When I was living in the UK, as a food blogger, I was often being sent products for review.  This was a very common practice for companies. I was always more than happy to receive something free of charge and write about it.

I always tried to be as fair and impartial as I could be when reviewing these things. I will be honest here however, when someone is giving you something for free with the expectation of review, it is only natural to be a bit slanted towards the positive and minimize the negative.  Its only human.

Also, if someone is sending you something for the purpose of review, they are only going to send you the very best. It would be a very poor business practice indeed to send anyone anything substandard if you are expecting something positive from the outcome.

I have had the opportunity through the years to review a great many things.

Here in Canada, it's not been my experience that companies send me anything to try out. In fact, since my return to Canada, I have not been offered anything for review purposes. I am not sure if that is a legal thing in Canada or not. 

I recently decided to try out Hello Fresh, totally independently and for the purposes of a fair review. I had reviewed them in the past in the UK, but I thought it would be interesting to review my experience as a consumer who had to go through the process of using this service from the very beginning, and in another country.

Hello Fresh is a Berlin Based company that has their services available throughout the world, with meal plans that are touted for being family friendly, as well as catering to a variety of diets. I believe their largest customer base is in America.

For those who are not aware of them, Hello Fresh is a meal KIT delivery service, that offers weekly shipments of recipes and groceries that are delivered right to your front door.  It enables you to make fresh, easy and appealing meals from the comfort of your own home, without the hassle of having to plan and shop for ingredients on your own.

I decided to sign up for and try the service out for a few weeks. I like to cook, but I have found, as a single person, it is difficult to purchase quantities of ingredients in the exact amounts that I need. I often find myself wasting things which really bothers me, especially fresh ingredients such as salad or vegetables.  It's not so difficult with other things like meat as I can simply freeze the excess for later use.

One thing which I did not like is that I had to sign up for the service before I was actually able to see what they were offering in terms of meal kits available.   I was also limited to the meals available and unable to design or devise a meal myself. 

 

On the plus side, there were plenty of meal options to choose from.  They also cater to certain diets such as vegetarian or low carb.  You can also choose plans which cater to smaller sized families and larger groups, with the smallest size being 2 people. 

Boxes are delivered once a week.

Included in the box are all of the main ingredients for however many meals you have chosen.  All of the meat, produce and most condiments/sauces/etc.  What they do not include are things such as cooking oil, sugar, salt, pepper, butter, etc.

Seen here are the contents of my first box. It was beautifully packed, everything arriving cold and ready to put into my refrigerator or freezer.

The meat/proteins are packaged separately and stored with frozen ice packs at the bottom of the box.

The remaining ingredients for each meal are separated into their own individual paper bags.  Included are detailed recipe cards which show you a photograph of what the finished meal should look like on one side, and detailed cooking instructions with photographs of each step on the reverse side.

I found the instructions to be very simple and easy to follow.  Included also on the cards are information on anything you need to do before you begin and any equipment or tools you might need in order to prepare or cook the recipe, with any special instructions being outlined in red.

I have a daughter who is developmentally challenged, and I believe that she would very easily be able to follow the cards and cook the meals I received.

One of the meals that I ordered was for a Turkey, Lettuce and Tomato Burger with Ranch and Roasted Sweet Potatoes. You can see their photo on the card shown above and my results in the photo just above here.  It was delicious.

Another meal which I had chosen was Soy, Maple and Ginger-Glazed Pork Chops with Stir Fried Veggies.  It too was very quick and easy to execute  . . . 

This was the end result.  Perfectly cooked pork, with a delicious glaze, crispy tender stir fried vegetables and perfectly cooked rice.

When making my decision to try out this meal plan, I decided at the outset that I would try it for more than just one week, to make sure that the experience of my first box received would also be the experience of consecutive boxes, so I tried it for three weeks running in order to check on the consistency of the meals and service provided.

