Hello Fresh (and Goodbye-again)

So I got a call the other week from my good friends at Hello Fresh asking me to come back to the service.

As a reminder, the ethos of the company is casual and friendly correspondence to lead you to casual and friendly mid-week meal solutions. They tried to entice me with the improvements to their services in the past months based on customer feedback ("we're listening to you!")- promises of more choice, more flexibility, and less commitment, which is all well and good if those are the reasons why you discontinued the weekly service in the first place.

I had to remind this man who "listens to the customer" that the reasons for leaving include the daytime-only delivery times and the price of the boxes. Belligerently, he tried his best sales tactics by letting me know that each meal only equates to £6.50 per person and that I can leave the box with my neighbour if I know the weather is going to be hot. I found myself heatedly scolding him to remember that in places other than London, a mid-week meal for £6.50 should be feeding two people and that in places other than London, it is not suitable to leave the box with your neighbour who works nights, so doesn't need to be disturbed midday to accept my overly priced groceries.  "Oh, but how about having it delivered to work? Most companies are very understanding these days." To which I replied, "that's alright if you don't take public transportation". In the end, the salesman gave me a discount and offered the box at £25 to see if I could be persuaded back. I took it knowing full well it would really, really be my last.

So, what was in the box?! The first visible improvement of another plastic bag! Rather than the WoolCool chucked on top the of the produce as in the first order, the WoolCool and meats/ cheeses/ dairy products were contained in their own separated plastic bag. This is an improvement because my fish was leaking in the first box I received, and had this happened again, the warm fish-juices would have been separate to the fresh herbs and vegetables.

Unpacking the box was entirely disappointing, apart from the next visible improvement to the order... the menus were contained in their own cute little placard envelope, suggesting a little bit more love was taken when packing the box. However, the laughter kicked in as I began to read the menu cards... Chicken Milanese with Toasted Almonds and Broccoli (sparse looking, but keep reading), Moroccan Skirt Steak with Spinach and Lemon Couscous (more promising, the picture of the plate looks full), and pizza! They've sodded off the fish for Wholegrain Pitta Pizzas with Roasted Red Pepper and Prosciutto, and my-oh-my, does the picture of the pizzas look sad! No cheese, a few leaves of rocket, and some red-stuff smeared on the pittas. Let's unpack the box and see how dismal this will actually be.

I can't find the picture of the box completely unpacked, which is disappointing; however, I do remember that there was a full, large bag of baby spinach (win!), the largest red pepper that I have ever seen (win, again), but certainly not enough meat for two meals for two people. Much like my 15 Minute Meal adventures, I would assume that the portions are in line with national guidelines, thus insufficient for people that are active, and especially insufficient for someone who only eats a ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. And although I do not actually have the unpacked picture, I have the contents list for the purpose of the pricing exercise below... so, where does the cost come from?

Ingredient                                 Average B'ham Sainsbury's Price

Chicken Breast x2                   £3.00

Spring onion x1                       £0.30

Carrot x1                                £0.30

Broccoli head x1                     £1.30

Oregano x2 sprigs                   £1.00

Coriander x 1 bunch               £1.00

Garlic 1/3rd of a whole clove   £0.50

Rocket- small handful               £1.00

Baby Leaf Spinach- 1 bag        £2.00

Passata- 200g                          £1.00
Lemon x2                                £0.60
Red Onion x1                          £0.50
Red Pepper x2 large                £1.50
Prosecutor pack of 5 slices       £2.00
Mozzarella ball                        £1.00
Skirt Steak 300g                     £4.00
Thyme fresh sprigs                  £1.00
Flaked Almond                       £1.00
Couscous                               £1.00
Panko Breadcrumbs                £1.00
Spice mix                                £1.00
Wholegrain Pitta x4                 £1.00
Creme Fraiche 250mL            £0.60

TOTAL: £27.60...

