The meals on offer are described as “restaurant quality”, and they use exciting plant-based ingredients as substitute for the norm. We’re talking cashew cream, almond parm crum and butternut-squash béchamel: all 100% dairy-free with no added preservatives. Um… yum!
Their chef-made meals, all prepared by hand in their London-based kitchen, are nutritionally balanced and genuinely healthy. They each have at least two of your five-a-day crammed inside, arrive frozen for freshness (meaning no need for added preservatives), and they use no palm oil or GMO.
Allplants is a frozen vegan meal delivery service which was founded back in 2017 by two brothers: JP and Alex Petrides. Since then, they’ve served plant-based meals to more than one million meals to happy customers nationwide, and earned themselves a clean sweep of Great Taste awards.
JP and Alex believe that the world (and everyone on it) would be “better off if we ate more plants” than animal produce… but they also know that it can be tricky to convert your diet into a vegan one. So, they launched Allplants to help you eat vegan conveniently and quickly, fitting plant-based meals into your busy schedule.
How does Allplants work?
Getting started with Allplants could not be easier. You simply log onto the website, select whether you’d like your meals to feed one or two people, then choose the six dishes to add to your delivery that week. You can choose whether you’ll cook your meals microwave or in the oven (fancy), and you can have them made without soy, gluten or nuts if you’re intolerant. They’ve literally catered for everyone.
If you’re struggling to choose, you can take a quiz to determine the dishes you might like best. Or even select the Protein Power Box, which comes with a selection of six of the brand’s highest protein meals… Perfect for the gym junkies among you. And before you check out, you can add extras to your delivery, like healthy smoothies, breakfasts (the wild berry bircher is a big hit on their summer menu) and treats. We’re talking chocolate peanut fondant, apple and cinnamon crumble and sticky banoffee pudding. I, obviously, added all three.
Once you’re done (the whole ordering process literally takes less than five minutes – unless you’re as indecisive as me), you choose whether you’d like your subscription to be delivered every one, two, three, four or six weeks. And Bob’s your uncle. That’s it.
My delivery arrived on a Saturday afternoon, perfect timing for getting me prepped for the week ahead. Delivery was quick, and it landed on my doorstep in a bright yellow box which instantly lifted my lockdown spirits. I know it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but I love Allplant’s branding. The packaging is so vibrant! (And sustainable). It was also reassuring to know that everything inside stays fresh until 10pm – ideal if your dishes get delivered when you’re out.
Inside were the six meals I had selected, plus my three “treats” – and a little leaflet which explained how everything had been cooked by local chefs in the brand’s little London kitchen. It was touches like these that made the delivery feel really personal.
My concentration span after a stressful days working from home is, well… laughable. Non-existent. On said *tough* days, I’d usually reach for my phone to order a Deliveroo or Uber Eats, but on the week of my delivery, I reached for my Allplants dishes instead.
Luckily for my dwindling attention span, each of the meals had very clear; easy-to-follow cooking instructions on the back. When I say “cooking”, what I mean is “heating”. All you need to do is take the film off the top of the dish and whack them in the oven.
On my first evening, I chose the Mac Greens first which was nothing short of delicious. Seriously – so good, so creamy and I totally forgot it was vegan. The next day I tried the Teriyaki Udon which was also a delight. I devoured it in about a fifth of the time it had taken to cook. My only criticism? I could’ve eaten it twice over. I decided the portions were may be a tad small for me and my humungous appetite.
I think it’s also important to note here that I do love cooking, so for me, this subscription isn’t an everyday kind of thing. I still want to cook from scratch a few evenings a week. Instead, Allplants is more of a healthy alternative to a takeaway, or a quick dinner/lunch when I’m time poor and really can’t be bothered. But on those occasions? I can tuck into something restaurant-standard, without waiting for a delivery driver and without any guilt at all. Genius.
How much does Allplants cost?
There are two prices. The two-person option is the best value: this is £9. 98 per meal. If you’re feeding just yourself, the one-person option costs £6. 75.
Allplants delivers nationwide. You can get free delivery on Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, or +£2. 50 for weekend delivery.
Oh, and FYI – you can pause, change or cancel your subscription at any time.
There are tonnes of delicious meals on the Allplants menu. Here are some examples of the tasty (tried and tested! ) dishes you can order:
- Rigatoni Bolognese
- Roasted Veggie Lasagne
- Bhaji Daal
- Mac Greens
- Smoky Soul Chilli
- Teriyaki Udon
- Lasagne Noci
- Mushroom Chickpea Korma
- Protein Power Bowl
- Tuscan Bean Ratatouille
- Golden Peanut Satay
- Super Green Risotto
- Thai Green Curry
- Spinach Aubergine Tagine
The verdict
For starters, I feel like it’s a really exciting time to become a paying customer/fan of Allplants, because they have some great things on the horizon. They’ve recently launched a delicious summer menu, including fruity breakfast pots and creamy dishes like the Three Mushroom Risotto. Their head chef, Joey O’Hare has started doing Instagram lives to show you how to cook vegan or use fermented foods in your cooking, and they’re offering work from home offers to perk up locked-down life.
Now for the nitty gritty. For someone who wants to try out the vegan diet for the first time but has no clue where to start, Allplants is great. It really is. It makes you realise that you can eat all the dishes you know and love, sans animal produce… and that vegan food can be rich, creamy and tasty.
As a lover of cooking, I wouldn’t want to microwave my meals every day. And I did find the portions a tad small. But if you’re trying to reduce your portion size and want a selection of healthy vegan dishes stashed away in the freezer to reach for two night’s a week? Well, you’re onto a winner.