Here is another one of the meals I chose.  Baked Chicken Parmesan with Crispy Potatoes and Garlicky Green Beans. It was also delicious.

I discovered though, as a keen cook, I found myself diverting somewhat from the recipe cards and doing my own thing on the actual day. What I had thought I wanted to cook when I placed my order, was not always what I felt like cooking when it came to the day.

Through all three weeks I tried the boxes however, everything I received was received in good order, fresh and of excellent quality.

PROS -

You can sign up for as many weeks as you wish and quit at any time. You can also pause your subscription if need be. There is also a rather attractive bonus and discount on your first box.

All of the ingredients are delivered to your doorstep, saving on wear and tear on the car and petrol, not to mention putting up with the hassle of traffic, not to mention saving on the time needed to go shopping and pick up the ingredients.

 Their insulated boxes are well packaged, double lined and containing ice packs which help to keep the food fresh.  Everything has a shelf life of at least a week.

The recipes were simple and quick to execute with detailed instructions. Their meal cooking time ranges between 30 and 40 minutes. 

 Their fresh produce and condiments are packaged in color-coded bags so that you can easily sort them out, with all of their packaging being recyclable, and everything was very fresh.

CONS - 

The biggest one for me is that you have to sign up before you can see what meal choices are actually on offer. I did not like that at all.

They decide the meal plan choices which are available for you to choose from. As a subscriber, you are not given the freedom to choose from anything other than what is on their menu. 

They don’t deliver sugar, salt, pepper, butter, and cooking oil.  I appreciate that, as a keen cook, I always have these things in my home, but other people might not.

The smallest size of the meals in their plans was for two servings. It would be nice if they had single serving offerings. I did not like having to eat the same thing two days in a row.

 Without the incentives offered for your first few meals, their meals can be rather costly compared to if you walked to a grocery store and brought the ingredients yourself. The cost will vary according to the type of meal chosen and for the size of the meals chosen. There is also a delivery fee.

There is quite a lot of packaging, ie. cardboard, plastic, etc. to get rid of each week.

 

FINAL REMARKS

Overall, I quite liked the boxes I received. I think they are great for a single person who is living on their own, or for a young couple who both have jobs and not a lot of time for planning and shopping for their meals.

If you are an elderly person who likes to cook, they give you the freedom to do just that.  I know a lot of seniors end up purchasing frozen prepared meal deliveries.  Those meals are often filled with sodium and fat.  You can control the sodium and fat in these meals yourself, which is a real plus, as well as having the pleasure of being able to cook for yourself.

There was no waste. Everything in the boxes was specifically designed to be used up, with nothing being leftover, which is actually quite cost effective over time. 

All of the packaging is recyclable. The paper bags included can also be repurposed to collect food scraps for composting.

Each meal I received was fairly complete, as well as being quick and easy to do.  I didn't have to plan for sides, etc. Everything was there, and I was able to sit down to a full, nutritious and delicious meal in about half an hours' time total.

They were somewhat costly, so if you are on a very limited income this could be a bit of a drawback, but when you figure in the fact that there is no waste, I believe this balances out in the long run.

I hope that you have enjoyed my fair and impartial review of the Hello Fresh Boxes.  I was not asked by them to do this review, nor was I compensated for doing so.  What you see here is the truth of my own experience in trying out this meal plan box system here in Canada.

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com. 

And this was the end result!  A beautiful large canvas ready to hang on my wall.  I was actually quite surprised at how very large it was!!  I hadn't realized just how big a 150cm by 120cm is! Its huge!  But that is a really good thing because I had a really large empty wall to put it on.

As a food blogger I am afforded the opportunity to try new products and promote new businesses every now and then. I was contacted a while back by Erbology and asked if I would like to try some of their products and maybe create a recipe to use some of them in.

If there is one thing I love to do it is to try new things I have never tried before and to try out new products!

