To not get gousto, hello fresh, etc?

[MayThe4th]

I know that a lot of people swear by them, but I just don’t get it.

I do see that they have all the ingredients to make a recipe, but they A, seem so expensive, B, have a million teeny tiny packets so presumably a lot of single use plastic etc, and are far more faff than just cooking the same recipe (which can be found on their website) from scratch, which is essentially what you’re doing anyway.

Plus I’ve heard horror stories of ingredients either having gone off or being missing entirely.

What am I missing?

We did Hello fresh under an offer and I did the recent Gousto one where we got 4 meals for 4 for free, and immediately cancelled once I received the box. I didn't like all the tiny packets of stuff I have in the cupboard (soy sauce etc), but the recipes made really tasty meals. My biggest bug bear was that the recipes are not logical, and so in the end I have to stand and read them through to work out the most time and energy efficient way to do it. For example, yesterday we had hoisin pork with rice and sesame greens which is a gousto recipe. The gousto recipe wants me to chop the dressing stuff first. Then put the green veg in the oven wrapped in foil (no seasoning) to cook. Then fry pork mince. Then start to boil rice. On and on it went. I am not turning the oven to essentially steam green veg?! Instead I put the rice in a microwave rice cooker, while the mince was frying and also steaming the veg on the hob. While all that was happening I chopped the ginger etc I needed for the dressing. It took me half the time the card said it would.

“Gusto” is Spanish for “taste” and “Gousto” is the Portuguese equivalent. Both work I think. I wonder why they picked the Portuguese one.

I’m glad that they were promoted on here endlessly, I’ve just had a load of free food

no brainier surely?

about to cook Japanese style chicken and sugar snap stir fry. All free.

Like pp I've thought about, shopped for and cooked for many many years. I think I wanted a break from all that. Plus my kids are adults now and theres no fussing over who wants what meal. I had a weeks free gousto, and I've another half price coming, then I will probably cancel or maybe pause.
It gave me some new ideas to cook from fresh, I can buy similar frozen and just shove in the oven but sometimes I have the time and inclination but not the ingredients especially white wine vinegar which featured heavily in the last box.
I think the ones I've done were ok, nothing super special but definitely can be improved on.
And if nothing else I've had a few free meals and a few different options going forward.

I have a hello fresh on the stove right now.

Reasons:

-I hate cooking. I’m shit at it. I have no skill or inspiration.

-I never have time to meal plan, I can’t think of where to even find recipes. Well obviously there are loads of places, but HF always taste good. Internet and cook books can be hit and miss.

-I don’t have a pantry, let alone a “well stocked” one.

-I have 2 big adults and 2 big teens to feed. The load of food needed is relentless. As well as the dog.

This allows us to eat healthy, home cooked food 5 nights a week. I can see that if you are a really good cook, HF and the like would be redundant. But I am a shit cook.

Yep for me it’s just easier to select something I fancy from the list and that’s my meal planning and shopping done.

Is it any different from people having cleaners when they could do it themselves?

I used them on and off for a year.

For me the reason was I had a lot of stresses on at that time, a huge mental load and I liked being able to have a nice dinner not just beans on toast type dinner, but with no effort. I learnt loads of nice receipes that have become favourites.

They aren't for everyone. 🤷‍♀️

You don’t have to go searching around Asian supermarkets for xxx rare ingredient/spice which normal people will never have.

Just wow. "Normal people" don't eat Asian food or shop in Asian supermarkets?

Gone are the days when people with no confidence bought the Delia Smith complete cookery course, such a brilliant recipe book, tells you step by step, if you can read you can cook!

Clever marketing that's all.

Yeah that does sound ignorant and a bit racist

It helps with the mental load of deciding what to cook.

The kids each take a turn cooking and it's so easy for them as everything is there and there are instructions to follow. It's been great for their confidence and abilities and also takes some of the old off us.

I’ve used Hello Fresh and they were ok. Recipe cards are good I stopped using them when they started giving them for free to zcelebs for advertising on IG

Just used them recently after the free box and subsequent £100 in referral comments , quite enjoying it as me and dh are teaming up to cool rather than us taking turns but have to say the food isn’t as good as we would normally make - but can’t beat free ! We have just finished second box tonight there - Mexican chicken and bean pilaf and it was tasty but pretty basic and I am sick of red peppers and spring onions

I have used Gousto and Simply cook, both are okay. What annoys me is all the promo's on here about them. Why can't people stick to the promo section on here instead of every where else.

I have 3 kids and work full time. They helped me with meal planning. I cancelled all of them because it's expensive and I need to save money. It did give me ideas for meals though so I have the recipe cards on hand when I need them

I used to use gusto, but won't any more after their shitty advertising campaign swamping the boards here

She probably means “normal” people like me who have ketchup salt pepper and fuck all else. I don’t think it’s some kind of racial or cultural slur.

My only problem is that now and again I forgot to make the choices in time and end up with the default choices not being what I would have chosen. That’s entirely my own fault though.

Ha, I do this too @HaveringWavering. I find it helps to sell select several meals for several weeks in one go, rather than trying to do it week by week.

Have you accidentally looked at the 'family favourites' category? That is chicken goujons, spag bol, bangers and mash stuff.

Sigh. Apologies for apparently offending people with my perhaps badly framed phrase " well stocked pantry". It is actually 2 overflowing kitchen cupboards in a small flat.I am Asian, and therefore I have soy sauce, spices and all that stuff already. We are normals too.

I have never tried gousto but Mindful Vhef recipes most certainly aren't like that. The recipes are interesting, creative and often result in restaurant quality food.

I had a free Gusto box and loved it . Experienced cook with a well stocked cupboard but was bored with the same meals. Made a really good change . I will use them again.

I quite like that there's a mix with Gousto so we can order things the kids will eat like tacos or a chicken pasta bake (apparently the best thing we have ever had from Gousto is a tuna pizza ) or just order for me and DH and have crispy tofu or a spicy curry.

It works for us. We have 3 meals every week. We order for 2, but it feeds our 10 year old too. We both work full time and have very little time in the evening, so this is easy and we dont need to think too much. I am useless at cooking, but like the easy to follow instructions. We like the choice of menu and have tried lots of things we would never usually have eaten before - and a lot more veggies. I love having everything just measured out perfectly too.

@Anothernamechangeplease
I kniw it's a typo but it genuinely tickled me Mindful Vhef

Doesn't sound well appetising 🙈