Hello fresh/ Gousto

[HedgeHogFoxBadger]

Hi has anyone used hello fresh or gousto before?
I just received my first hello fresh box (only cos it was half price)
I struggle cooking meals, it’s just me and my 3 children. It’s always such a chore and thought this would give me a bit of motivation.
Does anyone else use these?

@spam88 I just checked the website and it doesn't give specifics on what ingredients you need yourself...but each box comes with a recipe card which lists everything you need. Most just need a protein item and onion and maybe s vegetable.
They are much cheaper than the ones where all the chicken etc is included. But we like this as we can add more meat / vegetable etc to bulk the meals up. Even the 2 person meals we find are enough for at least and we have good appetites!

Enough for at least 3!

How does Simply Cook work though when you’re planning your weekly shop? If you can’t see what you need then you must have to wait for the box to arrive and then do the shop? That could be quite annoying if it’s not convenient, and involves quite a lot of organisation!

When box ordered they send an email so you can see what you need to buy for each recipe.
I tried to screenshot but it's not worked.

From my email..

Thanks for ordering a SimplyCook box, we are packing it and it will be on its way to you shortly.

Order Details
Order no: 2685637
Total: £0.00

See below for a shopping list for each of your meals:

Ca Kho To
YOU WILL NEED...• 2 shallots • 150g jasmine rice • 300g cod fillet/loin • 200ml coconut water • 1 lime • 25g brown sugar (OPTIONAL • green veg of your choice )

Peruvian Chicken
YOU WILL NEED...• 4 chicken thighs • 1 red onion • 1 Red Pepper • 100g sweetcorn • 250g microwave basmati rice • 150g yoghurt • 15g coriander

Ah thanks @sallievp that’s very helpful.

If anyone is tempted by Gousto then don’t bother.
I had my first box out for delivery today. Planned this weeks meals on this coming today. Just tried to track it as not received yet and had this message-
Unfortunately, due to an operational error, your box couldn’t get dispatched in time for delivery. We couldn't guarantee its condition on arrival, so a stop was placed on your box and we won't be able to deliver this order to you. I’d like to apologise for the inconvenience caused.
So all this weeks meals are not arriving. I’m off work sick and now going to have to drag myself to the nearest supermarket over 30mins away.

Oh that's rubbish! I received my first box today with no problems.

Let me know what you think of it.
I’m debating whether I give them another try. I wouldn’t be as annoyed if they contacted me this morning to say it wasn’t coming. But I had to contact them when it hadn’t arrived.

They have redeemed themselves.
My box arrived today (so a day later than planned) but they have given me it FOC and honoured my discount on my next box.
Had the first dinner tonight and it was lovely. DC and DH loved it too. Really looking forward to trying the other 3 meals over the weekend.
If anyone is tempted to try, my code gives 50% off first box and 30% off rest of month.
JENNI39399316

I tried Gousto once but was appalled by the high fat and calorie content

There are lower calorie options but there is much less choice

Ah that's a good result then sweetpea! We've had two meals now and both were nice. Might get a couple more boxes while the discount is still valid - they're good for trying something different and potentially incorporating new meals into our rotation, but they're definitely overpriced at full price, particularly as they seem to use cheaper cuts of meat and the main component of most of our meals has been potatoes.

Yes, our box was mostly potatoes! DH couldn’t believe how heavy the box was.

We use Gousto because hello fresh doesn't have good vegetation choices

I tried Gousto once but was appalled by the high fat and calorie content

Bloomin heck. Most meals I order seem to be between 400 and,600 cals per person. Seems about right to me. Some are higher but they tend to be in the minority

Yes I agree bumbling, I'd say the food is fairly standard in terms of calorie and fat content. One of our meals has cheese and cream in so obviously higher, but then it is a cheesy potato bake... Obviously if you're dieting then Gousto may not be suitable but there's nothing to be disgusted by.

600 calories is very high for one meal. I do watch my weight so that might be why it's unsuitable

NHS recommended around 600 calories for a healthy dinner.

Yeah and look how obesity rates have skyrocketed in this country

I used Gousto for a while and did really like it (still cook some of the meals now). However I found that needing to cook the meals quickly so the food didn't go out of date was annoying. I now use Simply Cook and the meals are fantastic. It's just the sauces and spices so you buy all the other ingredients but the food is so tasty. The trial box is cheap so give it a try. My favs are Balinese Curry (which I have every week), Italian Ragu and Wild Mushroom Penne (both of which my kids love) but they have all been good so far.