Erbology is a London Based business which specialises in providing quality whole foods for healthy living.  It is a business owned by siblings Irina and Victor Turcan and they have all sorts of wonderful products such as snacks, drinks, powders, berries, nuts, oils, etc.  I was most impressed with the products which I was sent. 

I had not heard of some of these things so it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn something new and to try something new as well.  I have to say I am very impressed with their packaging which is recyclable for the most part, or a least it was with the products I was sent.

Here is a bit about the things I got to try.


As a breakfast cereal - Simmered correctly, amaranth develops a delicious sweetness and porridge-like consistency that make it a great breakfast option. Use a ratio of  3 parts to one. (1 1/2 cups liquid to 1/2 cup amaranth will give you a yield of 1 1/2 cups cooked.) Place the amaranth and water or fruit juice in a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until water is absorbed. This should take about 20 minutes. Do keep a close eye on it towards the end. Serve immediately, as it will turn gummy and congeal if overcooked or left to sit. You can add fruit, nuts, cinnamon, and honey or sugar to serve. I like date syrup.

Popped - You can toast a tablespoon of amaranth seeds a time in a covered hot, dry skillet just l ike making popcorn. Continually shake or stir until the seeds pop. Popped these nutritious seeds work perfectly when enjoyed as a snack. You can also use the popped seeds to top soups, salads, and vegetable dishes.

Combined with other grains -  Amaranth is wonderful combined and cooked together with another grain, such as brown rice.  It adds a nutty sweetness. Use a ratio of 1/4 cup amaranth to 3/4 cup other grain and cook as per usual.

Added to soups and stews - Amaranth’s gelatinous qualities make it perfect for use in thickening soups and stews. You will need no more than a few tablespoons which you can add while the soup is cooking.

Almond oil nourishes your body and skin with healthy fats, vitamins and phytonutrients. Enjoy its light nutty flavour in sweet and savoury dishes or apply a small amount to the skin at night. Source of vitamin E and vitamin A that help your body fight free radicals.

This oil is cold-pressed from unpasteurised Italian almonds  and comes in a recyclable glass bottle.

I had never heard of Sweet Almond Oil before either.  It smells amazing. I suffer from dry skin and exema and I have been applying some to my worst spots each night when I go to bed.
Mildly tangy and exceptionally nutritious, sea buckthorn powder is a source of rare omega-7, beta-carotene and phytonutrients that work together to support your immunity, mucosa function and skin health.

It is sustainably grown by small farmers in Eastern Europe  and produced in small batches. Delicious  sprinkled over salad, soup or yoghur. I like to add some to my morning smoothies.

   

ORGANIC TRANSYLVANIAN WALNUTS

These organic raw walnuts are sustainably sourced from the heart of Transylvania and delivered to you straight from the farm. Walnuts are a valuable source of protein. They are rich in omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids  and high in magnesium, vitamin B-6 and ellagic acid.

These are lovely eaten out of hand, but I wanted to showcase them with a fabulous recipe.  Walnut and Chocolate Pie.  This is beautifully rich and moreish.  If you can resist a slice of this then you are a much stronger person than I am!

It was my husband's birthday yesterday and I decided to break with tradition and bake him a pie instead of the usual cake.





Okay true confessions here, the pie is more for me than for him.  I am honest if nothing else. I did also bake him his favourite Victoria Sponge Cake.

Yes, he also enjoyed the pie, but in all truth he also really enjoyed the cake. Birthdays just need cakes. I used to bake my ex his favourite Butterscotch Pie every year on his birthday, but we also had cake as well.

Why not bake two delights for your loved ones special days?  Why not indeed!




To learn more about Erbology and all that they provide do check out their website.  You can find that here. These are not supplements, but food. Rare, plant based, ingredients that nourish your body and create delicious dishes. They also offer personalised boxes which make for great gifts for others and for yourself. Organic and 100% plant based and delivered right to your door.

What more can I say, but do check them out!

This content (written and photography) is the sole property of  The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com 

 Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!



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