Hello Fresh / Gousto - Menu subscription services
Just some random thoughts of mine after using these services for a while for anyone that may find it useful.
So I've been using a mix of services but mostly HelloFresh ( 60% ) , Gousto ( 35% ) and Plantfood ( 5% ) over the last 6 months I'd say.
To make it clear I chose this route out of interest in a different style of food shopping - I'd consider myself some one that can cook and enjoys cooking and can normally knock something relatively decent out of random ingredients without having to follow a recipe of sorts.
SIMPLICITY
By choosing weekly or having a menu list pre-generated and supplied it can definitely cut down on the ' what shall I/We eat tonight ' never ending question. Its a bit like Ration packs in that sense - you get a supply of food for your main meals - you cook them as prescribed - job done.
COST
Costs between the different services do vary - Hello Fresh and Gousto do seem in the same ballpark and the Market leaders. I would have tried Planthood for longer but frankly they do appear to be quite pricey as its purely vegetarian.
If one was conventionally shopping there is always a danger of randomly picking items of shelves and popping into the shops many times during the week to 'pick a few things up' and end up over spending. And in the end not using the food you've potentially purchased.
It also limits/avoids the temptation to have a take away - my local small town has a Fish'n'Chip shop , Indian(s) , Chinese(s) , Pizza/Doner and even a KFC Knock off - and also a few pubs that do food. I honestly think having a subscription food service have helped limit submitting to the temptation as you do become accustomed to cooking what you've unpacked.
WASTE
So by having a set menu of set ingredients there is very little food waste. I did say Food waste. There is a reasonable amount of plastic waste as a lot of the more basic staple items come in individual smaller packages ( Tomato puree , Chicken Stock , Rice ) so thats a consideration.
The food tends to be delivered by courier in a large Cardboard box , kept chilled with little frozen ice bags and insulative wool outers. The inners tend to be paperbags -each annotated with a number corresponding to the Menu Number.
So the large Cardboard box , Wool bag , Smaller paper bags and Ice bags all need to be considered ref the waste aspect.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
As mentioned each bag of food corresponds to a recipe sheet for that meal - the instructions are broken down into multiple steps but mostly follow a simple follow along plan. Its all well illustrated and instructions are 'just enough' to get by. Nutritional profile information also tend to be there and some suggestions for optional extras or ideas
So after trying them for a while what do I think?
Well I guess its somewhat subjective - I do consider myself relatively comfortable with food , cooking processes and 'tricks' so i'm trying to view and think of its application from a variety of perspectives.
Ingredients
Definitely provides an introduction to some more diverse ingredients - be that Bulgar wheat , Orzo or Green Lentils - which I'm sure we have all heard of but don't cook with in a stereotypical ( I'm possibly projecting ) UK diet. If your standard intake is a plate of beige - chips-fishfingers & beans ( not that I don't enjoy that myself ) then its going to be a bit of a pleasant introduction to other ingredients.
Composition
Most of the meals ( at least from Hello Fresh ) tends to focus around a staple carbohydrate ( Rice, Pasta, Potato ,Bulgar wheat ,) a lean protein ( Chicken , Mince Beef or Lamb , Fish ) and a Vegetable along with some spices/stock and some cheese or dairy.
A criticism could be there isn't more vegetables but again easily rectified with some frozen veg added.
Calories
Another potentially good thing with the set menu is that the calories via portion control are somewhat fixed. You cook what is in the bag , that is the calories. You can indeed add something to up the calories and bulk if you feel a need too and I've done that - turning a Two person meal into serving three people with a tin of staple chickpeas or lentils etc.
Calories can be let to control themselves or you can intervene - if you are following just the menu you are choosing to have set calories or you can bulk them out. I found this quite useful as typical of most guys I can certainly eat a plate clean without issue.
So potentially good for those that need a plan to limit their daily calories.
Learning to Cook
I do think these subscription services are a good choice for those that either want to learn to cook and learn how ingredients come together ( Sour-Sweet-Fat-Acid etc ) and the step by step follow along recipes and repetition allows this to be learnt in a baby steps manner.
