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An easier way to eat healthy?

There’s a lot of focus nowadays on eating healthy. But I, like most people, generally don&r...
Newstalk
Newstalk

10.50 3 Jun 2017


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An easier way to eat healthy?

An easier way to eat healthy?

Newstalk
Newstalk

10.50 3 Jun 2017


Share this article


There’s a lot of focus nowadays on eating healthy. But I, like most people, generally don’t have the time to put together a weekly meal plan, do a big shop, and prepare it all.

As a result, I usually go for whatever is easiest, whether that’s pasta (again) or takeaway.

I’d heard about meal delivery services like HelloFresh and Gousto in the UK and wondered if there was something similar to be found in Ireland.

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How it works

DropChef is a company owned by three Irish lads and it runs in the same way of the UK services; you pick your three meals on Wednesday, and a box is delivered to your home on Sunday or Monday with ingredients and recipes.

Each box contains an ice pack which will keep your ingredients cool for 24 hours – perfect if the box is being delivered and you’re not home to receive it, or if the box is sitting in your office until you go home.

You get three meals a week for two people for €47.70. This works out at €7.95 a recipe.

They also have a one person plan for €29.85 a week, and a family plan for €83.40 a week.

If you’re having a busy week and don’t think you will have time to eat three meals, you can choose two or one instead and have your balance refunded. You can also suspend the service temporarily if, say, you’re going away on holidays.


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Meals

My boyfriend and I are both vegetarians. Since we joined up a few weeks ago we’ve had:

  • Roasted Parsnip and Sweet Potato Medley with Free Range Egg & Chia Seeds
  • Mixed Vegetable Quinoa Bowl
  • Traditional Vegetable Paella
  • Vegetarian Burritos
  • Simple Mushroom & Tomato Linguine with Fresh Basil
  • Fresh Vegetable Pesto Pasta with Toasted Pine Nuts
  • Soba Noodle & Mixed Vegetable Stir-fry

The verdict

I’m a huge fan of this service. When the box arrives, I try to cook as much of it as I can in advance to make it easier for the rest of the week. Then we don’t need to stress about what we’re going to eat.

Some of the meals are better than others, but I absolutely loved the tomato linguine and the vegetable burritos.

It’s great for people with allergies. You know exactly what’s going into the meal, and each recipe has a section outlining the different allergens so you can exclude ingredients or make substitutions if you need to.

There are other feel-good points. All the ingredients are locally sourced, so you’re supporting Irish farmers. DropChef also run a ‘Cook-One-Feed-One’ programme which donates one meal to a child in need for every meal your order.

It’s not the cheapest, but I’ve found that the ingredients are all very good quality and you also need to price in the convenience of having the food delivered to your door and already portioned out.

The main advantage is that you learn new recipes, you try new kinds of foods, and you’re guaranteed three healthy meals a week.

Any other meal delivery companies you like? Let us know on Twitter - @NewstalkFM


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