Hello fresh.... is it worth it?

[howdyougetin]

I'm toying with the idea of hello fresh but I'm unsure if it's one of those things that isn't as good as what you hope it is. If you use it, is it worth it and is it easy to use?

I like to keep the SimplyCook recipe cards and tweak them to our own personal preferences.I find inspiration bit am not tied to following recipes and I find that useful.

*but

I found the quality of Simply Cook indifferent at best. I wouldn't want to pay full price for it.

Personally, I like Mindful Chef but it isn't cheap.

Hello Fresh no, Gousto probably. Hello Fresh definitely easier if you're an inexperienced cook who loves pasta. Gousto have irritated me recently by adding a delivery charge and reducing some protein portions making it less good value, but if you are choosy with your recipes I think it's good. It has really reduced food waste for us, and I no longer have to meal plan which is awesome

I quite like hello fresh but I keep forgetting to cancel it and then it orders meals for me and it's always something I'd never choose for myself like tomato and cheese risotto or things involving mince.

They are handy if I have a lot of late finishes because my teens can do them. Everything is there ready and they have a receipe sheet to follow. I use them intermittently but you have to remember to pause the week or make a choice as it can get a bit samey if you just have what they send each week.

I have just been sent a HelloFresh order without actually choosing any meals. During the 'browsing process' I realised that the calorie count of the meals was far too high, so I did not proceed to 'check out', though have been charged and sent a box of meals that I did not order but is just their 'chef's choice'. They now refuse to refund a payment that was taken basically illegally, fraudulently and amounts to nothing better than theft. Terrible company, avoid at all costs!!

Hello Fresh send me 50% off very occasionally so I get a box for a week and then cancel. It’s just to try some new recipes easily. There’s a handful of things I continue to make from them. I wouldn’t pay all the time.

But uou must have put payment details in at the checkout part. That's when they ask for the detail, at no point in browsing do you provide the payment information... it is at checkout... How else would they have been able to take your money??

If you were browsing and never went to checkout then they what... magically guessed your card number???.

You have to put your card details in right at the start of the process, before it will even let you select meals. I did this, went to select meals, wasn't happy with them, therefore didn't check out, and in their wisdom they just thought they would send me a box of food that they had chosen for me anyway, charged me for it, and ten refused to refund it because 'that's just how their system works'! ... If I went to Amazon and set up an account and started browsing things but did check out do you think it's fair for them to just send me whatever they fancy, charge me for it then refuse to refund it?

I just signed up for it now. You put your payment details in at the checkout.

The begining was all how many people, what kind of diet, how many meals etc.

It was only when I went to the basket clicked "checkout" did it at some point ask me for payment.

Did you sign up to a monthly subscription or something?

There's no way it would have taken payment without you saying "yes please definitely take my money" at some point.

The meat is poor quality imo

We use it most weeks. I abhor grocery shopping so get a recipe box and then top up with a small online shop. We’re in the States and the choice of meals per week is massive. We don’t find it repetitive unless you want it to be. I think it saves me money overall because it is already portioned and we have no waste.

The main thing is that it takes away the headache of thinking what to bloody cook every day.