Would you like to test a Gousto recipe box? £300 voucher to be won for feedback NOW CLOSED

[JustineBMumsnet]

Gousto has asked us to find 100 Mumsnetters to test one of their recipe boxes. Testers will be sent a family box of four meals (for four people) to try out with their family and will then be asked to leave feedback on a thread on Mumsnet. Two of the four meals selected will be recipes from a new family-friendly range launched in partnership with Annabel Karmel.

Here’s what Timo Boldt, CEO and Founder of Gousto says: “For people who want to cook and enjoy good food together but don’t always have the time, ingredients or know-how to do it well, Gousto delivers simple ways to (re) discover the joys of cooking, so you can choose what you want, cook it with confidence and enjoy sharing it with others.

Taking the hassle out of planning, shopping and cooking, Gousto delivers up to 4 meals for the week with the ingredients and recipe ready to make, so there’s no more ‘what’s for dinner’ panic.

This month, we’ve launched a 3-month partnership with family cooking expert, Annabel Karmel to introduce 20 additional family-friendly recipes to our menu. Supporting busy families with tried-and-tested, nutritionally balanced meals, proven to suit fussy eaters, including Heavenly Hidden Veg Bolognese and Mouthwatering Veggie Mac & Cheese – the new recipes will allow you to enjoy cooking dishes which suit everyone around the dinner table.

Each recipe uses Gousto’s fresh, quality ingredients – including 100% British meat, sustainable fish and free-range eggs from trusted suppliers – allowing you to know what’s in every meal and feel confident you’re feeding your family well.”

If selected, you’ll be given a unique discount code to place an order for a box (free of charge). Gousto is a subscription service, so testers will be required to create an account. However, Gousto’s customer care team will prevent the subscription from continuing automatically. You’ll then need to test the recipe box as a part of your daily routine and give your feedback on a thread on Mumsnet.

Testing will be for orders placed on the Gousto website on 10th October or 23rd October, with deliveries taking place between the 14th or 27th October. Please only sign up if you’re available to test at this time.

Please click here to apply.

All selected testers who give the required feedback will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher.

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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So last night DS and I cooked the Annabel Karmel meatball pasta bake. DS enjoyed the heating of Apple, chilling thyme rec to mould the meatballs. This for me would be a bit of a gaff for a midday meal but was quite enjoyable on a weekend evening.

The sauce was very tasty and the tins of chopped Italian tomatoes were of a very good standard. The portions were huge and it could've easily fed 6! It was less rich than a standard Bolognese and had a lot of flavour. Went down a treat

It arrived at 9ammorning and sat in the porch for a couple of hours as we were out. Everything was still fresh and cold as it was so well packaged to good start.

Very impressed by the thought put into the food which all looks lovely and fresh and there seems to be plenty of it and I liked the fact that they'd included all those little extras - honey, curry powder etc.

DD (11) and me made the meatballs and pasta. We enjoyed doing it - dd especially liked shaping the meatballs. All the grating and chopping was a bit of a faff but well worth it in the end. It was great just being able to stick all the ingredients on a tray and get on with it - no poking about the back of the cupboard for the jar of pesto I'm sure I bought!

Because I knew we'd have very limited time in the evening, we made the meatballs and did all the chopping and grating before going out then finished it off in the evening. Sadly the meatballs fell apart a bit in the sauce perhaps because I'd left them to stand but in the end it didn't matter as it tasted lovely. If I were to change anything, I'd put a bit less thyme in as I found it slightly over powering.

DS (5) pronounced the meal "almost as nice as ice cream" The portions were huge and we've easily got enough left for the DC's to eat for tea tonight

Preparing the meal. Instructions were clear and easy to follow

Today's recipe;
Pan fried chicken and Bulgar wheat and sweetcorn
But of a faff to make I thought but tasted nice
The sauce was pink!
The photo shows two portions of chicken

Also just made the chicken schnitzel- bulgar accompaniment was a huge portion so we have leftovers. Easy recipe to follow and not something I’d normally make so it would good to try something new. It came out well and was enjoyed by all.

I’ve also made a pork mince chilli in advance so we can eat it tomorrow night and I’ll just need to prep the apple and celery salad, and more bulgar, after work.

The recipes are easy to follow but we’re finding ourselves a bit wary of all the ‘pinches of salt’ that features in every part of each recipe so are adjusting and reducing this to our taste as salt is very easy to add later if needed.

My more adventurous Ds1 is enjoying the chilli and heat elements of each meal we’ve made so far and has been very approving of the new recipes.

I’m enjoying the new recipes as I’ve been a bit stuck in a rut lately so DH and I are feeling a bit more inspired to try out new things now. I suspect we may end up with a gousto box again, not weekly but perhaps once per month.

I should have taken a photo!

Tonight we had the Portabello Mushroom burgers with salsa and roasted potato slices.

This is the first time I have ever had a box like this with all the ingredients and after this evening I think I could be hooked.

