Most of us want to eat healthy, wholesome home-cooked meals. 

But with our modern busy lives, the amount of planning, shopping, or preparation involved often makes people give up on making their own food at home. 

In the end, we often resort to takeout or snacks to fill our stomachs — but they may not be the most enjoyable or nourishing option. 

Fortunately, recipe box delivery services help to overcome these issues associated with home-cooked food. It works by delivering pre-measured ingredients based on recipes selected by customers. (2)

In this review, we’ll be specifically looking at two famous recipe box delivery services in the UK — Mindful Chef and HelloFresh. 

But there are also important differences to take note of.  

Keep reading to find out if Mindful Chef or HelloFresh is better for you!

Are meal subscription services worth it?

Recipe boxes are worth it for busy individuals or people who don’t like the pre-cooking parts of home meals (like planning and shopping for ingredients). 

This is because you get pre-measured ingredients sent to your home for recipes that you select on the company’s website. All you have to do is cook what is sent to you based on the delivered recipes.

Another benefit is that it can also help you save money and reduce food wastage in the long run because you’re only given what you need. 

What is Mindful Chef?

Mindful Chef is a recipe box service in the UK that delivers pre-measured ingredients for recipes that customers choose individually. 

It’s known for developing healthy recipes for users and commits to using fresh, local, and ethically sourced produce. Their meals have no refined carbs and include plenty of good-quality protein and vegetables.  

What is HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is one of the most well-known recipe box delivery services that operates in over 10 countries. Like Mindful Chef, it also delivers pre-measured ingredients for recipes that customers choose for themselves. 

It’s well known for creating affordable meal kits with recipes that are specially created by professional chefs.    

Mindful Chef vs. HelloFresh: comparison table

Other things to keep in mind

Mindful Chef also has a “Ready to Go” range that includes:

• Frozen meals that are already pre-cooked.  
• Pre-packed frozen fruit pouches for smoothies.
• Pre-cooked soups and broths.

It’s also one of the few recipe box services that cater to single-person meal boxes.  

Both brands also try to be as eco-friendly as they can and use as much recyclable packaging as possible.

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Mindful Chef review

Mindful Chef was started in 2015 by Giles Humphries, Myles Hopper, and Robert Grieg-Gran. They’re on a mission to bring meals made from healthy, locally sourced produce to people in the UK. 

We tried three recipes from Mindful Chef to see how they would fare on different testing criteria like taste, quality, ease, speed, and cost. To see our in-depth review you can view it here: Mindful Chef review. 

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Mindful Chef tried and tested 

Here’s a closer look at the meals we received from Mindful Chef:

• Crispy cod with sweet potato chips — This is a slightly different take on the traditional fish and chips. It tasted a lot lighter and refreshing because of interesting substitutes like almond crumbs instead of breadcrumbs. 
• Vietnamese crispy pork and carrot noodles — I was really worried about how this would taste with courgette as a substitute for noodles. But it turned out to be very tasty.  
• Cajun chicken and roasted veggie lettuce tacos — Again, I felt that using lettuce as tacos was a very inventive way of adding more veggies to meals. The chicken was very flavorful, so this was a good pairing with the vegetables.  

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How was our Mindful Chef meal kit?

I was very excited to try the Mindful Chef meals because many of them looked creative and interesting on the menu.

Get 25% off your first 2 recipe boxes: Mindful Chef

Overall, they did not disappoint, and here’s what I thought about them based on different scoring criteria:

Would I recommend Mindful Chef?

I would definitely recommend Mindful Chef because I really enjoyed the fresh ingredients and innovative recipes. 

Even though there were times when I was unsure how it would turn out, none of the recipes disappointed me. 

It also helped to significantly cut down my usual meal planning and grocery shopping effort. 

As someone who likes interesting recipes with minimally processed foods, this service fits the bill for me. But for those who like a lot of traditional recipes, Mindful Chef may not be for you.

