RUNAWAY grocery prices have been causing pain at the checkout.
Food price inflation hit its highest rate for 45 years in March and has remained above 19 per cent since then.
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That means a trolley of groceries that cost £100 a year ago, would now set you back almost £120.
Planning meals and shopping for only what you need is a way to cut your bills, but it’s time-consuming.
Recipe boxes take the hassle out of meal planning. They also cut food waste as they deliver just the right amount of each ingredient.
But are they good value for money compared to buying at the supermarket?
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Here Lynsey Hope puts four popular recipe boxes to the test . . .
- Meal costs based on two people. Ingredient prices are what you’d pay items at supermarkets as they are sold, eg. a jar of spice. Therefore cost is much cheaper when you make the meal again because you already have leftover ingredients.
Gousto
Southern fried chicken
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Gousto cost: £5.98 (plus delivery)
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Supermarket cost: £10.97
Ingredient prices if buying yourself: Garlic 24p, 3 potatoes 68p, 1 carrot 5p, white cabbage 80p, chicken thigh fillets (320g) £2.90, chicken stock 90p, beef stock 90p, mayo £1.20, chicken fry mix £3.
COST: From £22.99 for minimum order of two meals for two people, plus £3.99 for delivery. Meals get cheaper the more you order.
INTRO OFFER: Get 60 per cent off your first box and 25 per cent off for the first two months.
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LYNSEY says: “Gousto was my favourite of all the boxes I tried. It had the widest variety of meals on offer including Thai, Mexican, Indian and Italian, plus plenty of vegan and veggie options. The hardest bit was limiting myself to just a few.
“There were loads of appetising choices and everything we tried went down a storm.
"The instructions were easy to follow and I was chuffed that the result looked pretty much like the photo on the recipe card. We enjoyed the southern fried chicken so much I’m adding it to our weekly meals.
"It felt like a meal you’d eat at a restaurant, like a posher and healthier KFC.
“The chicken thigh meat was juicy and the gravy was incredibly moreish. The portion sizes were generous too.
“I often feel like I’m in a rut for ideas at supper times so Gousto was fantastic for inspiration and a time saver for meal planning. I did fewer mid-week dashes to the convenience store because I had everything I needed in the fridge.
“It’s also flexible, you can cancel boxes up to three days before delivery.”
Choice: 10, Ease: 10, Value: 9, Total Score: 10 - Best all rounder.
Green Chef
Low-carb baked chicken on a bed of creamy feta and tomatoes
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Green Chef cost: From £11.88 (plus delivery)
Supermarket cost: £11.74
Ingredient prices if buying yourself: Garlic 24p, large tomato 75p, chilli flakes £1.25, feta £1.75, chicken breasts (300g) £2.50, dried basil £1.10, sliced butternut squash £1.25, chermoula spice paste £1.70, baby leaf salad £1.20.
COST: From £31.50 for minimum order of two meals for two people plus £4.99 for delivery. Meals get cheaper the more you order.
INTRO OFFER: 40 per cent off the first box and 25 per cent off the next four with free delivery.
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LYNSEY says: “If you’re trying to stick to a particular diet, Green Chef might well be the box for you.
“You can choose from six key options, keto, low carb, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian or, if you want a nice mixed diet, flexitarian.
“But none of the diets are suitable if you need gluten-free recipes and I found the options less enticing than some other boxes.
“Each recipe card was simple to follow. The estimated cooking times were accurate too.
"The baked chicken made for a satisfying dinner even though it was low in carbs. Plus it was simple to make and the fact the butternut squash came diced saved me a job.
“But it is more expensive than some of the other boxes.”
Choice: 6, Ease: 6, Value: 5, Total Score: 6 - Best for healthy eating.
SimplyCook
Lamb kofta flatbreads
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SimplyCook cost: £9.94 (inc. fresh items)
Supermarket cost: £15.13
Ingredient prices if buying yourself: Lamb mince (250g) £3.20, cucumber 79p, Greek yoghurt £1.10, six mini flatbreads £1.50, baby gem lettuce 85p, pomegranate molasses £2.65, Cazik paste and kofte spice blend not sold in-store – replace with mixed herbs £1.10, dill £1.10, garlic 24p and Baharat (Middle Eastern mix) £2.60.
COST: £2.50 a week for minimum order of one meal for two people, but you need to buy all fresh ingredients. Delivery free.
INTRO OFFER: Get firt box for £1 at simplycook.com/try
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LYNSEY says: “SimplyCook is a letterbox-sized delivery.
"It sends recipe kits, each made up of three pots, which are spice mixes and sauces for your dishes.
"The downside is you still need to shop for all the fresh ingredients.
“There’s a good mix of dishes to choose from around the world.
"It also has options including gluten-free and veggie recipes. It was great to try new foreign flavours without buying ingredients that go to waste.
"The lamb kofta recipe came with pomegranate molasses which I’d end up leaving in the fridge and throwing half away if I bought a whole bottle.
“It only took about 25 minutes to cook and some of the spices weren’t ones that I’d usually have in the cupboard.
“And I liked that you can try your first box for the £1 delivery fee so it’s well worth trying.”
Choice: 8, Ease: 7, Value: 8, Total Score: 7 - Best for new cuisines.
HelloFresh
Superfast Thai-inspired pork noodles
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HelloFresh cost: £6.30 (plus delivery)
Supermarket cost: £10.25
Ingredient prices if buying yourself: Egg noodles £1.15, pork mince £3, 1 lime 24p, honey 75p, 1 green pepper 60p, Thai spice seasoning £1.86, kicap manis sauce £2, soy sauce 65p.
COST: From £28.99 for minimum order of three meals for two people, plus £4.99 delivery. Meals get cheaper the more you order.
INTRO OFFER: 60 per cent off your first box and 25 per cent off the next eight boxes.
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LYNSEY says: “There’s a good variety of recipes including its rapid range, which only take 20 minutes.
“The Thai-inspired noodles were one of the quickest and easiest dishes I made in the course of the experiment and we loved the flavour.
“My only complaint was that the honey was missing from the box. Luckily, I had some in the cupboard.
“HelloFresh changes its range of recipes weekly, so there’s always a good choice of new ones to try.
“But there weren’t as many veggie options as in some of the other boxes I tried so if you’re on a special diet this one might not be for you.
“I was impressed by the flexibility of the subscription as you don’t have to sign up for a box every week, you could have just one a month if you prefer.
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“You do need to check best before dates as some of the food we received went out of date in a few days.”
Choice: 9, Ease: 10, Value: 9, Total Score: 9 - Best for speedy cooking.
