As a busy teacher who is also determined to fit in a gym session after school most evenings, finding time to also cook a tasty, nutritious, and filling dinner each night can be daunting on the best of days. I’ve tried meal planning and it was too time-consuming for me. I hate food shopping with a passion. So when I tried HelloFresh it was revolutionary!
HelloFresh was founded in 2011 in Germany and since then has grown internationally, distributing fresh ingredients which can be made into delicious recipes across all corners of the globe. Promising to deliver budget, freshness, taste and sustainability, Hello Fresh boxes provide meals from just £3.25 per person with an abundance of options to choose from.
HelloFresh Recipe Options
There are 9 different meal preferences to choose from when you are selecting your box:
- Meat and veggies
- Quick Cook
- Family
- Calorie Smart
- Protein Rich
- Pescatarian
- Veggie
- Pork Free
- Fish Free
It would be really great to see a plant-based option added soon. As a vegan I selected the veggie box as most of the meals can be easily made plant-based by not adding any of the dairy or egg based ingredients, but I think a plant-based box would save wasting these products (although my dustbin of a Labrador will happily get rid of them for me).
I do really like that you can have the meals in your box selected for you, which is great for trying something new and exciting. It’s a bit like Christmas waiting to see what you have, although you can check this online first too. Alternatively, you can select which meals you want that week, and you can even add extra ingredients or extra meals too. You have complete control over the food you receive without any of the stress of meal planning or food shopping.
Recipes and recipe cards
The recipes from HelloFresh really are delicious, and so simple to make. The ingredients are pre-portioned for you (you just need to do a bit of chopping up) and the recipe cards are very simple to follow, with clear step-by-step instructions and pictures to guide you through. I felt like a top chef when I plated up my Garlic Portobello Naanizza (fancy right?) and yet it was incredibly easy to make and took only 20 minutes to throw together.
My favourites from this week were the Coconut Caribbean Curry with Sweet Potato and Kidney Beans, which had the perfect balance of sweet and spicy, and the Oven Baked Tomato Risotto, which was perfectly warm and comforting at the end of a very rainy day. The portion sizes are also impressive. I order a box for 2 people, and each meal serves myself and my partner a healthy portion each with enough for me to take leftovers for lunch the next day. So you definitely get a lot for your money!
Speaking of money, let’s talk subscriptions…
Pricing depends on which meal preference box you select, how many people the box is for, and how many meals you would like in a week. Meals start from £3.25 per person, and they always have offers and discounts available, including:
- Key Worker Discount – £15 off 4 boxes for Key Workers
- Student Beans Discount – 50% off first box and 30% off next 3 boxes
- Regular Student Discount – 50% off first box
You may also receive a variety of coupons and vouchers with your delivery for HelloFresh’s partner companies, and sometimes they’ll even throw in a free gift. I got a sample of some non-alcoholic Gin in mine this week which was delightful.
Basically, I am converted. HelloFresh makes mealtimes simple, nutritious and delicious. I love the variety in the recipes, the efficiency of the delivery and pre-portioning (those little brown bags are the best), and the fact that I can feel like a pro chef effortlessly serving up instagrammable and satisfying food at the end of a long day.
