Mindful Chef. Price: 1 person – from £7 per portion,2 person – from £5 per portion, 4 person – from £4. 50 per portion
Delivery areas: Nationwide
Editor’s comments: “I’ve always wanted to dispel my nightly post-work Tesco shop and sign up to a food delivery service but I’ve always hesitated because, well, I don’t want to just eat vegetables every night.
Add to that that I’m pain in the arse when it comes to buying meat and fish – it HAS to be sustainably sourced and free-range. So when I was offered a trial of the Mindful Chef I obviously said yes. Healthy?
Tick. Quality ingredients sourced from small farms? Tick. Ready for me to put together when I get home (no Tesco’s required)? Tick. Bonus? It actually delivered more. The thing about food delivery is that they give you just the right amount of food meaning there’s minimal to no waste. This is a game–changer for me. Just when I thought it couldn’t get better, they went and teamed up with Habitat for their summer salad series to help foodie fans create the ultimate Instagrammable salad.
Alongside two fresh summer salad recipes and a Mindful Chef, Eat Well, Live Better book (which we love), Habitat have filled up the delivery box with a super chic placemat, bowl and side plate. Consider your summer dinners, sorted. We can’t wait to see what’s next from this booming foodie brand.
We tried with: Gluten Free
HelloFresh
Price: From £5. 80 per portion for a 2 person box
Delivery areas: All of the UK
Editor’s comments: “The price, options and flexibility of this delivery service make it a winner in my books. My fiancé and I travel often and HelloFresh allows us to pick and choose which weeks we actually want food delivered. The recipes are consistently delicious and it’s fun to experiment with new dishes I would never think to cook on my own. And the gluten-free and vegetarian options are ACE. ”
We tried with: Gluten Free
Fit Kitchen
Price: From £4/per meal
Delivery areas: All of the UK
Editor’s comments: “Fit Kitchen is rather new to the market, making their competitive prices a great advantage. Much cheaper than most healthy delivery services out there (but just as delish! ), we were excited to give this one a go, as it seemed like great news for our readers. And believe us, it was. Their diet plan system is based on your caloric needs and what you’re trying to achieve with Fit Kitchen’s help. I went for the aggressive weight-loss option, and the portions were strict-diet sized. But if you are looking to gain muscle or just maintain a healthy diet like the DASH, the website will calculate and base the plan on your macros – which is quite cool and makes you feel like a bodybuilder that knows their shit”.
We tried with: DASH diet
Balance Box
Price: From £19. 99/daily
Delivery areas: All of the UK
Editor’s comments: “Low Carb sounds easy on paper, but don’t fool yourself, it’s hard. I’ve tried low-carb diets before and they didn’t work – mainly because I had cheat meals *every* day (I love carbs). So Balance Box sounded like the perfect idea, with not much in my fridge other than their meals there was no way for me to cheat. The portions aren’t huge, so if you’re aiming to shed some pounds this will help to keep you on track. You get breakfast, lunch, dinner and even snacks, plus the food is super tasty, nothing like those diet prep meals you get in the supermarket – they taste homely. Honestly, I tried as much as I could to not cheat, of course I slacked off sometimes but overall I was feeling lighter. The results on the scale? Two pounds in one week – going to the gym and sweating it out of course – there’s no miracle-maker, although Balance Box is pretty close to it. ”
We tried with: Low carb diet
Fresh Fitness Food
Price: From £20/per day
Delivery areas: London and the M25
Editor’s comments: “The perfect meal delivery service for any fitness foodie. If you struggle with meal prep and find it difficult to eat clean whilst leading a busy-working life, it might be worth giving this a go. The FFF team pride themselves on convenience, nutrition and customer service, ensuring that your food is as personalised and delicious as can be. My favourite meal so far was my Matcha Protein Waffle breakfast! I could definitely NOT make those at home”.