As such I could see a pre-paid subscription a nice gift for a person whom has just left home , or lacks cooking skills but wants to learn. Or maybe just a person that doesn't want to think too much ( which I admit can be a relief ) about what too cook for tonights sustenance.
Very useful for learning different spices and seasoning and how certain foody things are made ( I'm often surprised how many people can't make a basic cheese sauce ) so here you can at least learn how to make learning cooking steps an incremental thing as opposed to a vertical intimidating wall of potential failure.
Menu Sheets.
As mentioned each baggy comes with a menu sheet - over time its very possible to see what you do like, discard what you don't like and build up a small library of menus and more importantly the required amount of ingredients you need to recreate those dishes.
These sheets once compiled the give you an exact idea of what one needs to shop for a week/fortnights/months shopping. Which can be useful.
Hello fresh
I liked Hello Fresh the best - One bag - all the items in the same bag and very much a 'onepot' cooking style , which can be good and bad , one pot cooking is quick and easy for cleaning and cooking but can lack textural variation.
Gousto - All food delivered in one box ( so less waste ) which I found a faff to separate out to its prerequisite elements which in the end annoyed me. Its a small thing but got too me. The cooking is more varied and probably higher end than Hello Fresh ( more spices and even more diverse ingredients ) - several pots used and different cooking techniques of ingredients which lead to long cooking times but a more varied plate of food. More time consuming than Hello Fresh in my opinion.
Planthood -- I wanted to try a vegetarian option for a while and the food ( whilst it and my wallet lasted ) was indeed interesting and tasty and no doubt nutritious. If I Could find a cheaper alternative I would try this route again just to experiment more with meat free food - not that I have any issue with meat consumption in general.
PERKS and DISCOUNTS
As with all businesses they are keen to retain your custom and patronage - and like Banks will only give you the good deals when you play them off against each other. If you stay long enough you'll be provided with options to introduce friends via a free week of food in exchange for their ( consenting ) email.
If you go to leave or use your an your partners emails like most things you can be rewarded with better rates and special offers and obviously if you take a break they will be keen to get you back and onboard.
Anyway - I just thought it maybe useful to someone if I shared my thoughts and if anyone wants any questions answered please do ask.
Just some random thoughts of mine after using these services for a while for anyone that may find it useful.
So I've been using a mix of services but mostly HelloFresh ( 60% ) , Gousto ( 35% ) and Plantfood ( 5% ) over the last 6 months I'd say.
To make it clear I chose this route out of interest in a different style of food shopping - I'd consider myself some one that can cook and enjoys cooking and can normally knock something relatively decent out of random ingredients without having to follow a recipe of sorts.
SIMPLICITY
By choosing weekly or having a menu list pre-generated and supplied it can definitely cut down on the ' what shall I/We eat tonight ' never ending question. Its a bit like Ration packs in that sense - you get a supply of food for your main meals - you cook them as prescribed - job done.
COST
Costs between the different services do vary - Hello Fresh and Gousto do seem in the same ballpark and the Market leaders. I would have tried Planthood for longer but frankly they do appear to be quite pricey as its purely vegetarian.
If one was conventionally shopping there is always a danger of randomly picking items of shelves and popping into the shops many times during the week to 'pick a few things up' and end up over spending. And in the end not using the food you've potentially purchased.
It also limits/avoids the temptation to have a take away - my local small town has a Fish'n'Chip shop , Indian(s) , Chinese(s) , Pizza/Doner and even a KFC Knock off - and also a few pubs that do food. I honestly think having a subscription food service have helped limit submitting to the temptation as you do become accustomed to cooking what you've unpacked.
WASTE
So by having a set menu of set ingredients there is very little food waste. I did say Food waste. There is a reasonable amount of plastic waste as a lot of the more basic staple items come in individual smaller packages ( Tomato puree , Chicken Stock , Rice ) so thats a consideration.
The food tends to be delivered by courier in a large Cardboard box , kept chilled with little frozen ice bags and insulative wool outers. The inners tend to be paperbags -each annotated with a number corresponding to the Menu Number.
So the large Cardboard box , Wool bag , Smaller paper bags and Ice bags all need to be considered ref the waste aspect.
