You may have seen the barrage of advertising for meal kit delivery services like Hello Fresh, and Gousto. The initial deals are tempting, with Gousto offering 65% off the first box, and then 25% off the two subsequent boxes. I caved, only paying £17.20 for the first box, so how did it go?
For the best value, I ordered 5 meals, which should last me a whole week. The box served two people (more on portions later), and as I was only cooking for one, I was promised leftovers for the day after.
4 days later, a big red box arrives, containing all the meat, vegetables, herbs, and spices needed for my five meals. I was initially worried about how cold the food was going to be upon arrival, bearing in mind it would have been in shipping for over 12 hours. Inside the larger box, there is a smaller, insulated, box containing an ice pack. This was still intact upon arrival, and the meat and veg were ice-cold- phew!
Here are the meals I ordered, and the days of the week I ate them:
The dates on the meals ranged from a few days after the box arrived, to 6 days later. Two of the meals lasted until the day before the next box, meaning there was lots of flexibility in when I could eat the meals.
Portions:
The portions were supposed to serve two people, however, I always managed to stomach it all myself (don’t know if that says more about me or Gousto). Some portions were larger than others, the Smoky Chimichurri Mushroom Steaks with Crushed Potatoes had a lot more substance than the Pulled Hoisin Chicken with Sesame Noodles. I’d say approach the box with caution if you want to serve two people. Gousto also sells a box for four people, which I understand to just be a doubling of the ingredients that you get with a two-person box.
Taste:
All the meals I cooked were delicious. The box comes with so many more herbs, spices, and seasoning that I’d usually use in my cooking. As I’m a uni student, I am usually only cooking for one person, meaning that it’s hard to be adventurous with food, without spending lots of money. You can only buy ingredients in large quantities from the supermarket, so the fact that Gousto sends you just the right number of things is very helpful.
Simplicity:
The recipes come with an estimated cook time, I didn’t find this to be very accurate, but this may just be down to my slow chopping. I found that the actual cook times of specific ingredients were accurate, and the recipe easy to follow.
Substitutions:
One of my recipes had a substituted ingredient because Gousto couldn’t source whole chicken breasts. Instead, they sent chicken strips, which made the cooking easier, as it reduced the cooking time. This substitution was communicated through email.
Overall:
I would highly rate the Gousto service, especially with the unbeatable welcome offer. It’s worth giving it a go, and it might help broaden your taste horizons. Let me know how it goes for you!
Use this link to sign-up for 65% off your first box, and 25% off the two subsequent boxes: https://www.gousto.co.uk/raf?promo_code=LOUIE43953225
Me excitedly receiving my first Gousto box.