We tried with: Flexitarian diet
Gousto
Price: From £24. 99 for a 2-person box
Delivery areas: Nationwide
Editor’s comments: “When I was trying to stick to the Mediterranean diet I needed a little help. Although it is not a hard one to follow – the social aspect of it is fun, overall you eat well and you don’t restrain yourself from much other than red meat – there are still rules. Gousto’s Box was my go-to. The portions are for two (so call your BFF), the ingredients are fresh and the recipes are super easy to make. The first recipe I tried – my favourite of the three that came in the box – was Gousto’s fish tacos. They have photos of each step and they even send you all the spices and condiments you’ll need, so there’s no way you’ll mess it up. For someone that’s well, a pretty shocking cook, this proved invaluable. ”
We tried with: Mediterranean diet
Pure Package
Price: From £44. 95/per day for a 10 day package
Delivery areas: London and M25
Editor’s comments: “I’ve tried delivery diets before and honestly – I felt hungry. This was so not the case here. I gave the team my dietary specifications (of which there were many) and decided the paleo program was the most suited. Every morning my box of delights was waiting for me on the doorstep. There was more than three meals per day – alongside breakfast, lunch and dinner were snacks to keep me going throughout the day. All healthy, fresh, delicious and most importantly – filling. A life saver for a girl wanting to make positive food choices (without actually having to make any choices). ”
We tried with: Paleo die
Everdine
Price: From £5. 75/per meal
Delivery areas: All of the UK
Editor’s comments: “I loved the ease of Everdine, you literally get delivered a bulk of meals (you can tell them the kind of thing you usually like) which go in the freezer, then whack them in the microwave as needed. I was concerned at the beginning that having to defrost meals would make them lose their taste, but that absolutely was not the case. The food was full of flavour and came with vegetables, protein and carbs in the right proportions. One of my favourites was the healthy Katsu curry. Do note, Everdine is definitely better suited for dinner time, unless your place of work has a lot of freezer space! ”
Potage
Price: From £8/per meal
Delivery areas: London
Editor’s comments: “Honestly, I was quite impressed with this one from the moment the meals arrived. Packed individually, each one of the meals looked straight off a chef’s kitchen (perfect for the ‘gram). Intricately adorned with seasoning and yes, even flower petals I was instantly attracted and eager to try each one of those little boxes. My dad – who’s a health nut – was in town with me and he was super impressed by how healthy but well sized the meals were. If you’re not a health junkie (like me) worry not, you’ll still find the meals tasty and feel satisfied by the end of the day. I would definitely give this one a go again, for a weekly detox or even if I’m having people over – they do big meals to share as well. ”
Spring Green
Price: From £36/per day
Delivery areas: London
Editor’s comments: “Another box that got us going crazy about how gorgeous it looked. FLOWERS EVERYWHERE! And we were all for it. Throughout the day the meals are diet sized, but don’t worry, the dinner platter will make up for it – and that’s usually when everyone tends to snack a little too much. If you do stick to the plan and combine it with exercise you’re bound to see results. First, on how weirdly light you feel – if you’re looking to banish bloating this box would be a good choice. Secondly, to your energy levels which will be up, up, up. And thirdly, to your skin. Yes, my skin was absolutely glowing. Overall, I would totally recommend this. ”
Munch Fit
Price: From £10. 25/per meal
Delivery areas: London
Editor’s comments: “BAM! This is true fuel, not only meals. I was so impressed by how much this would change my routine. Being a gym rat I spent a lot of time meal prepping on Sunday to make sure I stayed on my diet when I was at the office – now, bear in mind when I say diet I mean eating healthy to build muscle, not to loose weight. Not only were the portions perfectly sized, the food was so fresh. It literally arrives at your door each day packed in a cool bag. Put it this way, if you’re really into fitness and making sure you’re getting your daily protein intake right (and spending your Sundays outdoors rather than in the kitchen), out of this list, this service will be the one for you.
Detox Kitchen
Price: From £28. 90/per day
Delivery areas: London
Editor’s comments: “Eating well has such a great impact on your life, so when I signed up for this I had really high hopes. I generally eat well but can easily fall off the wagon so I was looking for a meal delivery service to keep me in check. The great thing about Detox Kitchen in comparison to some others is that the portions are big and taste comes first. I opted for The Active Protein package because I need my meat everyday, but if you’re a veggie or just really in it for a detox (without doing a disgusting juice cleanse) there’s plenty of other options that will suit you. You’re never left hungry and the food is fresh and delicious. They can definitely count me as a loyal customer now. ”
Riverford
Price: From £24. 95 for 2 meals
Delivery areas: Nationwide and Whales
Editor’s comments: “After hearing about Riverford’s Fruit Veg delivery, I was excited to learn that they also offer healthy meal boxes. You get the fresh ingredients – we’re talking organic everything – and recipes delivered at the start of the week. Admittedly, I’m not that great in the kitchen but I really enjoy cooking and I like to see exactly what’s in my meals so this proved the perfect way to have the convenience of delivery but still have some creative control.
