Food delivery services have become very popular over the years, with Gousto and Hello Fresh leading the pack, but there are plenty of others to choose from, and many cater to different budgets and food intolerances.
All of these meal services - either the ready-to-cook ones or the ready-to-eat ones - can be a quick and convenient alternative to going to the local supermarket, shopping for supplies and then having to create a dish yourself. Plus, they can often save money in the long run - especially if you're someone who tends to waste a lot of fresh food.
A meal delivery service can save time and energy, and they're a great way to try new dishes. Plus, they can be a great option if you're cooking for one or planning meals for your whole family.
Amy Knight, personal finance writer and spokesperson at Nerdwallet UK, thinks they're great for saving some pennies as well. She told us: “Meal delivery services such as Hello Fresh and Mindful Chef give new users a discount for their first purchase. Sharing meal prep service referral codes with family and friends can earn you further discounts. Once your free trial or discount period is over, remember to check the dates you need to cancel your subscription by, to avoid having to pay full price."
Keep scrolling to see our pick of the best meal delivery kits and boxes...
How we chose the best meal kits
- Testimonials: A lot of these websites feature testimonials from customers; some, good and some bad. We read though lots of verdicts to come to a conclusion. Some have also been tried by HELLO! staff members and family and friends.
- Cost-per-meal: With the cost of living on everyone's mind, no one wants to spend a huge amount of money on a meal delivery service and all of these suggestions are either affordable cost-per-meal OR there's a special deal on in order to save money.
- Flexibility: No one wants to be tied to a subscription service without any flexibility, so we ensured all those listed could be cancelled at any time.
If you're looking for a new year re-set, you might be after a roundup of the best juice cleanses to try.
If you're looking for gift hampers to send as a special gift to the foodie in your life, you might want to check out our edit of the best chocolate hampers, cocktail hampers or the most delicious afternoon tea hampers.
1/8
Gousto
HelloFresh: Best For Busy People
Why We Rate It
- Time saver
- Value for money
- Cutting food waste
- Family friendly
- Healthy options
With a variety of different options for different needs, HelloFresh is one of the UK’s leading meal delivery services and is currently serving all of the UK. Try the Family Box to create fuss-free dinners, the Rapid Box for meals that take under 20 minutes, or the single person meal delivery.
Get 60% off 1st box, 20% off for 2 months and free treats for life. Use code SN-VXKY4.
2/8
Gousto
Gousto: Best For Families
Why We Rate It
- 75+ recipes to choose from every week
- Affordable offers throughout the year
- Pre-measured ingredients ensuring minimal food waste
- Family friendly
- Healthy options
- Easy-to-use recipe cards
The Gousto menu offers over 75+ recipes to choose from on a weekly basis, including some of Joe Wicks' Lean in 15 recipes. And it can cost as little as £2.99 per serving!
Get 60% off you first box and if you like it you can get 30% off all other boxes you order in your first month.
3/8
Mindful Chef
Mindful Chef: Best For A Reset
Why We Rate It
- Time saver
- Deliciously Ella collaboration
- Flexible membership; skip or cancel anytime
- 20 recipes to choose from each week
- Value for money
- Cutting food waste
- Family friendly
- Healthy options: No refined carbs, no gluten ingredients and the best proteins
Founded in 2015 by three Devon school friends Giles, Myles and Rob, the brand’s mission is to make healthy and sustainable eating easy through its range of options to suit all occasions; all of which are gluten and dairy free. Mindful Chef offers a range of vegan, fish and meat recipes, ensuring that all needs are catered for.
You can get 25% off your first four recipe boxes.
4/8
Planty
Planty: Best For Vegans
Why We Rate It
- Health focused
- Excellent options for plant-based
- Time saving
- Value for money
- Cutting food waste
- Eco-friendly: Recycle, compost, or return the packaging to them for free
- Sides and dessert options
- Family friendly
Looking for plant-based meals? Planty customers simply build their own box with either 6 to 12 plant-based meals which can be delivered to your door on your chosen delivery date. Add more meals to get cheaper prices.
All meals are fresh-frozen, so all you need is an oven or microwave to reheat it and dinner is served! Choose from dishes such as Mac ‘no’ Cheese, BBQ Banana Blossom Burrito and Wild Mushroom & Truffle Rigatoni.
Order now, from £5.65 per meal. Choose 6 to 12 meals, plus up to 12 extras. Add more meals to get the best price.
5/8
Green Chef
Green Chef: Best For Busy People
Why We Rate It
- Health focused: Keto, Lower Carb, Flexitarian, Vegan, Pescatarian & Vegetarian options
- Time saving
- Value for money
- Works with small-scale suppliers
- Cutting food waste
- Family friendly
- Flexible subscription model
UK’s best healthy recipe box service catering to six different dietary preferences – vegan, veggie, pescatarian, keto, flexitarian and lower carb. All recipes are designed by Registered Nutritionist and Head Chef Anna Tebbs. Boxes start from £28.50 for 2 meals for four people.
And what's particularly handy is the flexible subscriptions, which mean you can skip a delivery if you have other plans!
Enjoy a total of £66 OFF throughout your first 5 boxes.
6/8
The Good Prep
The Good Prep: Best For Fresh Ready Meals
Why We Rate It
- Health focused meals with snacks, juices and sides available
- Time saving
- Fresh means - never frozen
- 100% recyclable packaging
- Value for money
- Good extras available
- Cutting food waste
- Recommended by athletes
- Family friendly
The Good Prep helps you to stay on track with your health and fitness goals. Choose from several plans including Trim & Slim, Maintain & Sustain and Grow & Gain. Meals are delivered weekly and also come with optional snacks and detox juices.
A three-day plan starts at £66.50 and a five-day plan is £119.
7/8
Cutter & Squidge
Cutter & Squidge: Best For Dessert Fans
Why We Rate It
- Celebratory treats
- Time saving
- Value for money
- Vegan and wheat-free options
- Gift worthy
- Great for sharing
Cutter & Squidge is a family-run, all natural bakery created by two food obsessed sisters! Order cakes, biscuits, brownies and even afternoon tea hampers. There are also vegan and wheat-free options available.
You can order your freshly made cakes and biskies up to 60 days ahead, and as little as ordering by 4pm the day before (2pm on Sundays for nationwide delivery) for next day delivery.
8/8
La Tua Pasta
La Tua Pasta: Best For Date Night
Why We Rate It
- High quality ingredients
- Award-winning
- Restaurant quality dishes
- Reasonably priced
We all need a little bit of love at the moment, and the team at La Tua Pasta don’t think that romance should be reserved for just one day of the year. So, to celebrate February + mark San Valentino (Valentine’s Day) they’ve created limited edition heart-shaped pasta with their most popular fillings, making it really easy to put together a special dinner in no time at all.
The selection of heart-shaped pasta packs (250g, serving 1 -2), can be bought individually (from £7), or paired to create the perfect dish with accompaniments including sage butter or spicy tomato sauce, depending on which pasta-filling you choose.
