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There are a number of these "meal kits in a box" adverts on at the moment (especially as tomorrow is Valentine's Day)


I am highly amused that in the advert the family sit around a huge centre island dining area in their ginormous state of the art designer kitchen where they obviously never normally cook and the meal box is a revelation to them all....


If I had a kitchen like that I would be cooking 24*7 in it, not buying in meal boxes 🤔

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Yes, interesting. Guess some people have a show kitchen and don?t use it. Shame as there are lots of easy things to cook. Maybe people just need a break form thinking/planning/ shopping and prep.

We tried the food/menu boxes, they?re pretty good but we tend to make enough for left overs so wasn?t really ideal for our family.

Fair enough Spartacus...how many other situations is this sort of trope used in advertising I wonder?


The whitening toothpaste for someone already with gleaming white teeth?

The shampoo advert for the woman with already glorious hair?

The magical cleaning product for that already spotless showroom kitchen?

The food delivery service for someone with perfectly functioning legs?

I?ve had enough of my boring meals, I?m not creative and really not in the mood for looking up interesting recipes. Same goes for takeaways, just end up getting the same but don?t get them often anyway.? So for that reason, I?m going to give one of the meal kits a go. There tends to be a discount code about for first customers so if it?s too time consuming or not great i just won?t bother again but at least for a week I?d have had a hopefully different dinner options to look forward to. I don?t have a high spec kitchen but suspect I?d be feeling the same if I did. Ho hum...

The ad is great, if you are a middle class couple with young kids get Hello Fresh and this is what your life could look like. No different to many ads in playing to your aspirations. Thought these meals would be more aimed at young pros too busy to shop and cook.


We had this product by chance - following a half price offer. It was OK but I get more inspiration from Saturday kitchen on the Beeb. It was a mix between - I make these myself, and mine are better, to - I couldn't be rrrsed to buy the ingredients so this is quite convenient.


As it was half price it was cheaper that going to the shops.


Two big buts - a lot of stock was used, which is cheating


And what a lot of packaging waste, small package of cheese, small sachet of soy sauce, the stuff you have in the house alreay.


Quality/nutrition/health wise much better than takeaways.


About 15 years ago there was a stall as Waterloo stations where you could get the ingredients for the 'meal of the day' - thought that targeted busy commuters very well but it was a flop.

I'm exactly the same! Will do a limited trial for inspiration in the future, but not long term.


Mainly because as a singleton I am obliged to make a meal for 2, so will be having 2 meals out of it every time!



quirky Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I?ve had enough of my boring meals, I?m not

> creative and really not in the mood for looking up

> interesting recipes. Same goes for takeaways, just

> end up getting the same but don?t get them often

> anyway.? So for that reason, I?m going to give one

> of the meal kits a go. There tends to be a

> discount code about for first customers so if it?s

> too time consuming or not great i just won?t

> bother again but at least for a week I?d have had

> a hopefully different dinner options to look

> forward to. I don?t have a high spec kitchen but

> suspect I?d be feeling the same if I did. Ho

> hum...

Check out https://www.bbc.co.uk/food to get inspiration if needed.

IMO these boxes are an expensive fad. Take a wonder around the fresh fruit and veg aisle in the supermarket, lots of choice to help contribute to a meal.


Buy some minced beef, pork or lamb, a couple of onions, two or three carrots, a handful of mushrooms, a pack of knorr stock pot which ever one you like. A bit of plain flour, salt, pepper, even chilli flakes for a bit of heat, or fennel seeds for a different flavour (what ever you like)

Dice the onions and carrots and soften in the pan. remove and brown off the mince. Add the veg back in, add a table spoon or two of the plain four. Stir around for a couple of minutes, add in some water, add two stock pots, slice the mushrooms and scatter on the top. Simmer gently, till the mushrooms have softened and it can be served with mash or pasta, or croquettes or just with some crusty bread, what ever you choose. A simple filling meal.



Rice pudding

Grease an oven dish with butter, take 100g pudding or Short grain rice, 25g brown or caster sugar, add 700ml milk, a couple of handfuls of sultanas or raisins, top with some ground cinnamon powder. Place in the oven (top shelf) at Gas Mark 1, bake for about 60 - 75mins, till it just wobbles and the milk has been taken up by the rice. A quick and simple hot pudding. Done. Serve with a dollop of jam, cream, or a bit of milk, again whatever takes your fancy.

I think this misses the point. It's for inspiration, for new ideas. I'm veggie so never going to buy a lump of mince and do things to it!


I want ideas and flavour combinations I can then take forward to my cooking. In short, I know what I like, but want to be open to new experiences.



jazzer Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Check out https://www.bbc.co.uk/food to get

> inspiration if needed.

> IMO these boxes are an expensive fad. Take a

> wonder around the fresh fruit and veg aisle in the

> supermarket, lots of choice to help contribute to

> a meal.

>

> Buy some minced beef, pork or lamb, a couple of

> onions, two or three carrots, a handful of

> mushrooms, a pack of knorr stock pot which ever

> one you like. A bit of plain flour, salt, pepper,

> even chilli flakes for a bit of heat, or fennel

> seeds for a different flavour (what ever you

> like)

> Dice the onions and carrots and soften in the pan.

> remove and brown off the mince. Add the veg back

> in, add a table spoon or two of the plain four.

> Stir around for a couple of minutes, add in some

> water, add two stock pots, slice the mushrooms and

> scatter on the top. Simmer gently, till the

> mushrooms have softened and it can be served with

> mash or pasta, or croquettes or just with some

> crusty bread, what ever you choose. A simple

> filling meal.

>

>

> Rice pudding

> Grease an oven dish with butter, take 100g pudding

> or Short grain rice, 25g brown or caster sugar,

> add 700ml milk, a couple of handfuls of sultanas

> or raisins, top with some ground cinnamon powder.

> Place in the oven (top shelf) at Gas Mark 1, bake

> for about 60 - 75mins, till it just wobbles and

> the milk has been taken up by the rice. A quick

> and simple hot pudding. Done. Serve with a dollop

> of jam, cream, or a bit of milk, again whatever

> takes your fancy.

These meal kits ?boxes? are a huge fad in New Zealand. I?d never come across them before but when I was there I met lots of people using them several times a week, especially if they had guests. It reminded me of the seventies when the ready meal was pushed by tv advertisers as the height of culinary sophistication though in this case the client has much more input.

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