Surprise, surprise: Meal delivery services saw a huge spike in popularity during the last two years due to the pandemic, as people tried to find ways to avoid food shopping in person while adhering to lockdown restrictions. Now as the world is slowly getting back to normalcy it seems meal delivery services are not going away any time soon, so it’s time to sit down and examine all the options available to you.
The good news: Meal delivery services have really upped their game in the last few years. Some services, such as Allplants, specialise in plant-based meals such as Rigatoni Bolognese made with minced mushroom, lentil and walnut ragu and sprinkled with an almond crumb. Then there are the meal delivery kits from Detox Kitchen, which will send you ready-made meals that require a quick blast in the oven or can just be dug into immediately – its quinoa salad, with roasted aubergine, peppers and capers, is a favourite.
Others will deliver a bespoke box full of raw ingredients straight to your door, accompanied by recipes for fantastically delicious dishes. This is the case with Gousto and Fresh Fitness Food, which will help take the meal prep off your hands to deliver daily recipes. So, whether it’s your maiden voyage into the world of Veganism, or you’re looking for a total detox, take a look at British Vogue’s picks of the best meal delivery services to try this year.
1/19
The Good Prep.
The Good Prep. is sure to help give you a health and fitness kick, as tailor made meal plans are created to help you achieve and maintain your chosen lifestyle. All you need to do is pick the plan that feels right for you along with the weekly meals and The Good Prep. will use delicious and fresh ingredients, to make sure healthy meals – that are ready in two minutes – are delivered straight to your door. For those in two minds about committing to a meal plan, there is also a two day taster available for £49.
2/19
Allplants
Allplants is an entirely plant-based food service, catering to vegan diets with its chef-made frozen meals. Going vegan this January doesn’t mean you need not eat amazing food, and with an array of different creamy pasta dishes, all dairy-free and with no added preservatives, this is the best bet for giving your new vegan lifestyle a kickstart.
3/19
HelloFresh
HelloFresh offers three plans: Classic, Vegetarian, and Family-Friendly, with all the plans including complete nutritional information. With Veganuary in full swing you can then set your meal preferences to cut out meat and seafood, instead getting options for some ingenious plant-based meal kits that feed between two and four people.
4/19
The Pure Package
Created by award-winning chefs and nutritionists, The Pure Package tailors the box you receive to your eating habits and health goals following a phone consultation or online survey. Using a science-based approach, your meals will arrive customised to your protein, carbohydrate and fat requirements – making it the ideal plan for anyone seeking to transform their health. Start with the introductory 3-Day Reset – 72 hours’ worth of portion-controlled breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.
5/19
Balance Box
Balance Box boasts ethically sourced dishes designed by health experts, so you can stay fuller for longer, keep down cravings, and boost endorphins. Choose between plans that have either 1,200 or 1,800 calories across three meals and two snacks a day. Nutritionally dense, with a minimum of 10 fruits and vegetables per box, your body will get everything it needs without skimping on portion size or flavour, meaning lunch options such as a smoked salmon and tomato ceviche salad and massaman chicken curries for dinner.
6/19
Abel & Cole
Abel & Cole is the healthy meal delivery service for organic food, as it delivers seasonal boxes on a regular basis to your door, making sure that the contents are fresh and well-sourced. There are fruit and vegetable boxes to choose from if you’re looking for something light as well as full recipe and smoothie boxes with menus that change every week. Even better: your chosen box is safely delivered to your door in sustainable and recyclable packaging.
7/19
Balance Meals
Balance Meals lets you pick from 6 different meal plans, allowing you to choose one that works best for your needs, activity level and schedule. There is the Trim & Slim, Maintain & Sustain, Grow & Gain, Balance Plan, Vegan and lastly the Two Day Tester plan, all made using only delicious, fresh ingredients, so you can taste the quality in every meal. So get your meal prep done even quicker with healthy meals, ready in two minutes, delivered straight to your door.