What Mindful Chef offers 

Here’s what Mindful Chef has to offer customers:

• Healthy meals that are designed by nutritionists. It is also free of refined carbohydrates, gluten, and dairy. 
• High-quality ingredients like 100% grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and locally sourced produce where possible. 
• The convenience of getting all pre-portioned ingredients delivered straight to your doorstep. 
• Easy meal preparation where you should take no longer than 30 minutes to prepare your meals. 

How to get started with Mindful Chef 

To get started with Mindful Chef, all you need to do is:

1. Select your meals (2-5) — You can filter by meat and fish, pescatarian, or vegan meal types. And you need to indicate the number of people (1, 2, or 4) and delivery date.
2. Enter your delivery address and make payment. 
3. Receive your box with pre-measured ingredients, cook, and enjoy your meal!

Mindful Chef lets you note delivery instructions (e.g., leave on the front porch). 

Plus, you can pause or cancel your subscription at any time through your online account. 

There are some limits to how many meals you can order depending on the number of people you’re cooking for:

• 1 person — 3-5 recipes
• 2 people — 2-5 recipes
• 4 people — 2-4 recipes

What is in a Mindful Chef box?

Within each Mindful Chef recipe box, you will get: 

1. Exact portions of ingredients for recipes you have chosen for the week.
2. Insulation to keep ingredients cool. 
3. Recipe cards with photos. 

What type of meals does Mindful Chef have?

Here are some examples of the types of interesting meals that Mindful Chef usually has:

1. Steak with sesame noodles and edamame
2. Hot-smoked salmon with peas, pesto, and quinoa
3. Tofu tikka masala, tenderstem, and brown rice

How much is Mindful Chef per serving?

Mindful Chef costs between £3.94-10.50 per serving depending on the number of people you’re cooking for and which recipes you select. 

Here’s what we received as a quote based on three recipes a week:

• 1 person — £9.25 per serving
• 2 people — £7.56 per serving
• 4 people — £5.15 per serving

Shipping is free for Mindful Chef boxes. 

Mindful Chef pros and cons 

Pros

• Healthy recipes that are also tasty. 
• Free from gluten and dairy.
• Fresh, sustainably sourced ingredients — many are also from local businesses.  
• Interesting recipes that give a little twist to traditional recipes.
• Single-person subscriptions are available.
• Eco-friendly packaging.
• Fast cooking time (less than 30 minutes).
• Easy-to-follow recipe instruction cards. 
• Free shipping.

Cons

• Slightly more expensive than other recipe box subscriptions.
• Kids may take some time to adjust if they’re used to food like mac and cheese or nuggets. 

Mindful Chef customer reviews: what others are saying about it

Mindful Chef received an average of 4.4/5 stars based on 19,228 reviews from Trustpilot. Here’s what others loved most about Mindful Chef: 

• Removes the stress of planning, shopping, and preparing ingredients. 
• Creative menus with good variety.
• Healthy recipes.
• Easy to cook.
• Generous portions.
• Less food wastage because you are given the exact ingredients you need. 

There were a few negative comments about the flavours being too strong (but bear in mind that taste is personal). A few customers also had damaged packaging, which could be due to delivery drivers mishandling the boxes. 

Overall, most people enjoyed their meals, as shown in the reviews below:

Is Mindful Chef good value for money?

Mindful Chef is good value for those who want a recipe box that uses more creative recipes and healthier ingredient options.

Many other users and I appreciate the fresh, high-quality ingredients that are included with each box. It makes the flavours of the meals very refreshing. 

It also suits those who want to cook for one person. This is quite uncommon, as many services often require a minimum of two servings per meal. 

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HelloFresh UK review

Dominic Ritcher, Thomas Griesel, and Jessica Nilsson started HelloFresh in 2011 with the vision of changing the way people did grocery shopping and home cooking in Germany.

Fast forward 10+ years later, they now operate in 14+ countries and have served over 600 million meals to hungry customers. (1)

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HelloFresh tried and tested 

We tried three different recipes from HelloFresh to determine how they fared on various criteria like taste, ingredients, ease of cooking, speed, and cost. 

