Recently we signed up for a trial box from Simply Cook. Partly because we are trying to cook at home more, partly because it was a discounted first box and partly to see if it would improve my kitchen repertoire which essentially consists of one dish!
Read on to find out what we thought of Simply Cook and how to get your first trial box for only £1.
What is Simply Cook?
Simply Cook is a home cooking subscription service that is delivered in a box through your letterbox. They have a good range of recipes available for you to choose from including a number of veggie options. The benefit of it being in a letterbox size package means you obviously don’t have to be at home to receive delivery.
How Does it Work?
You sign up then choose the first four recipes for your box. The ingredients are then sent out to you along with an easy to follow recipe card. What you get in the box is various sauces, herbs, spices etc. You do still have to go out and purchase any fresh ingredients required for the recipe, be that meat, fish or veg. Each box comes with 4 recipe kits which serve 2 – 4 people. Now that will all depend on how hungry you are. We are hungry people and they served 2 of us. Saying that we were pretty stuffed so could probably stretch to 3!
What Sort of Recipes Are Available?
We thought the range of recipes was very good and there is something to suit all tastes really. From pasta, curries, fish dishes, stews, salads, soups. I dont think there is much on the recipe list that we wouldn’t happily try.
The also have ‘Light Recipes’ which are 600 calories per portion, Gluten Free and Vegetarian options.
For our trial box we choose the Penne Alla Rustica, Chicken Makhani, Chicken Kastu Curry and Chicken Korma (yes, we like a curry).
So Are The Recipes Any Good?
Honestly the recipes we have tried so far (Penne Alla Rustica and Chicken Makhani) were delicious. The pasta was really flavoursome and the curry was deliciously creamy and tasty.
Is it as good as you would get at a good Italian or Indian Restaurant, not quite, but then it never is when you have to make it yourself!
Could we have come up with a similar version from scratch? Possibly, but that would take a lot more time and effort.
Is it better than just buying a jar of pasta sauce or curry sauce from the supermarket? Yes, in our opinion it is definitely better than using a jar. First off it just tasted of a better quality. Secondly while you don’t exactly have to be a MasterChef winner to put it together you do at least feel slightly more involved in the process than just chucking in a jar of sauce.
Is Simply Cook Good Value for Money?
Ultimately this will come down to personal opinion. However we would say for what it offers and the quality of the recipes we have tried so far that it is very good value. When you think about the cost of a decent jar of curry sauce from the supermarket you are maybe looking at around £2 something for a 2 person serving. The cost of the Simpy Cook subscription after the trial offer is £9.99 which makes 4 meals for 2 – 4 people (as mentioned above we think 4 is possibly a stretch but maybe we are just greedy!).
Yes you still have to purchase the required fresh ingredients but you would also have to do the same if you were using a jar of sauce or similar. You also have the option to pause your subscription so there’s no commitment.
We have been impressed with our trial box so far and have to say the recipes were thoroughly enjoyable. We are definitely going to keep our subscription going for at least the next few months and see how it goes.
If you are looking to save time and still enjoy tasty meals at home or you are a novice in the kitchen and looking to get more involved then the Simply Cook boxes are certainly worth a go.
Get a Trial Box for Just £1 (Usually £9.99)
You can get your first Simply Cook box for just £1 and no obligation to commit to an ongoing subscription via the button below. If you do give it a go let us know what you think.
Note that you will be automatically signed up to a rolling £9.99 weekly, fortnightly or monthly subscription to SimplyCook. However you cancel your subscription after seven days if you decide it’s not for you.
Just finishing my second Simply Cook box. All meals have been excellent with flavourings and smells that I would struggle to create myself. Am going to try adding more ingredients to save some for the next day. Food bills are noticeably lower too.