Can we talk about menu kits?

[CurlewKate]

I’m on my own this week and I thought it might be fun to get a Gousto box. They were on special offer- just over £20 for 5 meals for 1. I’ve had two dinners now, and I have questions! Both meals were perfectly nice, the portions were big and the instructions were clear. But are they designed for people who can’t cook at all? Because I think following the instructions took me longer than it would have taken me without using them!(I’m a good cook) It was all very fiddly- and there was sooo much packaging! I’m all for making things easier, and great if it helps. But does it really? Also, I chose mostly meat/fish dishes and there really are very few vegetables-I had a spicy prawn pasta thing tonight, and the only vegetable was a handful of cherry tomatoes. Am I being an old fart?

I think yes for people who can’t or struggle cooking/following recipes
i save the recipes I like and then make it again with my own ingredients and I’ve always added extra veg as there doesn’t seem enough!

Before DS I used to get these and found it infuriating that it was impossible to make the meals in the allotted time. 20 was usually 35 and 30 was 45. I don’t enjoy cooking so was fuming by the time I was ready to eat! I agree about the veg and they are too carb heavy for me

Simply cook is a good one as you have much more control over what goes in- it's just the spices etc mixed up ready and although the recipe suggests veg and protein to use each on they are quite versatile (the curry kits for example will get either chicken, prawns, paneer or just veg chucked in depending what's in the fridge). They are good for taking the thinking out of meal planning without taking away all the cooking IYSWIM

Yes, they are designed for people who can’t cook and they use a stupid amount of packaging. We did Hello Fresh for a bit and got bored quickly. Every meal was some variation on stir fry or noodles or a burger. And nothing was really a complete meal. It all needed extra veg/salad/protein, and I ended up still meal planning but doing to to complement what was missing from the meals, which felt like more of a hassle than just meal planning and cooking from scratch.

I tried Hello Fresh a couple of times, some of the recipes looked nice and I was in a bit of a rut, as well as thinking it may save time.
I found ingredients went off before I'd used them, and the amount of packaging -particularly the non recyclable stuff- was insane. I don't think it saved me any time overall and other than being good for a bit of variety and inspiration, not worth it for me.

I'm a HelloFresh subscriber but I recently tried a couple of weeks with Gousto and was massively disappointed. The recipes were a bit of a faff, the vegetables were minimal, and the choice of recipes - while having 150 different options - was actually just variations on the same five or so meals. I'm back with HelloFresh this week and it's great (although there's still a lot of seasonal repetition; we've recently gone from green beans and tenderstem broccoli with most recipes, to some sort of homemade coleslaw and baby leaves!)

I've been doing hello fresh for years now. Started off using it as I wasn't a strong cook, keep it now for convenience. I find most of the recipes well rounded, fully conceptualized meals but I usually add additional veggies or accompanying side dishes.

I tried Simply Cook , & thought they were very good for novices.
I tried to encourage DH to use them , but he's quite happy with his repertoire of 3 meals !

It does actually seem to be more faff than actually cooking and less of the fun. And did I mention the packaging?

It is faffy. I still like it sometimes but gravitate more to SimplyCook for the flexibility now. I think these products peaked a bit in the pandemic with the pubs and restaurants shut; nowadays M&S etc have cottoned on with comparable "kits".

I’ve used Hello Fresh several times when they’re on special offer.
My normal (eating well, 3 meals a day) budget is €10 per person per day on food. But that doesn’t account for the time and hassle of shopping and prep.
HF on offer can beat that, their ingredients are super fresh, usually high brand (pasta, cheese, chicken) delivered to my door and no waste. If I bulk it out with extra carbs I can get 3 portions from 2 HF, so the price goes down even more.
I’ve kept the picture recipe cards for when DD leaves home. They’re tediously step by step but quantities are given for 2 (or 4) portions which is helpful.
She’ll also get my copy of Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food which is very simple but adaptable staple recipes. Great for leaving home.

So yes, they are tedious but it’s like having a break from the mental load.

As previously mentioned Simply Cook, are my go to as I think they are quick.
Also Nonna Tonda - which do only take 10 mins (probably less), fresh pasta, nice sauce. I only buy them occasionally as an easy option when works frantic.

When I tried Gusto I found them quite fiddly and often the “fresh” ingredients, not that fresh.

However I only cook for two, and not much of a meal planner.

SimplyCook are on a mission to fight food boredom and are giving you a SimplyCook trial box for free!
https://www.simplycook.com/invite/KAW4WG?via=app

i love Simply Cook. Much more versatile than Hello Fresh. Recipes are so tasty too.

Gousto is good in that you can order it as a total novice and still do it.

I use them sometimes despite being perfectly competent just because it takes the load off a bit, it also means my 14 year old can start cooking while I’m working and I know she will be able to follow it. It’s made her more confident in cooking as a bonus.

ive done hello fresh and it was only one step up from UPF. So yes absolutely for people who can’t cook or would normally have chicken nuggets and chips.
Abel and Cole was much better if you’re used to single ingredient foods.