These were the meals that we received from HelloFresh:

• Creamy one pot fajita chicken pasta — This colourful meal was one of the easiest to make, and the flavours were pleasant.
• Caramelised onion sausage traybake — The cooking was slightly less straightforward because the potatoes were cooked separately from the sausages. Overall, it was still relatively easy and tasted great!
• Creamy harissa sausage pasta — Another very easily cooked meal, and was a hit with the whole family. The sausages were very well seasoned.

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How was in our HelloFresh UK meal kit?

HelloFresh recipes were more familiar, and I had high hopes for how it would turn out. 

The box that came was big, and each meal was separated into different meal bags.

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Would I recommend HelloFresh?

Yes, I would recommend HelloFresh — especially to those who like traditional home-cooked meals with a slight twist. 

I personally found that they were family-friendly recipes that kids would like. My child told me that their favourite was the sausage pasta!

The cooking required is also quite simple. So it would definitely suit novice cooks or anyone who doesn’t want elaborate recipes.

What HelloFresh UK offers

Here’s what’s great about HelloFresh:

• Wide variety of recipes — 35+ a week.
• One of the most affordable options — Meals starting from £3.25 per serving per person.
• Add on extras — Desserts, sides, and lunch.    
• Very simple and easy recipes.
• Select from a variety of meal categories — Including rapid meals, veggie, family-friendly, calorie smart, and more! 
• They commit to environmental sustainability — Stays carbon neutral by offsetting CO2 emissions and tries to purchase from local suppliers.  

How to get started with HelloFresh

You can get started with HelloFresh in three simple steps:

1. Sign up for HelloFresh and indicate the number of people and meals a week. 
2. Receive your recipe box with pre-measured ingredients.
3. Cook and enjoy your meal!

One handy feature is that you can note delivery instructions (e.g., leave on the front porch).  

You can also pause or cancel your subscription at any time through your online account. 

What is in a HelloFresh box?

Inside a HelloFresh box, you will find:

1. Pre-portioned ingredients for your recipes that you have selected beforehand.
2. Recipe cards. 
3. Insulation to keep ingredients fresh for 48 hours in the box.

What type of meals does HelloFresh have?

HelloFresh has a mixture of meal types, like quick and easy, calories smart, vegetarian, family favourites, and more!

Here’s a quick look at some of their popular dishes:

• Mango chutney curried chicken wraps
• Super cheesy oven-baked tomato risotto
• BBQ sausage skewers
• Cheddar cheeseburger

How much does HelloFresh cost in the UK?

HelloFresh cost varies based on the number of meals a week and how many people you’re cooking for. 

Prices start from £3.25 per serving, and here’s a look at how much we were quoted based on three meals a week:

• 2 people: £5.00
• 3 people: £4.44
• 4 people: £3.67

Shipping costs £4.99 per box. 

HelloFresh pros and cons

Pros

• A reputable name within the recipe box delivery service industry. 
• Healthy options are available (like calorie smart).
• Fresh ingredients that are pre-portioned.
• Wholesome, familiar recipes.
• Many different recipes to choose from (35+). 
• Easy to prepare and cook. 
• Relatively affordable compared to other recipe boxes. 
• Less food wastage.

Cons

• No subscriptions available for single-person meals.
• Recipe boxes cannot be bought once-off.
• May not have as many health-conscious meals as other services. 
• No vegan options (only vegetarian).

What others are saying about HelloFresh?

HelloFresh scored an average of 2.3/5 stars from 91,699 reviewers across two platforms — Consumer Affairs and Trustpilot. 

• Makes preparing home-cooked meals a lot easier as there’s no need to plan or shop for ingredients at the supermarket.  
• Meals are generally healthy and tasty at the same time.  
• Everyday recipes that many will like.
• Fresh ingredients.
• Some felt that the portions were a little small, but others liked that it helped to limit calories. 

