Just tried first Hello Fresh...I don’t get it....

[GiraffeNecked]

So a potato some mince, a carrot, a glove of garlic and some mince arrives. All stuff I have in the house already ..... you still have to chop, cut, cook and it was nice, but no nicer than something I’d have come up with by myself.

I don’t get it either-it’s such a waste of money.

I had a look at it but was put off that I couldn't see the meals available without signing up.

@Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g

I did an Ocado order in five minutes this morning. It was automatically generated from what I buy most often, and then I just tweaked quantities and deleted a few things I know we won't need. I spend a few more minutes putting the stuff away when it arrives and a few minutes here and there editing it between now and delivery date. I don't meal plan in any structured way, though. I just make sure I always have a range of basics in and then I cook what I fancy/something that will use up what we have in.

I do enjoy thinking about food, though, and I'm an experienced cook (I'm nearly 60) and confident with all the basics. That probably helps.

I'm all of those things apart from nearly 60. I love these boxes. As you said your online shop is made up of generally the same things. With these boxes you can eat something different every day for a year if you wanted.

I really don't understand why people think these boxes are for people who can't cook. If you cook at home do you never get out a recipe book and follow the steps? If you were to cook a Japanese meal, for example, you'd never made before wouldn't you follow some instructions?
The food still needs to be prepped in these boxes, literally the only thing that has been done for you is portioning and shopping, which is hardly a skilled activity. I still decide what I want to cook (which you do), order it online (which you do), have it delivered (which you do), chop up the vegetables and meat etc etc (which you do), cook it (which you do) and eat it (which you do).

I like the portioned up ingredients aspect to be honest.
Not so much the spices (which obviously can keep) but the fresh bits.
Nothing I hate more than trying a new recipe that needs say sour cream but only uses a quarter of a tub. I'm then left with a tub of sour cream that will inevitably just get thrown away. I wish supermarkets did smaller quantities of things. Or more loose veg. I've got 2 courgettes in my fridge becasue I needed one and they only came in packs of 3.

@passthemustard

Gousto is worth getting the first discounted box just for the SPOON! Man I love that spoon .....

The spoon is my favourite!!

@Umbridge34

I like the portioned up ingredients aspect to be honest. Not so much the spices (which obviously can keep) but the fresh bits. Nothing I hate more than trying a new recipe that needs say sour cream but only uses a quarter of a tub. I'm then left with a tub of sour cream that will inevitably just get thrown away. I wish supermarkets did smaller quantities of things. Or more loose veg. I've got 2 courgettes in my fridge becasue I needed one and they only came in packs of 3.

In these sorts of cases I either substitute ingredients and/or group them up.

I use full fat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream etc in most savoury dishes or as sauce or dip with mint sauce. Just take a bit out of the pot I have anyway for cereal and snacks.

If I was buying 2 spare courgettes, those would go in a risotto or omelette or maybe minestrone soup. I also like them grated with fresh tortellini, pesto and stock. They last a few days at least so if you haven't used them by the next time you go shopping, you only need to do 6 meals next week, not 5. Or a weekend lunch etc.

we loathe shopping and love eating!

its so easy to just click what meals we fancy and have it all delivered as a package- its got us out of a rut menu-wise, and I've cleared the cupboards of old unused spices that we tried out but didn't use up.

they kept up the supply throughout lockdown, (and two awful and terrified weeks of self-isolation too) which as overworked key workers was great!

its not for everone, but it certainly has a place with us

s you said your online shop is made up of generally the same things. With these boxes you can eat something different every day for a year if you wanted

But you don't have to buy the same things from the supermarket every week. You can buy whatever you want, when you want and eat a different thing every day for a year, just like HF.

iterally the only thing that has been done for you is portioning and shopping, which is hardly a skilled activity

So why are people keen to pay so much extra for this service then?

We get them from time to time, but only really if there is a discount code.

Its all been said really - it removes the relentlessness of meal planning, checking cupboards, shopping etc. I like that I can go on the website and it's literally like ordering from a menu. I don't have to think up the ideas or pore through recipe books and sites.

I cooks loads at home, from scratch almost all the time and I will say that I think when I'm doing a Gousto/Hello Fresh meal, it makes me a bit less of an instinctive cook - I find I am constantly checking the card for the next step. On the other hand that is great for my husband, who isn't confident in the kitchen.

We have a batch of cards now from where we've ordered in the past and several of the dinners have made their way into general rotation.

Because those things take time Barbara and some people are time poor but do have spare cash. I would always rather spend my spare time with my family than traipsing around a supermarket or writing out lists, trying to work out how to use ingredients close to going off etc.

@Lurchermom, you said With these boxes you can eat something different every day for a year if you wanted. Well, so could I with the basic stuff I order over and over again in my online shop, if I made a little more effort. You don't presumably get 365 different sources of protein in the boxes. You get the same things but featuring in a different recipe. It's never been easier in human history to find new recipes for any particular item you want to try out/use up.

