Hello Fresh Again (Review)

Last summer I reviewed the fresh food mail order service Hello Fresh. I was asked in the new year if I would like to do so again to discover if the great quality and service was still the same 7 months on.

For those who don't know, Hello Fresh chefs create recipes that are balanced and varied; the Hello Fresh team go out and buy every ingredient required to make the meals and then deliver everything you need to cook a tasty meal right to your door each Tuesday or Thursday. Typically the meals which require cooking only take 30 minutes and have a step by step instruction leaflet, with photographs, for you to follow - so even the most reluctant cooks cant go wrong!

I love the fact that a big box is delivered to your door on a Tuesday or Thursday (for free) and all you know is that it might contain classic (meat and fish) or vegetarian meal ideas for however many days you specified.

Here was my box of fresh goodies

The 3 recipes I was sent were

and Roasted Chicken Thighs with pancetta and puy lentils (which I haven't made yet owing to catching the flu the week my delivery was received, but I have frozen the meat and will make this very soon). Both meals were delicious and the meatball one was even eaten by my fussy boys!! I will make this meal again as its nice to discover a recipe we all enjoy and Moroccan flavours are something I had never used in my cooking before.

The quality of the chicken thighs, lamb mince and salmon was excellent and they were all organic and freshly purchased from a butcher on the same day that your order is despatched. The recipes are very easy to follow as they offer a step by step method and you are sent every ingredient you require.

Hello Fresh continue to offer a first rate service and I was not disappointed this second time of trying out their recipes and delivery service. My only negative is the same as last time, and that is that on our food budget this service is not cost effective as a family. This classic box would have cost £39 based on serving three meals for two adults (although the meatball dish did stretch to serve the four of us). I could buy a lot more produce than this for £39 and make more than 3 meals too. Also, the salmon dish although yummy (and another meal I would eat again) and it did fill me up, could have done with a few more noodles as there weren't as much as I would usually serve for two people especially myself and my partner who felt it didn't fill him up as much.

 However, for professional couples who work long hours or for single people like my brother who don't have time to maybe go shopping in between working long hours and socialising afterwards (or don't bother and collect a take away or a prepared meal from a supermarket) and can afford the Hello Fresh boxes, I think the company offers excellent value for money and variation of meals and such fantastic quality of products. All the thinking about what to cook and where to find the ingredients and having to go and buy the food has been done for you, and it is all delivered to your door which would please many people I am sure. 

For me, it was a lovely surprise to see all that wonderful food in a box - it just brings a big smile to my face and it gave me a rest from having to plan meals and buy some food for a change! Also, it gave me a chance to try out some new meals on my family which I may not have done otherwise which is always very welcome.

For further information about Hello Fresh and the service they provide, please visit their website

http://www.hellofresh.co.uk

I was sent a classic box for three meals for the purpose of this review. All comments are honest and my own as are the plates of food which I cooked myself.