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
As mentioned each bag of food corresponds to a recipe sheet for that meal - the instructions are broken down into multiple steps but mostly follow a simple follow along plan. Its all well illustrated and instructions are 'just enough' to get by. Nutritional profile information also tend to be there and some suggestions for optional extras or ideas
So after trying them for a while what do I think?
Well I guess its somewhat subjective - I do consider myself relatively comfortable with food , cooking processes and 'tricks' so i'm trying to view and think of its application from a variety of perspectives.
Ingredients
Definitely provides an introduction to some more diverse ingredients - be that Bulgar wheat , Orzo or Green Lentils - which I'm sure we have all heard of but don't cook with in a stereotypical ( I'm possibly projecting ) UK diet. If your standard intake is a plate of beige - chips-fishfingers & beans ( not that I don't enjoy that myself ) then its going to be a bit of a pleasant introduction to other ingredients.
Composition
Most of the meals ( at least from Hello Fresh ) tends to focus around a staple carbohydrate ( Rice, Pasta, Potato ,Bulgar wheat ,) a lean protein ( Chicken , Mince Beef or Lamb , Fish ) and a Vegetable along with some spices/stock and some cheese or dairy.
A criticism could be there isn't more vegetables but again easily rectified with some frozen veg added.
Calories
Another potentially good thing with the set menu is that the calories via portion control are somewhat fixed. You cook what is in the bag , that is the calories. You can indeed add something to up the calories and bulk if you feel a need too and I've done that - turning a Two person meal into serving three people with a tin of staple chickpeas or lentils etc.
Calories can be let to control themselves or you can intervene - if you are following just the menu you are choosing to have set calories or you can bulk them out. I found this quite useful as typical of most guys I can certainly eat a plate clean without issue.
So potentially good for those that need a plan to limit their daily calories.
Learning to Cook
I do think these subscription services are a good choice for those that either want to learn to cook and learn how ingredients come together ( Sour-Sweet-Fat-Acid etc ) and the step by step follow along recipes and repetition allows this to be learnt in a baby steps manner.
As such I could see a pre-paid subscription a nice gift for a person whom has just left home , or lacks cooking skills but wants to learn. Or maybe just a person that doesn't want to think too much ( which I admit can be a relief ) about what too cook for tonights sustenance.
Very useful for learning different spices and seasoning and how certain foody things are made ( I'm often surprised how many people can't make a basic cheese sauce ) so here you can at least learn how to make learning cooking steps an incremental thing as opposed to a vertical intimidating wall of potential failure.
Menu Sheets.
As mentioned each baggy comes with a menu sheet - over time its very possible to see what you do like, discard what you don't like and build up a small library of menus and more importantly the required amount of ingredients you need to recreate those dishes.
These sheets once compiled the give you an exact idea of what one needs to shop for a week/fortnights/months shopping. Which can be useful.
Hello fresh
I liked Hello Fresh the best - One bag - all the items in the same bag and very much a 'onepot' cooking style , which can be good and bad , one pot cooking is quick and easy for cleaning and cooking but can lack textural variation.
Gousto - All food delivered in one box ( so less waste ) which I found a faff to separate out to its prerequisite elements which in the end annoyed me. Its a small thing but got too me. The cooking is more varied and probably higher end than Hello Fresh ( more spices and even more diverse ingredients ) - several pots used and different cooking techniques of ingredients which lead to long cooking times but a more varied plate of food. More time consuming than Hello Fresh in my opinion.
Planthood -- I wanted to try a vegetarian option for a while and the food ( whilst it and my wallet lasted ) was indeed interesting and tasty and no doubt nutritious. If I Could find a cheaper alternative I would try this route again just to experiment more with meat free food - not that I have any issue with meat consumption in general.
PERKS and DISCOUNTS
As with all businesses they are keen to retain your custom and patronage - and like Banks will only give you the good deals when you play them off against each other. If you stay long enough you'll be provided with options to introduce friends via a free week of food in exchange for their ( consenting ) email.
If you go to leave or use your an your partners emails like most things you can be rewarded with better rates and special offers and obviously if you take a break they will be keen to get you back and onboard.
Anyway - I just thought it maybe useful to someone if I shared my thoughts and if anyone wants any questions answered please do ask.