8/19
Gousto
With more than 50 different recipes to choose from every week across all dietary requirements, Gousto is one of the best “all rounder” meal delivery services. Along with the selection of meat, fish and vegetarian dishes, the service provides flavour-rich array of plant-based twists on some classic comfort food recipes, delivering the precise ingredients and easy-to-follow recipe cards directly to doors across the UK.
9/19
Fresh Fitness Food
The Fresh Fitness Food service is second to none when it comes to maintaining your fitness-led lifestyle. Start by speaking to its resident health expert to discuss your aims and goals, then expect daily bespoke meal plans tailor-made to your food preferences, with intolerances taken into consideration. The FFF pioneering food-tech app has also just been launched, which lets you log your daily delivered meals, as well as any other snacks, throughout the day to keep your fitness goals in check. Sync your smart watch to the app to collect real-time data so you can track your progress.
10/19
Detox Kitchen
Detox Kitchen offers a number of different food delivery packages, all designed to nourish, cleanse and detox the body. From plans that cut out wheat, dairy and refined sugar to snacks aimed at different calorie levels, there are plenty of delicious options within the Cleanse, Maintain and Flexi meal groups.
11/19
KBK
KBK takes away all the hard work and time of meal prep, with its carefully curated dietary plans. There is the Get Lean meal prep plan which provides you with the nutrition you need to meet your fitness goals, the vegan meal prep plan that offers all the variety you could want, with fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door. Then there is also the Soup Cleanse, perfect to detox your body and give your digestive system a break.
12/19
Mindful Chef
At Mindful Chef, each week there are 16 recipes to choose from, with meat, fish and plant-based options, all free from gluten, dairy and refined carbs. The thoughtful recipes and extensive ingredients are delivered straight to your door, with options to choose between 1, 2 and 4-person bundles.
13/19
Tyme
Tyme markets itself as the first ever plastic-free, plant-based fast food delivery service. You choose and personalise your weekly box from the innovative selection of meals on the menu – such as the Smoky Middle Eastern Jar and Sardinian Minestrone Soup – and Tyme then creates your ready-to-eat meals from scratch, with the help of chefs and nutritionists, and delivers them straight to your door.
14/19
Wild Radish
The Wild Radish subscription boxes are delivered every fortnight, full of all the fresh, unprepared ingredients you need to cook a main meal for 2 from scratch. Every 2 weeks there’s a new meat, fish and vegetarian recipe, each created by a different chef, so you’re sure to have something new to tickle your taste buds. You can also choose to get an expertly paired bottle of wine with your box, and they’ll also send you something savoury for before your meal, and petit fours and speciality tea for after.
15/19
Planty
Planty’s ethos is all about creating food that is both good for you and the planet and with a 100 per cent plant based menu, Planty has chefs prepare glorious meals frozen and delivered straight to you. First, personalise your one-off or subscription box with 6, 8, or ten healthy plant-based meals – our favourite is the Mac ‘no’ Cheese –, the chefs then use the freshest ingredients to cook your meals, which they then flash-freeze and once delivered all you have to do pop in the oven or microwave and enjoy.
16/19
Love Yourself
Delivering food prepared by a Michelin-trained chef straight to your door, Love Yourself’s plans consist of three meals and two snacks a day, with vegetarian, keto, dairy-free, performance, and halal options available.
17/19
Potage
Potage is all about fresh, balanced meals that still feel comforting. Choose portion sizes – there are options for both one or two people – then pick your mains and sides, which range from pork and fennel meatballs to smoky quinoa chilli.
18/19
Green Chef
With five diet options to choose from, Green Chef is the perfect start to your new healthy lifestyle. Receive quality ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes, from keto, lower carb, flexitarian, vegan and vegetarian options that keep the portion size and calories in line with your health goals.
19/19
COOK
From vegetarian curry dishes including classics of Thai and Indian cuisine to the dairy-free Moroccan Spiced Lamb Tagine, COOK caters to all dietary requirements and makes sure all food looks and tastes homemade.
