Gousto, if you haven’t already heard of them are an amazing concept in recipe boxes delivered to your door. Containing up to four meals for either 2 or 4 people in each box, you receive a host of fresh ingredients along with recipe cards containing everything you need to cook delicious tasting meals.
Being vegetarian, I opted for a box of meat free meals and was a little sceptical as to what options would be available. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised to see that not only could I pick which meals I wanted in each box, but also the choice available all sounded really tasty and I actually really fancied eating most of the recipes on offer although had to pick just two for the box that I tried.
I went for the following two choices:
- Harissa Halloumi Sandwich & Carrot Slaw
- Cheesy Risotto & Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Halloumi is one of my favourite cheeses and I cook with it on a weekly basis. I couldn’t wait to try out the Harissa Halloumi Sandwich & Carrot Slaw, it looked utterly delicious on the recipe card and I hoped it would taste just as good when I made it. I found the recipe cards very simple to follow with pictures at each stage and the meal was really easy to prepare as I had all of the ingredients in front of me, measured out in the correct portions – that certainly helped with a lot of time saving.
The meal was simple to put together,with everything you need included. The only things you might have to add to a meal are very basic store cupboard ingredients such as oil, salt and pepper. Any flavoured oils, herbs, spices, garlic etc are all included in small packets. As I was cooking the food I could smell the flavours and couldn’t wait for the meal to be ready and it wasn’t long before I could put my taste buds into action.
A couple of days later we tried the Cheesy Risotto & Slow Roasted Tomatoes. Again simple to make and just required a bit of stirring, this was a hearty meal with a very decent portion size per person. The ingredients for this were certainly indulgent with a cute little pot of Rodda’s clotted cream to add to the final cooking stages of the risotto. Along with fresh leeks, vegetable stock, garlic, turmeric, Shaoxing wine and Dijon mustard (all of which are included) this meal was packed full of flavour and the roasted tomatoes on top were the perfect accompaniment.
The finished dish looked like it had been lifted straight off of the recipe card, which is exactly what you want from a recipe box such as Gousto. I have to say I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the ingredients, so fresh and perfectly packed. The portion sizes on both meals were very good, generous even and certainly wouldn’t leave me or my husband hungry.
The choice and variation of meals from week to week is excellent and if you are looking for a helping hand in the kitchen, whether for convenience, to save time or just to try out new meal ideas, then I’d definitely recommend trying out the Gousto box. It’s definitely won me over on being able to sit down for a quality, tasty meal that doesn’t take hours of preparation (thank to Gousto for doing half the work) and is something I’d use for a relaxed night with the husband where minimal cooking is involved but a lot tastier and healthier than a takeaway!
All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions and we received the product in order to write an honest review.