Recently, my boyfriend and I found ourselves in an unwelcome rhythm of work, takeout, TV, and conversation beyond "Which show should we watch tonight?" had been lacking. We both agreed we needed to switch things up and connect after work rather than zoning out in front of Netflix. When we first started dating, we used to love to cook together, so Tom had the idea of cooking at home a few nights a week. We decided to try HelloFresh because just thinking about the extra workload of planning, shopping, and cooking was overwhelming.
HelloFresh is a recipe box service that delivers easy to follow recipes with all the fresh pre-portioned ingredients you need to cook them, straight to your door. You choose the number of meals you want delivered each week and pick a box to suit you: Classic, Veggie, or Family. This flexibility was perfect for us as we wanted to cook together three nights a week so we could still eat out a couple nights or get pad thai after a rough day after work. We signed up for the Classic plan which includes a big choice of different cuisines that include meat, fish, and fresh vegetables.
Tom and I both love food and trying new things, so it was hard to narrow down our choices to just three meals. I picked the King Prawn Spaghetti with Sun-Dried Tomatoes (because pasta is my weakness) and he picked the Smokey Pork Tostadas with Roasted Peppers for a Mexican feast at home. For our third meal, we opted for the Pan Fried Lamb Steaks since we don't usually make red meat at home. We were actually pretty excited about the notion of bringing out our chopping board and getting some use out of our much neglected knife set.
The box came fully stocked with everything we'd need for the three meals, including step-by-step recipe cards describing each ingredient and detailing every step from prep to plate. We started the week with the King Prawn Spaghetti since the recipe said it would take just half an hour to prepare. Tom was in charge of preparing the pasta, grating the garlic, chopping the onion, parsley and sun-dried tomatoes, and deseeding the chilli. I worked on thickening the tomatoey sauce and making sure the seasoning was just right before adding the juicy king prawns at the last minute. With the prep halved, we topped the pasta with a handful of fresh parsley and couldn't wait to tuck into a dish that smelt (and looked) amazing. We agreed that if the other meals were half as good, we'd be sold on HelloFresh.
Tuesday called for Smokey Pork Tostadas with Roasted Peppers served with a zesty sour cream. Whilst Tom marinaded the porkI prepped the veg, mixed up the limey sour cream dressing and-most importantly-shook up a couple of margaritas. Our Mexican feast was fun and felt like a complete switch-up from our regular routine. We saved the most anticipated meal for last - Pan Fried Lamb Steaks with Redcurrant Sauce and Roasted Garlic Mash This felt like a real treat since we don't eat red meat very often and the final result definitely didn't disappoint. Roasted carrots and broccoli are my new favourite discovery whilst Tom was pretty chuffed with his pan-searing skills (the lamb was perfectly pink, just how we like it). We were both surprised how easy it was to make a delicious dinner in just over half an hour in our own kitchen.
After a few weeks of HelloFresh, we were completely hooked. It was a great feeling standing side by side in the kitchen working together to make dinner. Catching up with Tom after a long day at work rather than immediately switching on Netflix and collapsing onto the sofa was a welcome change-and we both agreed-much needed. HelloFresh has helped us feel more connected and allows us to take time to slow down and take stock throughout the week. Now, we look forward to picking out meals for the next week and can't wait for the evenings when we're cooking together in the kitchen.
Update: HelloFresh is extending a special offer to our readers! Follow this link to get a discount off your first 4 deliveries!