A friend of mine recently gifted me a free box of food from one of those companies that sends you the recipes and all the ingredients you need to cook them.
My husband and I carried in the box that was delivered and couldn't believe what was in it. Unpacking it, we felt like kids undoing a Christmas sack.
We decided to cook the meals together and it's been such fun that we've paid for a few more boxes since. The food has been great and we've learned how to cook things in different ways. One of the best things is that we now realise that vegetables don't have to be boring! We have both cleared our plates every time.
I won't give the name of the company here as I think that might be seen as advertising and might get kicked off, but if anyone would like to know more, I'm happy to answer a PM.
The meals aren't cheap but my 'thrifty' husband said, 'Think how much a meal like that would cost in a restaurant!' and happily agreed we should buy more.
You sign up to a subscription but you can stop at any time, or take a break from having a box delivered. They suggest meals for you, but you can choose different ones from the whole menu.
I haven't felt this enthusiastic about cooking for a long time. It feels a bit like going to cookery classes, but without an actual teacher. After 52 years of marriage, we were both getting very bored with my repertoire, so I think we'll do the boxes for a little bit longer to pick up some more ideas, and then we'll go it alone, adding some new things to the normal boring stuff!
xx Moy
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MoyB
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My daughter and son in law got them for a while. They both had high powered jobs with long hours so they were brilliant. All 'Fresh' ingredients & usually organic, little packs of sauces, spices and herbs, fish or meat and the recipe card to use again. They both learned to cook good tasty food together in the process. Best of all, no waste at all and they stretched to feed three if I was visiting 😋.
I used these food boxes to encourage/teach my youngest daughter to cook. It was great fun. It also encouraged her to try out different foods. I still order them occasionally when I run out of enthusiasm and inspiration for cooking.
I've now 'gifted' a box to our daughter-in-law so that they can enjoy a treat. Our granddaughters (14 and 17) love cooking and can't wait to get the goodies! xx Moy
That all sounds really good Moy. I’ve always been put off by the price but if as you say the meals are not run of the mill and restaurant quality then that makes a big difference 😃 x
As with all things, you have to pick and choose. I think the veggie meals would give less value for money than the fish or meat meals, but if the veggies they include are high end ones, then perhaps not.
We've had beautiful trout, salmon, sirloin steaks, rump steaks, pork tenderloin, chicken etc - all good sized pieces and good quality.
The only thing you have to watch is the use by dates. Obviously, being all fresh food, some of the things will have a short shelf life and you need to know you'll be able to eat them within the date. I check my diary first to make sure we have a few clear days to cook and then order.
Some of the meat and fish says it can be frozen, but the chicken doesn't say if it can or can't be. That probably means it would be ok, but I prefer to get it cooked within the dates given instead.
I don’t eat meat , hubby does but we both love fish so I’m seriously considering giving it ago - as you said after 50 years of marriage the menu does tend to get a bit boring .
We’ve had a few months of boxes of complete meals to prepare. The recipes were lovely but I had to stop because, although each meal only takes about half an hour to prepare and cook, I also have rheumatoid arthritis, standing for that length of time became impossible.
I must admit, some of them are a bit of a fiddle and take a lot longer to prepare than my speedy stand by ie oven chips, BirdsEye chicken in breadcrumbs and baked beans, all cooked together in the oven!
I don't have rheumatoid arthritis but still have periods of time when I find it much harder to stand and, also, my hands play up and I find chopping and cutting very difficult then. But at the moment, things are ok, so I'm making the most of it.
Some of the things I've learned are, for example: you can roast beetroot (the ones you get ready cooked in a vacuum pack), French beans, kale, courgettes, potato wedges, broccoli, radishes and carrots. This has opened my eyes completely to the art of cooking tasty veg! And it means I don't have to worry about having a pot boiling at the same time.
One thing we cooked this week had cauliflower cheese as a veg. The cauli was cooked for about 7 minutes, put into a dish and coated with creme fraiche, topped with grated cheese and put in the oven. It was beautiful and so much easier than messing about with a cheese sauce.
I'll definitely pinch some of their ideas, but probably won't keep the boxes coming for ever as they do cost more. than a normal supermarket shop - but it will be fun for a while!
The cauliflower cheese sounds amazing. I’ll definitely take that one. One thing I’m still doing is cooking vegetables in their skins, because cutting and peeling veg were difficult for me. I always buy prepared veg and frozen peppers and onions.
Do you ever get the frozen Mediterranean veg? Just throw that into a dish or tray and roast it - I haven't done it for a while so don't remember if it needs oil or on it. The hardest part is opening the bag! 🤣Xx Moy
I don't usually like beetroot unless it's pickled, but I must say, I enjoyed it roasted. It's already cooked so it doesn't need long in the oven. xx Moy
would you mind doing a post with a few of your favourites? Cheap, cheerful and tasty is just what I’m looking for. I expect lots of others would be interested too!
I certainly have! My mum was a very plain cook and wouldn't have anything to do with things she called 'new fangled'. I didn't have cookery lessons at school either, so I have never been very adventurous with food, although I used to try new recipes quite often, only to have the family turn their noses up, so in the end I gave up.
It's brilliant to see my husband enjoying sharing the cooking and eating things he wouldn't normally try.
We haven't had a box delivered this week as have been out too much, but I can't wait for the next one to arrive on Wednesday! I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas! 🤣 xx Moy
I got married at 18 so left home early and couldn't boil an egg lol but enjoyed the food when living in Hong Kong and then moved to Germany so became quite adventurous at a young age. Its funny but my mum was a meat and two veg kind of person but soon adapted and loved our food. Keep on cooking Moy you are both enjoying it so much x
Hi MoyB, funny you should mention these food boxes as my grandson cooked a birthday meal for my hubby and I this week from such box. It was delicious salmon, sauté potatoes and a lovely sauce. We are tempted to give it a try. Best wishes and happy cooking Marlbee.
If you want to give it a try without breaking the bank, the one we're with will do a first box of 4 meals for 2 people for £10! PM me if you want the name. xx Moy
I’m desperate for the name of this company but can’t send you a message, there’s something wrong with my account which HU haven’t sorted yet. Could you give me a hint here eg first and last letters with asterisks between? Thank you MoyB!
Sounds delicious, but I'm afraid my cooking has degenerated to being whatever is quick and easy, and will actually keep us alive. The recent moussaka was an exception. xxx
My cooking has been pretty much on the same level as yours, but the boxes are giving me a boost! I don't mind admitting that I'm at the top of my game at the moment and keeping my fingers crossed things stay that way. However, if I get an infection that lays me low for months again I'll be back to hauling the Wiltshire dinners out of the freezer!
I to use on of these companies and it has been amazing. I could never cook or even decide what to eat. It has taken the stress out of the evening meal. No food goes to waste. It's Fab.
We didn't have box delivered last week as we were out almost every day, but we have another one coming on Wednesday and I'm SO looking forward to it! I expect the novelty will wear off eventually but for now, it's great fun to cook and very tasty to eat!
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