menu than he does with his 'ready' meals! So incredibly pretentious. He also got a Waitrose mention in!

Begbie said:
Glad someone got what I meant. I cook from scratch, nearly always everyday - most days twice. I don't need some subscription service as I research and travel the world to find amazing foods I love and want to replicate. But of course, I must be eating hash or microwave lasagne

OK so my alternative is to travel the world, find amazing foods, learn how to replicate them and then go and shop myself?

Thanks chaps, feeling very enlightened about how I get off of these services which you are against, lol.

dlockers · 20 Jan 2021 at 14:33

Ahleckz said:
I laughed at it. Him claiming superiority because he uses a service which provides all ingredients, portioned into little plastic boxes, with very easy to follow instructions whereas people like you and I who cook from scratch, prepare our food, plan our meals and do the shopping are clearly on corn beef hash and meat and 2 veg. The mind boggles. I'd be willing to bet that I eat a much more varied and 'exciting' menu than he does with his 'ready' meals! So incredibly pretentious. He also got a Waitrose mention in!

Begbie said:
Glad someone got what I meant. I cook from scratch, nearly always everyday - most days twice. I don't need some subscription service as I research and travel the world to find amazing foods I love and want to replicate. But of course, I must be eating hash or microwave lasagne

OK so my alternative is to travel the world, find amazing foods, learn how to replicate them and then go and shop myself?

Thanks chaps, feeling very enlightened about how I get off of these services which you are against, lol.

Begbie · 20 Jan 2021 at 14:38

dLockers said:
OK so my alternative is to travel the world, find amazing foods, learn how to replicate them and then go and shop myself?

Thanks chaps, feeling very enlightened about how I get off of these services which you are against, lol.

It's called a book....

dlockers · 20 Jan 2021 at 14:43

Begbie said:
It's called a book....

Care to share your favourites or are you just focused on increasing your post count?

Gousto for example, lets me select 4 meals in about 3 minutes from:
15 min recipes
Veg/fish/other specialty categories
5min prep -> into the oven dishes

I get one big box on a Sunday that is paper-packaged containing all the bits I need with literally 0 food waste. I get all the macros presented to me in a way that lets me meet my needs (high calorie/high protein) and timing.

The only way I can see getting off of this drug which is a huge time saver, is by researching on a periodic bases recipes and then going through an online shop (or waste my life in a supermarket to save a fiver).

If you don't have anything to add other than pointing me towards "book" then maybe this isn't the thread for you.

Mason- · 20 Jan 2021 at 15:01

dLockers said:
Well, I'm sure you get this, but that was the point of this thread. Is really the alternative to getting decent, different meals each week, me putting in a load of time to research and buy my own stuff? Feels like a step backwards in terms of trying new things, food waste, and freeing up time.

I was kinda hoping someone would link a recipe site, much like Gousto or the others offer, that I can then click through and it creates my cart in Waitrose or whoever. That'd be cool.

No, no you're totally right. Clearly you're strapped for time. You don't have time for finding recipes online because you spend so much of your time online arguing over finding recipes (rather than finding the recipes themselves).

You want to try Cambodian cuisine? Youtube -> "Cambodian recipes" done.
You want to try Thai cuisine? Youtube -> "Thai food recipes" done.

It's really not that had. But you know it must be hard to find the time to find recipes when you spend all your time researching where to find the best recipes are and then arguing about it.