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What are the best meal kits and meal delivery kits?
There’s something immensely satisfying about home cooking but if you get into the habit of cooking the same things on a weekly basis, it becomes a bit of a chore. In Britain, the average person cooks the same 12 recipes over the course of a year.
Of course, we all have our specialities – and it seems we tend to stick to them, but it is nice to be able to ‘mix things up’ a little. With recipe boxes you could be trying an average of 156 recipes a year – and with very little chance of things going wrong. You could even order a Christmas recipe box which would make entertaining much easier.
There’s no doubt that choosing a recipe box or a meal delivery kit can make cooking so much more interesting – especially if you’re just cooking for yourself.
A recipe box is a package delivered to your door which contains all the ingredients you need to make the recipe and a recipe card with easy-to-follow instructions enabling you to make a meal – or a few meals depending on what you’ve ordered.
A meal delivery kit is just another type of recipe box. Meal delivery kits are subscription services that deliver pre-portioned ingredients, sometimes partially prepared (perhaps minced or chopped) for you to make a meal from. They are kits to make your own meals rather than prepared cooked meals.
There’s a lot of reasons why people are choosing to use recipe boxes and meal delivery kits – and a lot of people realised the benefits during lockdown. One company providing recipe boxes saw their business grow by over 450% when we were all confined to our homes.
It’s likely we’ll see more of them. Some of the supermarkets including Morrison’s are beginning to produce their own. Marks & Spencer has also introduced recipe boxes – with a limited range of recipes but with very high-quality ingredients.
If you like the idea of recipe boxes and meal delivery kits, the choice can be a bit overwhelming so here are a few of our favourites that you might like to try. Some of them are subscription services, others you just pay for and the prices range enormously – but if you’re entertaining guests, cooking a chef-worthy meal at home is less expensive than taking your friends or family out to dine.
If you love everything Italian, you’ll love Pasta Evangelists, a company that boasts the freshest, artisan pasta recipe kits. The founder, Alessandro, set out to bring the freshness and quality of the pastificio-style pasta he grew up making by hand with his nonna to British kitchens.
Today, the company offers more than 20 recipes a week, some of which take no more than 5 minutes of preparation time. Each recipe includes everything you need to prepare a five-star pasta dish including freshly made pasta, an authentic sauce and a delicious garnish. The website includes the week’s specials and the chef’s favourites – along with a number of side dishes such as Focaccia and deserts including a fabulous Tiramisu. If you order by 5 pm, you’ll get next day delivery. The ingredients arrive in an insulated box and can be left in a safe place if you’re going to be out.
Sign up to Honeywell Bakes and a seasonal baking kit will land on your doormat each month. You’ll receive pre-weighed ingredients including Cotswold organic flour and an easy- to- follow recipe card and all you have to do is to add a few store cupboard ingredients such as butter and eggs to create an impressive bake.
You can choose from the Bakers Club, The Bread Bakers Club, The Family Bakers Club or The Young Bakers Club. You choose to pay upfront for a fixed period – three, six or twelve months – or you pay on a monthly basis and the kit is posted through your letter box each month. If you’re in a hurry, you can order by 1 pm on weekdays to have the kit despatched by first class post (as long as everything in your basket is available on same day despatch).
These baking kits make fabulous gifts for friends or family members and are ideal for younger relatives who want to learn how to bake. If you’re giving a subscription as a gift, you’re able to add a personalised gift note. The Honeywell Biscuit Co. is keen to be as environmentally friendly as possible and all elements are compostable or recyclable and the team is currently working on eliminating plastics.
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Wild Radish know that great meals can create the perfect night, but it’s about more than what’s on your plate.
The anticipation of a cork popping, the smell of that jus reducing, the sound of melodic jazz just audible over a sizzling pan. It can be tricky to put your finger on just what makes the memory of that special evening last a lifetime.
Together with their network of restaurant friends, Wild Radish have sourced you the perfect wine, music, accompaniments, and much more. Wild Radish share your passion for great food and creating the perfect night, and make it easy to do just that.
Hello Fresh was one of the original meal kit companies and is one of the least expensive in our collection with prices starting from £3.25 per person.
You simply pick a plan – and there are a range to choose from – stating the number of people and the number of recipes you would like each week (2 to 5 recipes). Then you pick the recipes you would prefer which include mostly meat, vegetarian, family meals, quick cook, calorie counted or pescatarian. It’s easy to change choices later. The fresh, pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes are then delivered to your door.
Delivery times are from 8 am to 8 pm on the day of your choice. You can add special delivery instructions to your account in case you’re not in and can change delivery days if necessary. All ingredients are hand packed with special ice packs and insulation so food stays cool until you get home.
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