Well, I am surprised at this because at the time, it did not look like a lot of food for £27.60, but it also possibly explains why my grocery bill is so high for the weekly shop. At the same time, I wouldn't shop in this way- for instance, I have a herb garden that keeps us going all year round and I buy the ugly vegetables (like peppers) for a fraction of the price of the first class shapes. Building on this thought though, Hello Fresh wouldn't buy items like breadcrumbs and couscous for the full price; I would think that they bulk buy to bring their costs down. In any case, however disappointed I feel with the contents of the box, it looks like I've managed to get it without the cost of getting it from London to my door step.

And how was the food? Well laid out with a new trick to the bag- I make breaded chicken or pork at least once a month, but have never used creme fraiche as a coating rather than the egg and flour wash. Although, the coverage wasn't as even as I normally would achieve- I'd attribute this to the breadcrumb rations I was given instead of the creme fraiche pre-application.

With added broccoli.

All in all, not too bad as you can see... we added a side of roast potatoes to fill the gap. But honestly, this was hardly a ground breaking meal!

Night two we tried the Skirt Steak. I did purchase another slice of steak to entertain our more carnivorous side and to keep the iron levels up, but kept everything else as is.

For this meal there was a portioned little spice packet called "Ras El Hanout" which "may sound like the name of a Moroccan baddie from a James Bond Movie, but it's actually the hero of this tasty dish."... Who are these jokers?! Obviously trying to appeal to yuppie hipsters of my demographic tic-box origin, thus likening a phrase that sounds foreign to the "baddies" AND mixing up their equally stereotypical white middle-aged heroes. Everyone knows that it's more like an Indiana Jones baddie rather than a Bond one. Hmph! I'll do my own Wiki-searching, thank you very much, and learn that this "culinary magic carpet ride" is likely to contain aromatic North African spices. I definitely sensed the cinnamon, clove, paprika, and cumin; where the flakes that you see in the picture below are dried rose petals for effect.

How was it? Surprisingly big, however not as much of a culinary journey as it suggested it might be. When you are from the land of Alberta Beef flame grilled all year 'round, then beef in a frying pan is always unsatisfactory. And had I planned it before tucking in, I should have made this on day 1 to have leftover couscous for day 2.

And the pizza, you ask?

Apparently, "Sous Chef Ali has been on a mission...all the taste of Italia without enduring a flight on a low cost airline.". 

I think we still have the spirit of the low cost airline in this meal with a few sprigs of leaves and oregano on some tomato passata. This dish is meant to "literally swoop you off your feet to a pizzeria in Napoli", or rather to the low-cost airline nearest airport to Napoli. Maybe Ali was too busy daydreaming about Napoli to remember that any exposed bits of pitta in the oven quickly turn into tooth-chippers. If this is what Napoli is all about, then I think I will leave it a few more years and stick to Pizza Express where you can almost always get two full and fresh "Italian" pizzas for £6.50 per head. At least I still had some leftover spinach and rocket to make an accompanying salad.

Hello Fresh (and goodbye)

I was introduced to a new food buying concept called  Hello Fresh from a colleague. I really love the whole idea and what they are trying to do: claims of fun and delicious cooking each week, fresh and high quality ingredients, a cute little welcome pack that makes promises of community and contact directly to all those named on the box- all delivered to your doorstep on a weekly basis.

An introductory offer was on a Groupon-type site just as my colleague was talking about it, so I thought "let's give it a go!". The offer asks you to sign up on the very welcoming and fresh-looking website on an ongoing basis- boooo, and you are not pressured to stay signed up if you cancel between certain hours before the deadline of 7pm on Tuesday evening. Delivery is to your doorstep between the hours of 9am and 4pm on any Tuesday or Thursday of your choosing. You can sneak a peak at the menu of the week and if it doesn't suit, then you have a no hassle post-pone option until you see something that you prefer. Your options are a three or five menu box: meat or vegetarian. Simple, right?!

So, I pick a Tuesday where the  weather will be cool enough for the ingredients to sit on the porch and not spoil until Craig or I comes home from work. A welcoming looking box has appeared and opening it the message and ingredients look good- they have positioned two big, juicy, pungent leeks on the top. Pungent leeks to mask the smell of the defrosting fish- which was open and juicing in the box as I later found out. So far so good-ish.

