Meal kits - Cookaway, Gousto, Hello Fresh etc. Are they worth the money?

[Melassa]

And do they deliver rurally? I was thinking of getting some vouchers for family who are going through a bit of a rough patch, with illness etc., but they live in the sticks so I need to be sure they deliver. Are they like Amazon, which delivers pretty much anywhere?

Also, are the kits hassle free and easy to use? What do you think of the recipes? Are they worth the money?

We’ve used Gousto and hello fresh and enjoyed both, so handy not having to meal plan etc. I have some discount codes for both if you’re interested? Although I’m not sure if they do vouchers. Ours are usually delivered by DPD so assume they would deliver rurally

They deliver rurally.
I think the offers are the best value eg gousto will be 60% off for a couple of boxes.
I think you can subscribe, send a box then cancel.

Rather than vouchers.

For us yes they are worth the money but appreciate that buying things individually yourself is cheaper. However we found we actually saved money as we cut down on takeaways and ready meals etc

For hello fresh the default seems to be cheaper meals like penne and tomato sauce type stuff. You have to actively choose eg chicken breast and mash etc but it is the same price.

Hello fresh has closer relationships with farmers but gousto does better Asian meals

I also found using gusto gave me a bank of quick, easy and tasty recipes I could replicate.

Not worth the money at full price.

Worth doing the introductory offers. Then just use the recipes and buy the ingredients from the supermarket.

I have Gousto 2 or 3 times a week. You can choose from quite a good selection of recipes. We've really enjoyed the ones we've had. The portions aren't massive but are ample. The first order is usually discounted. Yodel delivers ours and is pretty good. The box contains 2 large ice packs (in plastic bags) to keep the food fresh, in case nobody is at home.

Hello fresh delivered to me rurally, but only on one particular day of the week.
I costed the ingredients a couple of times against tesco - buying the ingredients (5 meals for 4 people) worked out about £15 cheaper than the cost from HF. However, the convenience of having exact quantities was great, I had no food waste and generally also a leftovers lunch next day as the portions were generous.
Plus, the recipe cards are very simple to follow and actually got DH into cooking more which was an unexpected bonus.
For me the reduced 'mental load' was the main benefit. Evening meals provided, no shopping/planning needed, follow the instructions, no decision making about what to cook with what's in the fridge as it's already 'there'. Was great for me during the lock down when I was juggling full time work and home school and was a complete basket case. All I had to do was make sure there were staples in the house for breakfast and lunch

If they are stressed and unwell, do you think they will want to cook?

I am usually really anti ready meals but in that situation I wonder if some good quality ready meals might be more useful - e.g. from Cook.

I use Hello Fresh and love it, it's just so easy to grab a bag out of the fridge with everything I need for a delicious meal in it - I used to live on ready meals as I just can't get organised enough to meal plan and make shopping lists, but these are so much better, and I enjoy the actual cooking.

If you want to try it with £46 off, here's a code to use -

https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/pages/raflp11?c=HS-F4Q0042YZ&utmmcampaign=native-share-panel&utmcouponvalue=42&utmminvitername=Helen&utmmedium=iOSReferral&utmm_source=raf-share

I've got Gousto at the moment and I think it's good value if you choose the fish dishes especially. I've got at 60% off first box and 30% off subsequent if anyone wants it. I'll post it in the offers section on Mumsnet

Thanks all, it looks like the consensus is positive. I might go for Gousto if it has more variety.

The people concerned are keen cooks, but one has been quite ill and the other has been caring and running around, so I wanted to take the load off a bit, from doing the shopping then having to think of what to cook, or hours slaving over a stove. Plus they’ve been getting in a rut of stodgy comfort food of late, so it would be good to tempt them with a bit of variety. I did think of ready meals but neither are a fan. I will look at Cook though, I’d not heard of it.

It depends which part of the meal making process you find more stressful: planning meals or making them. If it's the former that would take a load off. If cooking meals feels more arduous it doesn't help with that, as you still have to cook just as though you'd been to the supermarket and then a nice ready meal or takeaway voucher would be more appreciated.

Cook has some lovely meals. Heartily recommend the chicken and ham pie. Delicious.

@SinoohXaenaHide

Not worth the money at full price.

Worth doing the introductory offers. Then just use the recipes and buy the ingredients from the supermarket.

This! They're ok at a discounted price, but nothing special. I found the amount of packaging just in one box far too much which was a huge turn off for me. They work well for some people though so definitely worth a try if you're stuck in a bit of a boredom food rut.

I think that’s a lovely idea 🙂
It’s the thinking, planning and shopping that can be a bit stressful, especially if you live rurally and you’re not feeling 100%.
I was being treated for cancer during lockdown and found Gousto great.

I used the introductory offer for HelloFresh and had some delicious quick meals. We've saved quite a few of the recipes to replicate. I don't think it's worth it at full price but it was worth it for the inspiration and did save on food waste.

Neither deliver to Scottish Highlands, despite the fact I live in a "city" it is considered rural... So depends where your recipients stay!

I used Gousto for a couple of months when DH was too busy to cook (he enjoys cooking, I find it a chore) which took all the pain away of thinking what to cook and buying stuff. I had no issues with missing ingredients or anything. I cancelled when the offers ended as it's a bit steep full price (although cheaper than takeaway) but I really enjoyed the food. We're big indian food lovers and like spice and there's a good range of dishes and flavours.

Just been looking at Cook, now I’m a bit undecided. I do think they would enjoy the meal preparation with Gousto/Hello Fresh etc, plus the new recipe ideas, but the ready meals don’t look the usual supermarket fare and some look quite enticing.

I was just looking in Gousto and couldn’t find a gift card option? It would be awkward for me to subscribe I think, then pass on management of the subscription. Also they might forget to cancel. But there are gift cards for Hello Fresh and Cook. Hmmm decisions decisions.

They’re not in Scotland, no, just near a tiny village somewhere on the border or East Midlands and East Anglia. Amazon does manage to deliver, however, so it’s not the end of the earth.

https://cook.gousto.co.uk/raf?promocode=PAULA41835481&utmm_source=iosapp

Code for Gousto if you want to try it!

Oh just read you wanted vouchers.. sorry!