From the negative comments, several had issues with damaged packaging, while others did not like the taste of the meals. Some also felt that their marketing team contacted them too often with promotions.  

Is HelloFresh actually good? 

HelloFresh is good for those who want a more affordable recipe box service that has very easy cooking steps. 

I found that the meals were tasty, and most reviewers seem to agree. It will suit those that like “comfort foods” like banger and mash or cheeseburgers — although they also have a range of newer recipes.  

Another big plus is the wide variety of recipes a week (35+).  

Is Mindful Chef or HelloFresh better?

Mindful Chef is better for people who want premium ingredients with exclusively health-oriented recipe boxes. 

While HelloFresh will suit people who like more traditional recipes (they have cheeseburgers and cottage pie) at a more affordable price point.  

They’re quite similar in terms of cooking ease and environmental-friendliness. 

So, the main deciding factors will come down to recipe types and price. 

Does Mindful Chef or HelloFresh have more recipes?

Mindful Chef has fewer weekly recipes to choose from than HelloFresh (20+ vs. 35+ respectively). If you prefer to have more variety, then HelloFresh may suit you better. 

But in addition to this, most people often look at other factors like taste, health-consciousness, and price. 

Is Mindful Chef healthier than HelloFresh?

While both offer a range of healthy meal options, Mindful Chef is more focused on developing health-conscious recipes — all the recipes are free of refined carbs and are also gluten- and dairy-free. 

There is also a vegan option for Mindful Chef, but HelloFresh only has a vegetarian option. 

I found that Mindful Chef was still able to create inventive and tasty recipes despite cutting out several groups of food. The ingredient substitutes were done very well (e.g., sweet potatoes in place of potatoes or courgette in place of noodles).   

HelloFresh also has its selection of calorie smart recipes, but the selection within a week may be slightly less than what’s on offer at Mindful Chef. 

Is Mindful Chef cheaper than HelloFresh?

HelloFresh is generally cheaper than Mindful Chef (starting prices are at £3.25 vs. £6 respectively). 

But if you value premium quality ingredients and creative, healthy recipes, you’ll find that Mindful Chef is worth the extra cost. 

I personally found that the HelloFresh box ingredients were fresh, but Mindful Chef had a slightly more premium quality to it. 

Bear in mind that Mindful Chef also has free delivery. 

Overall, we found both brands have great ingredient freshness with tasty recipes. So both are worth a try!  

FAQs: Mindful Chef 

Can you lose weight with Mindful Chef? 

Mindful Chef isn’t technically a weight loss program. But their meals are all nutritionally balanced, free from refined carbs, and high in quality protein. 

Is Mindful Chef healthy? 

Yes, Mindful Chef is a health-focused recipe box service. Their meals are also all free from gluten, dairy, and refined carbs.

Can you get Mindful Chef for one person? 

Yes, they have subscriptions for one person, and the minimum order is 3 meals a week.

Does Mindful Chef do frozen meals?

Yes, Mindful Chef sells pre-cooked frozen meals too, but you do have to be a customer to order them!

Is Mindful Chef the same as HelloFresh?

Mindful Chef and Hello Fresh are different companies. But they are both recipe box delivery services. 

FAQs: HelloFresh

Is HelloFresh a good way to lose weight? 

HelloFresh can be a good way to lose weight as they have a selection of calorie smart meals that are all under 650 calories. However, it is not considered a weight loss program. 

Who owns HelloFresh? 

HelloFresh is a publicly-traded company that was founded by Dominic Ritcher, Thomas Griesel, and Jessica Nilsson.

How often do you pay for HelloFresh? 

You pay for HelloFresh on a weekly basis. 

How long is HelloFresh good for in a box?

HelloFresh ingredients can stay fresh for 48 hours in the box. 

Alternatives to Mindful Chef and HelloFresh 

If you’re looking for a recipe box service that has even more weekly variety (60+ recipes), you can try Gousto — see our full Gousto vs. HelloFresh review here.