Making a Right Meal of Things!

As someone who would openly admit to not being too confident in the kitchen, I'm always dubious and very self-doubtful when someone suggests I try a new recipe. I'm not one for collecting cookbooks and getting all creative when it comes to cooking for fear of making a right royal mess over anything remotely edible. That being said I do enjoy tasty, nutritious meals but tend to rotate a small selection of dishes that I know I can make and that taste good. The same dinners every week can get a bit on the boring side though, so when a friend recommended and sent me a free trial of Hello Fresh I couldn't resist, in hope that I'd find something healthy to cook to add to my culinary repertoire.

  I ordered my Classic Box on the Wednesday to be delivered the following Monday and eagerly awaited it's arrival. The well-packed, presented box came by courier brimming with tasty ingredients for 3 meals for 2 persons, with recipe cards for each dish inside a wallet for safe keeping. 

I choose to make Roasted Pork Loin with Sweet Potato Mash and broccoli on the first evening. The step-by-step recipe card was easy to follow and had photos to accompany most of the instructions. I actually enjoyed following each step to the letter and although the actual meal itself was a pretty straightforward meat, carb and veg recipe, making the sweet potato mash with crème fraiche was something I would have never have considered before. Being a Weight Watcher, I'm keen on finding healthier options to things like cream and butter when cooking so this was perfect and a tip I'll be taking on. 

The second night I attempted what I thought would be the easiest or at least, blip-free recipe of all three. Mozzarella Stuffed Burgers on Ciabatta bread with Salad.  Again I couldn't fault the recipe card for the clear instructions given and although I conquered  each preparation step with great success and dare I say it, finesse, it was in the cooking of the the burgers that I came across a problemo......in that they wouldn't (cook, that is!) due to the amount of cheese that I had been instructed to stuff in to each burger. 

  You're given the exact amounts of each ingredient (except the herbs of which there was more than what was needed) and so I hadn't considered that here may be too much mozzarella in each.  What ensued was me dissecting and inspecting each burger, cheese oozing out of every possible gap and a good while later (well over the recommended cooking time) ciabatta baps with chunks of the burger carefully packed inside....no burger shape in sight after all the dissecting. Hubby ate it all the same (as did I, disgruntledly) and remarked on it's delicious taste and not the poor presentation.  

Note to self....next time put the cheese on the top and not inside!

Hubby's birthday marked and third and final evening of our first ever Hello Fresh experience and this dish was the one I was most unsure about- not because the recipe looked complex but the Birthday Boy aint always the biggest fan of fish. 

Fearless Pan-fired Tilapia with Choritzo Roasted Potatoes- a really simple recipe to follow and THE favourite of the week with both of us. Our first time trying tilapia which we loved and the choritzo potatoes were awesome! So tasty and definitely something I'll be making again! 

 So all in all, a great experience. Simple recipes with not too much faff or prep and cooking time (around 30-40 mins all in for each meal!) that produce tasty, filling meals. The fresh ingredients and hearty portion sizes were faultless and the recipe cards perfect for storing away in the cupboard to pull out and use when I'm looking for other dinnertime options. 

  In this instance I didn't pay for my box (Linzi kindly sent me a free trial) but at £39 for 3 meals for two persons (£49 for 5 meals) some may argue that this is an expensive subscription. I guess it depends on what you would normally spend on your evening meals and what you're looking for from joining Hello Fresh. If you want to opt in and out of ordering you can, so it means you're not paying or receiving unwanted food every single week.  Your online account allows you to mark the weeks you'd like to receive a box and so it's entirely up to you how often you splurge. Remember you're not just paying for ingredients but are receiving new recipes that you can recreate time and time again (arguably with cheaper ingredients if you shop around). If you don't fancy something on a particular week's menu then you can swap one of the meals for something that appeals more to you palette. There's vegetarian and family box options and they seem to be adding a whole most of recipes each week so you're unlikely to have to order the same meal twice. If you don't like the look of one week's menu, don't order it! Simples!

Will I pay for and use Hello Fresh again..... yes, definitely! No more boring repetitive weekly eating for us! 

Weesse x