The salsa was lovely...I’ve loads left as my teenager and hubby didn’t like it. A shame as I absolutely LOVED it.

The mushrooms were fabulous, as was the topping that was added to them. They were gorgeous in the burger rolls.

Can’t wait to cook another recipe. Might do the pork steaks tomorrow.

Made the lamb, houmous and flathead today. My favourite so far. Really tasty and not something I would have normally made. DS is a picky eater so ate just the lamb and flatbread but dd and I ate everything. The portions are really good size. I think this would be great for a self catering holiday. Just take cereal for breakfast, lunch out and then everything you need for dinner without having to take loads of condiments/spices/sauces with you.

Have just noticed gousto have taken £47.75 out of my bank account do es anyone else doing the trial know who I need to contact to get the money put back?

Shall I email mumsnet or gousto?

Hi Peas this happened to a few people including me. However they put it back two days later. If this hasn’t happened to you then it’s worth contacting MNHQ I reckon as they will know who to speak to.

Just noticed it's gone out of my account to!!
How do I do act mn to sort?

Mine was taken out on 9/10 and hasn't been put back in....

Thanks, I replied to the original email Justine sent about the trial to ask her to tell me how to get the money refunded.

No response yet but if I get one I’ll post it here so others can get their refunds.

No box yet.... this is a problem because it's meant to be tonight's dinner!!!

Tonight we are going to try Annabel's chinese fish fillets.

I chopped the veg and breaded the fish before work so just need to cook everything up and make the stock when I get in - hoping its as quick as the recipe suggests. Mildly worried about how this one will go down as DP ultra fussy about courgettes and DS keeps saying he dosen't like peppers - still I'm determined to give it a go

I made the Easy Lamb Biryani this evening and it was a massive hit here. It’s definitely one I would make again and there was loads left over. Hubby very happy as this means cold curry for breakfast.

I have to say I am really enjoying this box and the fact that everything is put together so well. I’ve always thought these boxes were like taking coals to Newcastle for me as I cook from fresh a lot. However the fact that I haven’t had to go out and buy it all is lovely and I can see us treating ourselves to a box or two a month.

It’s been an extra boon as while I was leading a health walk on Friday my Dad who’d come along had a stroke! Thankfully I am an ex nurse so know a stroke when I see it. The paramedics were amazing and were with us inside 15 mins of Dad collapsing. Within two hours of arriving in hospital and having clot busting drugs he was sat up and drinking tea while telling me I had “over reacted love” (I think NOT).

So this box has been an amazing help as I’ve not had to go shopping or source any ingredients.

We are doing the Annabel Karmel meatballs and pasta tomorrow so I’ve invited my Mum to have dinner with us. Dad will have to cope with hospital food again .....and face the diabetic team as a nurse discovered his badly controlled blood sugar and “grassed him up” . . Me...I am just happy he looks so well

So the box arrived yesterday. Pleased it was with DPD as they text you a one hour delivery slot so that was a good start
All looked good and Kids excited to choose which recipe to have first
DS and DP made the peri peri chicken with apple slaw and baked potato chips with peri peri mayonnaise. It was fantastic!!
Really generous portions I thought, and we aren’t renowned for having small portions!!
The other pleasing thing was that DS doesn’t normally eat things with mayo in but because he had made it he ate the appple slaw and the peri peri mayo and flipping loved them
So really pleased after meal one, and can honestly say that if others are as good then would prob do this every 3 weeks or so. Although we do cook a lot in this house it was really nice to have the head space and boring shopping done for 4 meals. Really liked this aspect
Will update after meal 2!

Just read yours delores sorry to hear about your Dad.
But totally agree with ‘coals to Newcastle’ analogy. Really thought I wasn’t their target but already impressed.

Is this the feedback thread?

Just seen this is NOT the feedback thread

Ooh good point! Is there a separate thread yet?

Yes there is a seperate thread for feedback which they want when you've cooked Ll the recipes.
Weve made the annabel karmel fish it has a lot of sugar added not what I expected from AK

The fish dish not very nice, vietnamese farmed basa fish did put me off a bit, didn't taste of fish, fluffy texture
Will post proper feedback on the correct thread when we've tried everything, just chatting here.

Is there a link to the feedback thread?

I'm pretty cheesed off to have been charged tbh...refund in hand apparently
Mnhq very quick to reply

Yes I agree 2014newme is there not a closer location to source white than Vietnam? It tasted ok once breaded and cooked.

The children loved the sauce (even the veg to my relief) and enjoyed the sticky rice so it all went down well.

I thought there was far too much sugar and and salt (soy sauce) in the sauce. Two tablespoons seemed ridiculous so I only used one and it was still lovely. Really think AK needs to rethink that one - she's aiming meals at children surely she has some regard for sugar and salt in doing so?

Still got some sauce left so planning to have it with noodles for lunch tomororw