It's been a fun journey of culinary delectation over the last few weeks. I have sampled a huge array of offerings from every company that I could find who operates in my area. This year, there is likely to be a lot of consolidation and failure in these offerings. The press has already cottoned onto the ridiculous nature of the 'Unicorns' of Tech and these companies are in a similar fold.
Here is a rundown of the various services that I have tried:
| Company |
Meal Cost (based on 6 meals/week) |
Self Make / Ready Made |
Return Packaging |
Pros |
Cons |
| Gobble |
$11.95 |
Simple Self Make |
Yes |
Simple and Tasty |
Limited delivery options |
| HelloFresh |
$11.50 |
Self Make |
No |
Tasty |
Instructions are not great |
| Freshly |
$11.50 |
Ready Made |
No |
Convenient & Fast |
Food seemed very bland |
| Blue Apron |
$9.99 |
Self Make |
Yes! (super efficient) |
Cheap |
The recipies were very up and down |
| Peach Dish |
$12.50 |
Self Make |
At a cost |
Delicious |
Food travels a long way |
| TableRunner |
$12-$15 |
Ready Made |
Yes |
Tasty |
Expensive |
| Plated |
$12 |
Self Make |
No |
Tasty, comes with everything |
Expensive |
| Munchery |
$10-$15 |
Options for Both |
Not needed |
Really Tasty and a good range. |
A Bit Expensive |
| Green Chef |
$13.50 |
Self Make |
No |
Delicious |
Limited Delivery Options |
| Eat Mise |
$10-$15 |
Ready Made |
Not needed |
Good Choice |
A Bit Expensive |
| Luke's Local |
$12.50 |
Ready Made |
Yes |
Flexible Delivery |
Didn't taste good! |
| SunBasket |
$11.50 |
Self Make |
Yes |
Tasty |
Large lead time before delivery |
So who won?
Well I am going to cheat a little here and break things out into a few different categories. Not everyone wants the same thing out of their delivery service so here are a few options, depending on what you are after:
The Quick Fix: Table Runner
If you are after something that comes in a box and can just be thrown in the oven/microwave and comes out tasting fresh and delicious... frankly you can get that sort of thing from your local supermarket and probably for a lot less however I would say that Table Runner offers good choice and quick prep times.
Learning to Cook: Green Chef
I have several friends who have opted for these services as a way of helping them learn to cook with minimal outlay and maximum simplicity. The winner for this one for really great recipe cards and a simple layout - Green Chef.
Best Value: Blue Apron
The cost of these as I have given in the chart above doesn't seem to be that big of a deal, but a $2 increase per meal equates to $48/month which is quite a lot of money. If you want to be a little budget conscious, Blue Apron is the cheapest of the options out there as well as being one of the bigger ones. Of course if you are really budget constrained... going to the supermarket is always going to be cheaper.
Variety & Flexibility: Munchery
If you want a mix of quick fix and prep yourself that tastes delicious and has a menu that is always changing and evolving - Munchery is the way to go.
Personal Choice: Gobble
I have to be honest, this has been a great ride but I am not renewing any of these. I enjoyed almost all of them, but if I was to go for one of these, for my personal needs as someone that wants fresh food with minimal prep time, a decent selection and some recipe cards to refer back to later on... Gobble gets the award, however until I become a multimillionaire... you'll find me down my local farmer's market/supermarket like everyone else.
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