Top 10 meal kits and recipe boxes - save time and money on your meals

We're a busy society. When we get home from work, getting the pots and pans out and pre-heating the oven really is the last thing we want to be thinking about. It's easy to fall into the takeaway trap.

And then there's the hassle of buying in all the ingredients. Weekly food shops are a weekend chore we could do without, and doing battle with the checkout queues takes up precious time that could be better spent socialising.

It's little wonder, then, that recipe boxes and meal kits have become so popular. We all know how important it is to eat healthily, and we know how much better we feel when we do, but any way we can take the work out of meal prep is worth investing in.

Paying for deliveries - whether it's of a selection of ingredients, or ready-made meals, is also a great motivator. It's another reason not to fall into the comfort zone of turning to fast food to quell our hunger.

Here, in no particular order, are 10 of the most popular meal kit and recipe box deals online right now, with the reasons you should or shouldn't give them a try.

1. Hello Fresh

Ingredients packs from £2.50 per portion - find out more here

Hello Fresh offers over 44 new recipes every week, and there’s a massive library on its app to give you plenty of choice.

When you start a subscription, you choose how many meals per week you’d like to cook, the ingredients are sent to you, and away you go.

You can choose sides, lunches, and brunches, and there’s an offer on at the moment throwing in free dessert for life.

2. Gousto

Ingredients packs from £2.99 per meal - find out more here

As with most subscriptions for ingredients packs, Gousto’s portions become cheaper the more often you order them. The packs are sent with simple recipe cards, there’s an accompanying app, and some of the meals they send can be knocked up in 10 minutes.

Gousto’s current introductory offer gives you 50% off your first box, and more discounts on future boxes for two months.

3. Riverford Organic Farmers

Recipe boxes from £14.75 (for two servings), recipe kits from £5.95 - find out more here

Riverford approaches the world of ingredients kits differently. Everything you get sent is not only fresh and organic, it’s seasonal and responsibly sourced.

Because of the seasonality of the portions, deliveries are done on set schedules, depending on your area, and it’s much more like dealing directly with a farm.

Riverford also delivers organic fruit and veg boxes, meaning you won’t need to go out and search for quality produce in the greengrocers or the supermarket - it all just lands on your doorstep.

4. Simply Cook

Basic ingredients kits around £9.99 for four meals, and free taster pack - find out more here

Simply Cook is another company that does things rather differently. Instead of sending out meat, veg, and other aspects of the meal, you’ll get three small pots with all the herbs, spices, and sauces you need, along with ingredients cards, in a pack of four recipes.

This means it’s a cheap way to add flavour to your meals, and you’re free to source your own ingredients, at a price you’re comfortable with. What’s more, the packs fit through your letterbox.

The ingredients kits aren’t especially cheap, but there is an incredible introductory offer of a free taster pack - all you have to do is pay the £1 postage. That’s definitely worth a try.

Read our detailled, hands-on review here.

5. Mindful Chef

Recipe boxes from around £5 per portion and 25% off the first four boxes - find out more here

Mindful Chef places a lot of emphasis on healthy eating. They all do, but it’s very easy to find calorific content and nutritional values with this particular website. And it’s a great selection of recipes for people who like lighter foods.

The introductory offer is pretty good, although the boxes do cost a little more per portion already, so it’s just a decent little sweetener for new customers.

The recipes can be knocked together in anything from 15 minutes, Mindful Chef says, and they donate a meal to a child in poverty for every box sold. Which is nice.

6. Grubby

Meals from around £1.99 per serving, 25% off the first three boxes

Yes, “Grubby” is definitely the right name for this recipe box company. I did check. It’s a wholly plant-based firm, which has some really nice-looking recipes on its website.

It’s also relatively inexpensive, if you choose carefully, and especially if you buy plenty of boxes at a time. The introductory offer’s pretty good, too.

The website isn’t the easiest to navigate, and I couldn’t find any filters to help me choose, but there’s a lot to like about this firm, especially if you’re going meat-free.

7. Cook

Ready-made meals for one from £5.50 - find out more here

Cook is a company that provides proper, chef-made meals ready to be delivered and cooked from frozen. They’re ready meals, basically, but not as we normally see them.

These products have actually been around in shops and supermarkets for a while now, and they’re a great way of picking up quick, wholesome, healthy food without having to cook or do a pile of washing up.

The meals are pricey compared to supermarket ready meals, but that’s because of the care that goes into sourcing ingredients and striking the right nutritional balance. Online delivery options are for orders over £45, and you can save a bit of money with a subscription.

8. Green Chef

Meal kits with at least 25% off, depending on the order - find out more here

A company that offers a bit of everything if you’re choosy about your food. With Keto, flexitarian, vegan, pescatarian and vegetarian options, this is a one-stop-shop for the diet-conscious.

The website is easy to navigate, and there’s a nice selection of sides to add to your recipes, as well as diet plans that make it easy to follow a food diary.

Keep an eye out for promo codes on the website to save a bit more money as you shop. They do pop up from time to time.

9. Frive

Prepared meals, with three-day plans from £35 per week - find out more here

This is another company that prepares the meals for you. You just visit the website or the app, choose a meal from the menu, wait for the delivery, then heat it up and enjoy.

There’s a big emphasis on healthy eating here, so the meal plans are based around whole foods and nutrition, with a tailored approach to suiting and improving your eating habits.

As with all these services, the more you order, the more you save. This one isn’t cheap, but the meals look terrific - and who doesn’t love the luxury of not having to cook?

10. Prep Kitchen

Ready-made meals from £6.25 per portion - find out more here

This one’s all about weight loss and muscle gain, so you’ll find focused ready meals that will suit people with specific requirements. That said, they look lovely.

If you’re losing weight, you can load up a box with balanced or low-carb meals, and if you’re trying to gain muscle there are specific recipes for that too. They cost a little bit more.

Delivery is free, there’s a money-back guarantee, and it’s a nice, clean website. It’s another great way to have chef-prepared meals delivered to your door, although it is a tad pricey.