The more I think about the packaging, the more appalled I am. Reduce, reuse, recycle was a slogan widely used in the 1970s. It's not like nobody's been talking about reducing our use of the earth's resources.

@HelloDulling

When you chose the recipe that involved mince and potato, what did you think would arrive? Scallops and white truffles.

Surely there were some spices too OP?!

Gousto have reduced their plastic by 50% and have plans to eliminate. I no longer use the supermarket and stuff I don't get from Gousto I get delivered by a zero waste shop and a local farm who do milk in glass bottles. So for me at least my plastic use is reduced from when I went to the supermarket.

I've tried Hello Fresh, Gousto and Simply Cook but only ever when there's an offer. I always choose the things with the most unusual ingredients and there is usually more than enough for the number of people recommended.

If anyone wants a Gousto code try this - 50% off the first box, 30% off the first month.

cook.gousto.co.uk/raf/?promo_code=JUDE41954148&utm_source=weblink

I prefer Gousto over Hello Fresh, but hate the excess packaging (in both) and the Knorr stock cubes in virtually every recipe.

And I didn't get a spoon.

My sister had it for a good year, works full time and is a very able cook but gave her a break from shopping for meals and her teens could cook it all easily.

I could see it being really useful in this sort of scenario or perhaps an ongoing caring situation, or for an able elderly parent living alone, if you have the money to spare, or maybe once a week on a Friday night for a fakeaway, but I wouldn't use it under any other circumstances because I like to pick and choose my own meat and fish. Also, can't be doing with hassley cancellation policies for subscriptions. I had that issue with a hair colour subscription and it nearly drove me mad!

@Artforartssake
No hassly cancellation policies for gousto- you just unclick the date your box is due

Thanks Frazzled that's worth knowing but I'm not sure they have it where I live.

I think its aimed at people who don't know how to cook.

Or find a recipe.

We get a HelloFresh box delivered every week and I love it. Yes, I could look up recipes myself and add the ingredients to my online shopping basket, but in all honesty I’ve got better things to do with my time. Our meals are never repetitive and at £40 a week for 5 meals that feed 2 adults, I don’t know where people are getting the idea that it’s expensive. I also disagree with the PP who mentioned the portion sizes being small; I’ve been buying the boxes for almost a year and I’ve yet to come across a single recipe which didn’t feed me, DH and a small portion for toddler DS 🤷🏼‍♀️ Each to their own though, no one’s forcing anyone to buy them.

I prefer Gousto over Hello Fresh, but hate the excess packaging (in both) and the Knorr stock cubes in virtually every recipe.

Seriously?? Stock cubes?? I’d be livid if I’d paid a premium and was expected to make good food with stock cubes.

I love it.

I’m a pretty good cook but at the start of lockdown when there were 6 of us at home and getting to the shops combined with FT hours from home was a hassle it was brilliant.

I love the fact that there are now three meals a week I just don’t need to think about. For me it’s the thinking and the buying the food that I find tedious not the actual cooking.

I know how to cook but not interested and rarely can be bothered to cook from scratch. DH is really good cook but we’re always short of time and not interested in meal planning and cooking so these boxes are worth their weight in gold. Can’t see what there is to dislike.

The spices chat is really tickling me.

When I was skint, I aimed to keep as a minimum turmeric, garam masala, chilli, paprika, coriander and cumin. All bought in packets from the Asian shop, total investment under a tenner, lasts for years.

Now I have a bit more cash and I enjoy cooking, I do have a crazy big spice range, but even now if a recipe calls for something that I don't have... I just leave it out! Sure, it won't be exactly the same, but it will be fine.

@BarbaraofSeville

Confused about the portion sizes when you have some people saying that they're too much for a large man and others saying they leave their 5 YO hungry. Although I know a friend of mine who is a very big eater thinks there is plenty.

Some supermarkets publish recipes on their websites that have a 'buy ingredients' button, so you've effectively got the same as HF or Gousto right there, likely to be cheaper and less packaging. You'll sometimes have to buy a whole jar of spices but then you'll have it ready for next time.

Ah that is brilliant thanks @BarbaraofSeville - I didn't know that about the supermarket recipes! I've used Gousto and HelloFresh because I am short on inspiration and motivation and I would rather pay £ than spend time coming up with ideas.. however now I can just browse Tesco recipes and add the ingredients I am going to try it that way.

I recommend Simply Cook. They just provide the spices ( along with the recipe obviously).

You get to try unusual dishes where it would be a pain to get all the individual spices/ additions.

Much cheaper than the on s where they provide everything obviously. Cuban prawn Moho (do?) linguine is a particular favourite here.