If you’re trying to be healthier and perhaps are struggling to stick with it, or are unsure how to make permanent, sustainable changes in your diet, then consider a recipe box subscription.
The benefits are self-explanatory: they save a trip to the shops, can reduce your food waste and are a chance to improve your cooking.
Now is a great time to venture into the world of recipe boxes, from the veg-heavy to meaty to vegan. There’s even boxes to get kids into cooking.
We’ve trawled through them all to bring you the seven best ones to buy. Eat your heart out.
Mindful Chef sources ingredients from small farms across the UK, ranging from fresh veg to prime meat cuts, for customers to create healthy, budget-friendly meals at home. To encourage you to reduce your sugar intake, its boxes don’t include pasta, bread or white rice. The recipes are mostly based on making the most out of fresh veggies and there are plenty of vegan options to put in your box. Even better, no meal will take you longer than 30 minutes. The more time for eating, the better.
It’s also partnered with One Feeds Two, a charity that works towards eradicating child poverty so for every box sold, Mindful Chef donates a school meal to a child living in poverty. It also encourages customers to return insulation and ice packs that comes with each box to improve its supply chain.
If you’re a novice in the kitchen, this is a good one to start with. Simply order your box, which is packed in a compact letter box-sized box with four food kits and step by step instructions. Each recipe takes between 15 to 20 minutes and there’s 100 to choose from, which can be filtered according to your palette and dietary requirements. From beef stroganoff to prawn linguine to halloumi salad, it’s a crowd pleaser, even for the fussiest of eaters.
Start with a £3 trial box, which allows you to choose from 41 varying recipes. That way you can take your time sampling delicious dishes before committing to a subscription.
If you’re short of time with kids or a demanding job, then Hello Fresh is a fuss-free alternative to doing a weekly food shop and struggling home with bags laden with food. With a mix of cuisines from around the world, and the ability to customise your box according to the foods you like and don’t like, recipes are straightforward to follow and tasty to eat. Expect everything from walnut parsley pesto to spiced chicken.
There’s free daytime delivery too and boxes are delivered weekly, so you’ll never go hungry.
Gousto’s variety of recipes allows you to create comforting, home made hearty dishes to feast on, from spicy spaghetti bolognese to squash pad Thai. It’s foodie’s dream. All the meat is 100% British grown and Gousto is careful to provide carefully measured ingredients so there’s almost no food waste when you’re done cooking.
There’s also little preparation and cooking time, with some recipes taking just ten minutes which will make it easier to commit to making delicious dishes a regular at mealtimes.
If you’re into your pasta, then get excited. Curate your own recipe box from Pasta Evangelists which include fresh egg pasta and accompanying sauces to cook up a storm. Think truffled mac and cheese, ragù tagliatelle and paccheri with roasted aubergine. There’s no end to the recipes available to cook, thanks to a continuously rotating menu.
All you need to do is select how many portions you’d like each month (the more portions, the more expensive it gets). The box is designed to slot into your letter box, so you don’t have to worry about ever missing a dinner delivery.
If you’re looking to get your little ones involved in the kitchen, then head to Little Cooks Co. Its monthly boxes are designed to help get them into baking and feature a recipe, as long with dry ingredients with a three-month shelf life. The boxes also include fun accessories like wooden spoons and seed packets too.
All the recipes are designed by a nutritionist, so you can be safe in the knowledge the food will be healthy.
Each box also comes with recipe cards to inspire dinners. There aren’t ingredients for these, however – you’ll have to head to the shop.
If you’re feeling fancy and want to introduce a bit of fine dining into your meals, Box’d Chef is the one for you. Ditch the cookbooks and go straight to the experts with each recipe designed with tips from Michelin star chefs, so your dinner will have that extra pizzaz.
Each week the menu is different but still delicious, and you can expect dishes such as lightly baked haddock wrapped in rainbow chard leaves, coco beans, burnt lemon dressing and pickled seaweed or roast pork belly with green pepper relish alongside a mustard and chicory salad. Yum.
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