The offer was 15£ for three meals, normally three meals are 39£. Let's see what we have and if it was worth it:

Get the ingredients out! Impressive fresh herbs and leeks. The veggies looked good, although a bit sparse. The meat looked of good quality, but small. Big worry number 1: three chicken thighs for two people? Craig usually eats three chicken thighs on his own. The two cod fillets supplied were of nice quality, but again what I normally have myself. On the up-side: the pork steaks were about right. On the cute side: there was a little brown paper sack with the little ingredients in little sachets and plastic bottles: truffle oil, rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, oregano... nice (insert cute little smile and upward shoulder shrug here).

Most importantly, what does the food taste like? First up: Chicken Yakitori with Crispy Red Onions and Sweet and Sour Noodles. The head chef Patrick has created pictorial menu cards complete with caloric content, timing, and a little story of how the recipe came to be. 

When I placed the ingredients, my big worry number 1 was confirmed: A spring onion, two nests of noodles, three small chicken thighs, and a handful of beans. I would assume that the portion sizing for the meat is ok, but one onion and a handful of green beans is really only two servings of your five-a-day, so the meal is only supplying one of your five a day for dinner. Good job I have my booster pack of veg!

 Ingredients Out

All chopped up

 Booster ingredients with some colour

The instructions are easy to follow- 8 steps in total with little Top Tip- rolling the lime will make it easier to juice. I also cooked my chicken in a way I never had before- under the oven grill. I was sceptical about this, but it worked well! The food was tasty- not bursting with flavour, but a descent mid-week meal. The booster veg and chicken was definitely needed, unless you are portion sizing or on a diet.

Meal number two was Thick Cut Pork Chops with Sage Butter and New Potatoes. Another enticing looking instruction card and a story about purple sprouting broccoli, and how over cooked pork chops have the texture of a Bedouin's flip-flop. I didn't think they wore flip-flops?!

I have more positive expectations for this one: look at all the spuds on the plate! I'm still disappointed with the handful of long-stemmed broccoli, no stems in this house! 

An interesting instruction on this menu card: chop the garlic in half and rub firmly all over the pork chops. Rub garlic? Interesting. I rubbed it, then crushed it, then mixed the crushed garlic with the olive oil and rubbed it again. Also what was interesting, but really tasty and had a fantastically appetising aroma: instruction number 7: butter and oil frothing in the frying pan with sage, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper... only critique is that another clove of garden would have been divine.

And how did it taste- good flavours, definitely enough spuds, and with an extra bunch of broccoli, the plate was tasty. The (oven-grill cooked) pork was tender and flavoursome.

Dinner number 3 of 3- I haven't tried. It's the cod dish and I will more than likely wait until Edge is away fishing overnight. I re-packed the leaking steaks safely into the freezer and the accompanying potatoes can wait another week- they sent three massive spuds and two titchy fish steaks and the some-of-your-one-of-your-five-a-day were the gigantic leeks. I like leeks, but not as the sole green vegetable on the plate. hmph!

But, would I do it again? No, £39 for three mid-week meals is far too expensive. Yes the fresh ingredients come from London, but there is no need for London rates. The value of the box was probably only about 15£, so at least it was worth what I paid. The two biggest downsides to the service are 1) the delivery times- you need to be home during the day and I feel like this defeats the purpose. If I was home during the day, I would spend at least half of the day either searching for fantastic ingredients at the butcher, the green grocer, the market, etc. unless you run a day-care, then I can see how this would work.

The second thing that could do with improving is the menu selection: Edge doesn't eat fish and fish is always on the menu. A pick-list selection where you can sub-in something of equal value to your taste would improve the service. However, in regards to this, Hello Fresh is very open and prompt in receiving feedback. This being a new service, I believe it will evolve, and I will let my colleague let me know how it gets better.

What worked: the ingredients were packed on ice and fresh, the menu cards are trendy and easy to use, customer service was friendly and prompt, and the food was tasty enough. If you haven't tried it, I prompt you to do so to find out for yourself... it's easy enough if you are scared of cooking and most dishes cooked with fresh ingredients are going to turn out satisfactorily.