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Recipe boxes are a clever concept and they have taken off in a big way. Dubbed as the easiest way to cook dinner from scratch, there is no need to do any shopping and planning – in fact there is no need to leave the house as everything you need is delivered to your door. The idea has enabled some restaurants to sell kits to recreate their meals at home (I have tried a few) but the original purveyors are the subscription meal box services.
As somebody who enjoys cooking (my personal Instagram feed serves as a testament to this), I have looked into subscription box services but I have never tried one. It’s the subscription part which holds me back; being tied down to a contract is personally not for me but I appreciate it’s a great way to get into cooking and for friends who have tried them, it makes deciding what to make for their families so easy with no waste, and in a way it can be economical.
The Cookaway is a name many may not be familiar with (yet), but it offers something different and exciting. The family-run business is a subscription-free (yes, subscription-free) service delivering everything needed to cook and enjoy authentic world cuisine at home. Another USP is that they offer a wide variety of world cuisines to choose from including Indian, Italian, Pakistani, Japanese and Spanish as well as a healthy range option created by chef and expert personal nutritionist May Simpkin. It caters generously for vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians and meat lovers too. They also offer opportunities to cook alongside expert chefs with cook-along events which are listed on their website www.thecookaway.com.
The folks at The Cookaway recently got in touch and invited me to try one of their recipe boxes*. Jumping onto their website, I was immediately struck by how easy it is to navigate and that is a superbly designed website – crisp, clean and aesthetically pleasing.
The rules are simple: choose your Cookaway Recipe box from a choice of 100 menus for 2 to 4 people, book your delivery (available from Tuesday to Saturday) and wait for the goods to arrive.
I chose the Italian Cookaway option of Salmon with Salsa Verde, along with Rocket & Cherry Tomato Salad for two people, which costs a very reasonable £22. You can add side dishes at an extra charge of £6 per item such as Italian Style Couscous for example. I am guessing this varies according to the cuisine chosen. Standard delivery is free though there is the option to request premium delivery for £5. The Cookaway can deliver within 72 hours though you can plan further ahead if you so wish.
The menu describes my chosen recipe box as a pan-fried salmon served with a zingy parsley and caper salsa, and a side salad peppery leaves with sweet tomatoes and toasted pine nuts to compliment it.
Placing an order took little time and I sat back and waited for my delivery. I received text message periodically to inform me when my order was scheduled to be delivered and it arrived bang on time.
Housed securely in a box, all the ingredients are carefully wrapped with sustainable/recyclable packaging with little plastic waste. My choice came with premium quality oils as well as balsamic and white wine vinegar in miniature bottles. The only ingredients I had to use from my larder cupboard was salt and pepper for seasoning – standard items everyone should have of course.
The kit also comes with recipe cards with step-by-step instructions and pictures, and prepping and cooking time. As a guideline, this meal takes a maximum of 30 minutes to make (10 minutes for the salad and 20 minutes for the salmon). I can’t fault the design of the recipe cards – informative with nutritional information, easy to follow and definitely worth holding onto to recreate the same meal.
Salmon is one of my favourite foods but I am pretty unadventurous when making it. Usually I just pan-fry and have it with rice (gah! I know!) and some grilled asparagus. The Cookaway’s recipe has taught me how to make the healthier Salsa Verde and a delicious dressing for a salad to accompany it. Speaking of the Salsa Verde, it has such a stupendous kick to it from the crushed garlic mixed with chopped parsley and capers, and the toasted pine nuts just added something extra to the salad. The end result was a virtually carb-free meal that was filling and healthy. I can’t wait to make this again.
Having had the opportunity to sample a recipe box from The Cookaway it has given me a taste to try another. Meal planning and sourcing ingredients can be costly especially when you may only need a few ingredients for one particular meal or you end up having the same thing two days on the trot. A recipe box from The Cookaway means nothing goes to waste. It also takes away the stress and time of searching for ingredients in the supermarket. And as for someone who loves to cook, I found this experience relaxing, really fun and enjoyable. I would urge anyone reading this to give The Cookaway a try. Seriously, these guys have nailed it.
The Cookaway is currently offering 20% off your first order if you use the code ‘DELICIOUS’ at check-out.
*Disclaimer: this service was kindly gifted to me, however all views are my own.
