When HelloFresh got in touch and asked if I’d like to cook up a storm  with one of their big juicy family boxes, I jumped at the chance.

I love the concept and the fact that the whole company started from just a few bags of groceries being hand delivered to ten supportive family and friends growing rapidly to the popular UK-wide service it is today. The Head Chef and dish delish founder Patrick puts his heart & soul into the brand.

I’ve always fancied having a carefully selected box of fresh produce delivered to my door, all packed and ready with step by step instructions on how to create a wholesome, yummy meal for all four of us in a neat package, but I’ve mainly been put off by the price. Not really sure how economical it would be, I never took the plunge and continued with my weekly Aldi shop and a bit of Tesco and M&S to top up – we all do this where possible, right?

But it turns out this is all about perception, as when HelloFresh goes head to head with Tesco for a breakdown of price per meal, HF is streets ahead at £4.90 with Tesco coming in at £6.55 – according to a comparison carried out by The Times newspaper. I reckon the key is that HelloFresh send you the quantities you need for every part of the dish, as opposed to having to buy fresh herbs and whole jars of spices. Half full and out of date random stuff cramming your cupboards? Yup, me too!

I was working from home on the designated delivery day, up to my eyes in blog admin, hadn’t left a thing out for dinner and the drop couldn’t have come at a better time. However, if you are out, ‘magic’ packaging means the deliveries can be left until your return, still fresh as a daisy.

Absolutely choc full of mouthwatering goodies, I was so surprised to find the level of quality and variety in there. Regular subscribers have the option to customise their boxes, but as a cynical new user, the culinary combo inside was a complete revelation to me.

Some of the items I’d never heard of, but I was certainly excited to explore them. The recipe cards made it easy to navigate which ingredient should go in which meal. Every vegetable was shiny and bursting with goodness, not a bruise or a bump in sight. Cant say the same when I grab them from the supermarket! I could not believe the quality of the meat included for the price though, that’s what took me aback most.

Steak, chicken, sausages, bacon and all from prime grocers – even Royal favourite suppliers!                     Lah-dee-dah! HF are really spoiling us!

So, with everything literally laid out for me, I felt bold and decided to get the kids involved as I opted to try the Sicilian Caponata with Herbed Pork and Garlic Ciabatta. The plan was a departure from tradition for me – who else skins the world’s longest sausage and cooks the meat within, as a twist on an old classic? No? Me neither!

Anti-bac’d to the hilt, Harry got stuck in with the roasted veg, chopping, mixing it up and adding the olive oil whilst I got on with the handling the hot stuff. It was Harry’s aubergine debut, I’m not very adventurous when it comes to expanding my vegetable repertoire so it was an education for us both.

We soon had a feast bubbling away and the smell filling the kitchen had my mouth watering. Dominic wandered in, had a look and gave us an ‘eurgh’ but we carried on regardless. Nothing new there with Mr. Picky! He was happier playing with the big box it all came in!

Cooking complete, we dished it up and had a taste. I thoroughly enjoyed it with H not being quite so convinced. At least he tried it, but he was soon sifting through the other recipe cards, planning a sibling friendly chicken chow mein for the following night – which was promptly devoured by both – tick! Our dish created a large quantity and the helping I’d put aside for the hubby coming home later went down a treat,as did the one I froze for a quick tea another time. I’d say it would have fed a family of 5 quite easily.

So, will I try HelloFresh again? Absolutely! It’s ideal for busy families, actually is purse-friendly and makes me happy that I’m doing that little bit better in the kitchen, pushing out of my rotating meal rut. There is no contract so I won’t be tied in so if I find it’s not working for us as a family, it’s gone. Works for me!

Have you tried HelloFresh or similar food sub boxes? Let me know how they compare!

*We were gifted a family food box in return for a frank review