Cook with Gousto!

I have been mentioning Gousto meals quite a lot on Twitter so thought it was about time I told you all about them, in case you’re not already familiar with them.

I must admit, I had never heard of them until I went to the Foodies Festival in Birmingham a couple of months ago. After having a lovely chat with them we decided to give them a try. Confession time… there was a brilliant introductory offer at the Festival and if I’m honest we thought we’d just make the most of the offer and then cancel. I know, I’m ashamed, but that was the plan. We didn’t bargain for how delicious they would be though, and so needless to say, we haven’t cancelled and have no intention of doing so either 🙂

Here’s a rundown of how it works and what you get. Gousto lists 10 meals every week, including vegetarian dishes, and you choose which ones you want to try. You can choose 2 to 4 meals per box and for either 2 or 4 people. You can choose which day you want your box delivered, and you can even skip some boxes if you go on holiday, as long as you give them 3 days’ notice. There is no commitment to buy, no subscription fee, you can choose how regularly you want to receive your boxes, and you can cancel at any time. (Highly doubtful once you’ve tasted the meals though!!!)

I had seen another company who offers a similar service and noticed they only send some of the ingredients, leaving you to provide the fresh parts like meat and vegetables. Gousto is different. They send everything you need to prepare these gorgeous meals, and delivery is free! You might have to use a spoonful of your own cooking oil but that’s something everyone has anyway. When you receive your first box you will receive a lovely binder to keep all the recipe cards in. Every box then contains the recipe cards for the meals you have chosen, with really easy to follow instructions and pictures so you know you’re doing it right! The box is divided into 2 sections inside. One side has all the dry ingredients such as spices and rice, fruit, vegetables, and ingredients that can be stored at room temperature like soy sauce, balsamic vinegar etc. The other side has a fantastic bag insulated with wool and lots of ice packs, and that is where you’ll find the fresh meat and ingredients that need to be chilled such as natural yoghurt, pomegranate molasses etc. The ice is always still solid when the box arrives, that’s how brilliant the wool is at keeping everything cold! Everything is clearly labelled so you know exactly what it all is. The meat comes directly from a British farm, and most of the vegetables are organic.

The portions are very generous. We have 3 meals for 2 people but there is enough provided for our son to have too if he wants to eat the same. I love the fact it encourages you to try meals you might not normally cook. Would I have ever cooked pomegranate glazed lamb kofta with toasted pine nuts and couscous? Probably not. But I did with Gousto and now I have the recipe card I definitely will again. That’s another bonus of receiving these meals…. even though all the ingredients are delivered already weighed out, the recipe cards give you the amounts so you can make any meal again yourself knowing exactly how much of each ingredient you need. In fact I’ve done exactly that with a couple of the recipes. The Chinese Pork Rice, for example, using all the ingredients in the top picture, was so amazingly delicious that I’ve made it a couple of times now. The food is honestly restaurant standard, but you’d pay at least double the price if you were to find these meals in a restaurant.

I really can’t praise this service enough. I’d definitely recommend everyone to try it. I can guarantee you’ll be just as happy to discover them as I am. If you want to give them a try, I’ve got a little treat for you. Normally you get a £15 discount to use on your first box, but if you sign up by clicking on this link

GOUSTO DISCOUNT

you get an extra special discount of £20 off your first box instead 🙂

If you do decide to give them a try, let me know what you think, and which meals you particularly liked so I know which ones to try myself in future boxes!

DISCLAIMER. Gousto have no idea I am writing this blog review and haven’t asked me to. The views expressed are my own personal opinions of the meals.