When I was younger, despite being a picky eater, I used to love cooking. Now though, I just cannot be bothered! I want something quick and easy whilst still maintaining an acceptable level of nutrition, whilst ALSO being vegetarian. It’s a tough challenge that I usually leave to Mum or Tom! However, when I got offered the chance to try out a Gousto box*, I decided to man up and take over the cooking reins for a change!

The thing I liked the most about the whole Gousto ordering process was just how easy and straight forward it was! After signing up you simply decide how many people you are wanting to cater for (either 2 or 4) and how many meals you would like to order. I went for the 2 meals for 2 people option to give Tom and I two meals that were all ready to go. Gousto separates the recipes out to make it easy for you to find something that’s suitable. The tabs include vegetarian, low calorie and even family-friendly to ensure you pick something that’s going to be a good fit!

I chose two vegetarian meals but I do think some of the meat meals could be adapted to suit both of us as I don’t mind separating portions out last minute or just popping the meat to one side for Tom. The week I ordered, two meals really jumped out at me: the Aubergine Parmigiana and the Four Veg Ratatouille Lasagne! As I’m writing this I’ve already made the Parmigiana but the Lasagne is still to come!

The box is scheduled to arrive any time before 5pm on the day you order it so it will always be in time for dinner! Mine arrived before midday which was great but don’t worry if you are out, you schedule arrangements for your box prior to delivery and you select the day too so you know when it’s going to appear. The boxes are also okay out of the fridge for up to 24hours due to the ice backs and insulation inside the box! The use recyclable ice packs and bags of sheep wool to keep the chilled ingredients cold! At 7pm when I started cooking, the ice was only half melted which was pretty impressive! I’m not going to lie, I got quite excited when the box arrived and rushed to open it to see all the goodies inside! I can honestly say that the veg was some of the freshest and most perfect looking veg I have seen in years! It was like they had just been harvested! Both my recipes were actually Italian as we love Italian food but the ‘store cupboard produce’ like the tinned tomatoes looked incredible quality (and later proved to taste incredible too)! Gousto had even popped in a wooden spoon which I thought was one of the cutest touches and I’m banning anyone from using it so it still looks perfect when I move out and add it to my own kitchen! 

Each recipe is printed on a card with step by step instructions and even pictures to guide you through it! This was something I found to be really useful as I often get a bit paranoid that what I’m making isn’t quite what the recipe is asking for! One thing I will point out is that the times printed on the cards are quite unrealistic. The aubergine parmigiana was meant to only take 35 minutes from start to finish but 10minutes in and I was still on step one! From opening the box to sitting down to eat it took me just over an hour, still not an unreasonable length of time in my opinion but it’s just something to be aware of, particularly if the recipes have slightly longer times on them!

I have to say the recipe was easy to follow and the portion size for two people was actually pretty spot on! Tom is a big eater and I eat slightly under a normal person I would say and we had a tiny bit left after we were both full. There are only minimal ingredients that are not included such as olive oil, something I didn’t realise though and had to improvise at one point making my ‘pesto’ with butter instead. Not a disaster but definitely not what the chef had intended the pesto to look like! As someone that rarely graces the kitchen other than to open cupboards and ask mum what’s for dinner, I found the whole process really enjoyable and had Tom not been breathing down my neck the whole time desperate for food, I would have been quite relaxed! I can definitely see us using this service in the future as it would be hard to buy all the ingredients for such interesting recipes for much less than £27.49. We often end up spending a similar amount in Marks & Spencers just buying bits to chuck in the oven. It also takes a lot of the hassle out of food shopping and meal planning which I like and ends up preventing some of that panic last minute buying of pizzas and garlic bread that often happens to us. I don’t think I could be bothered to cook weekly as I often come in after 7pm, but I could definitely see us buying these once a month to try some new things.

If you fancy trying Gousto out for yourselves then I have a code where your first AND second boxes could cost as little as £7.49 each! If you want a bigger box than 2 meals for 2 people (or 1 meal for 4 people) then it will cost a little more but the code takes £20 off the price of each box regardless, just input TORNADO at the checkout! There are so many amazing sounding recipes so let me know which ones you chose if you do try it out, they change weekly so if there’s not something you fancy this week then hang on till next week and check it out again! One final thing to note is just how easy it is to alter your delivery schedule, cancel your subscription or to just order one off boxes rather than subscribe. I like it when a company is transparent and Gousto is definitely that! There’s no hidden catches and no tie-ins, it’s just out to be as easy and beneficial as possible! I am planning to purchase one off boxes as we are always busy and always seem to be eating out or on the go so this will definitely fit in better for our lifestyle!

Have you tried Gousto before? What do you think of the concept?

Much Love

xoxo

*I was sent this box free to try but all opinions remain my own. I was genuinely intrigued to see if a kitchen hater like me could be converted and I really enjoyed trialling this out!