To order a whole load of food from cook for after the baby is here or should I just buy groceries as usual online?

[roundligament]

I used them a fair bit after my son but I thought a lot of their dinners were sort of below average (we cook a lot from scratch)
Some of the things I really liked
Eg nasi goreng

If I do order what can I eat

I say go for it! We like the lamb shanks, all of the curries, chicken Alexander, lemon chicken, Dijon chicken and pork..... most of the dishes to be honest. Too expensive to live on but they are great quality and just..... easy!

@parker321 agree - lovely and fresh tasting and lashings of cheese....mmm...

I got a voucher as a present and it was great mixed up with batch cooked meals, freshly cooked meals and my lovely mum bringing us dishes. I wouldn’t want it every night but for those days when you just can’t get anything done they are perfect. Better quality than most ready meals and more varied.

“I have four dc and to be honest never got the I can't have a shower/cook dinner thing.”

I agree about with subsequent children there has to be a certain amount of just getting on with things, but the not being able to cook/shower thing will hugely depend on what type of baby you have

Bloody hell if you’re already spending £200 a week on groceries, Cook might even save you money.

I used Cook after dc1 and 2 were born, it was just easy to shove something in the oven and not have to think about it. Life is busy enough with a newborn! Bought vouchers for SIL when she had her first baby and she really appreciated them.

It's been a while since I used them but I didn't really like anything which had a mashed potato topping (never really crisped up enough). I liked their curries though. They did a very nice Indonesian vegetable curry.

It's not to do with the baby it's to do with my own health, just to clarify
My son was easy peasy and I am hoping this baby will be too.
It's to do with pain related to standing until I can go have nerve blocks done again.

thank you for the recommendations for some of the dishes that's very helpful

My son is nearly three now so I was hoping they had changed/ added / improved recipes which from looking at their website it seems their selection has changed since 2016

Is there another company similar to cook I could try?

Yes my husband helps a lot but to be honest I would rather he cuddled me, played with our son, cuddled our baby, Fed our baby, laid with me, or did some paper work to keep the flow of business manageable instead of cooking dinner from scratch. Just for the first few weeks. Cooking is my biggest hobby and I love doing it but I'm finding the standing so painful at the moment. My chest back and ribs are so sore and tramadol / co codamol are not killing the pain. It's almost constant. The only thing that helps is nerve blocks and I can't have them done whilst I'm pregnant and won't be able to have them done immediately after my c section either as I'll have to travel to London to have them done..

It definitely sounds like they would help you. If you want to try something other than cook do you have any farm shops locally? One near me stocks locally made frozen ready meals and I gather they are very nice as they are made in small quantities and are as though “home cooked”

@troppibambini it's not about the baby / washing thing
It's to do with pain and standing

My son was fine to look after we are Chilled out people it's not that.

I also was one of those people who managed to wash etc after my son was born.

I am always on my bed in hospital dressed and with makeup on even in the most challenging time. I get my husband to tidy me up if I need anything done and I'm really poorly. I still don't think this was or is a demonstration of my capabilities or made me any more special and worth it then another mum who ate toast didn't shower and had a crying baby in a sling all day long

It's to do directly with pain and time and wanting to be together instead of cooking.

It's the flexibility of having food ready to go.

I also think if we haven't had a child who is hard work, clingy or attached to us it's impossible for us to speculate on how other women or men cope.
So the whole not understanding might be one thing but I do hope you sympathise with them.
It's widely agreed that a newborn baby and another child immediately after birth complicated or otherwise is one of the most testing times in people's lives.

I'm glad you had it easy I just wish everyone else had such a glorious journey as you..

Some times the way things are written come across as smug and it's just a bit shit for anyone reading this who really struggled with a baby who was relentless thus making cooking / eating honestly not a priority.

@HerSymphonyAndSong

Brilliant idea about the farm shop we have one down the road that do some amazing Indian dishes actually! Two women local to here make the food.
Might need to get another freezer and pop in garage with a padlock or my husband will raid it before we even have another baby 😂

The supermarkets have lots of easy prepare option. Waitrose Scratch range take under 10 mins and taste great, or order things than can be put in the oven eg marinated chicken, potatoes au gratin and baked veg. Pie s and microwave mash perhaps

@MRex DH was working and knackered himself. I ebf DS but DH would often do nappy changes in the night. DH also has a chronic health condition and works irregular hours.

Pre-DS I'd be home earlier and would tidy round and prep stuff then DH would help when he got home (if it was 7-7.30ish, not so much if it was 9 or 10pm. I'd usually just sort myself out). We did a fair amount of bulk cooking as well, big pot of curry or jambalaya, as well as soups, pasta bakes. Post DS with the hourly feeds and maybe only 20 minutes from the end of one to the start of the next... let's say we had a lot of frozen rubbish, kiev and chips, that sort of thing. And I had a lot of burned lunches if I did try and cook

I tried Cook when I was looking for some options around readymeals for DM (lives in an area with limited delivery options). I wasn't impressed with most of them. For her I found some good options at Waitrose in 1-2 person size - not the cheapest but a fraction of Cook prices and she liked them.

I'm not sure what your pain issues are but they sound a bit similar to some issues I have. I use a mixture of batch and freeze, meals which take less prep and some readymeals from supermarkets.

I agree that ideas like Fresh are just as much faff as fully home prepped but what I do find useful is bags of ready chopped veg - that definitely helps to do more home cooked meals.

I just got my first cook order yesterday so only tried the coq au vin so far but I liked it. I live alone and just cba with cooking a lot of the time so I stuck it in the oven, did some frozen mash and tinned veg. I was getting M&S meals but got a bit bored of them. I find most ready meals are crap! Hence why I though cook might be good.

I think definitely stock up on things like frozen mash, veg etc and easily prepared stuff. There’s some nice fish things that can just go in the oven. Or stuff for stir fries, so nice and quick. But I would also get a few ready meals in the freezer for days when even minimal cooking doesn’t appeal.

@roundligament thanks for the feedback I'll bear it in mind.