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New Year, New Recipes: My 2026 Veganuary Experiment

  • Amy Eley
  • Dec 30, 2025
  • 3 min read

Updated: Dec 31, 2025


Like many of you, I’ve dabbled in meal delivery services before—way back in 2018! I remember the excitement of the deliveries, but eventually, the rising prices and the pull of my own kitchen led me to hit "cancel."


Fast forward to today: I’m in a total cooking rut. As a plant-based mum, I want to eat healthily and enjoy family time, but "decision fatigue" is real. Lately, my kitchen has been on a loop: Bolognese, curry, noodles. 


New year, new recipes! This January, I’m testing the modern world of meal kits to see if they are actually worth the effort and the price tag.


The Methodology: How I’m Judging My Dinners


To really see if these boxes are a long-term solution for our family, I’m putting them through a rigorous "Mum-test." It’s not just about whether the food tastes good—it’s about the whole experience. I'll be scoring each one on Cost vs. Quality to see if that price tag actually translates to better ingredients, and I’ll be hunting for the best Introductory Discounts to see who offers the most "bang for your buck." I’m also looking at Ease of Cooking (is it actually 20 minutes, or are there 15 pans to wash?) and the Range of Choice—I don't want to be stuck with the same three pasta dishes every week! Most importantly, I’ll be checking how Vegan-Friendly they truly are (no "lazy" swaps allowed!) and whether the Serving Sizes are generous enough to satisfy the kids without me having to raid the snack cupboard an hour later.


The Pre-Order Battle: Who Won on Price?


My favourite thing so far? Choosing meals in advance. I’ve already pre-ordered four kits, and the introductory discounts vary wildly—I assume the bigger brands can afford to be more aggressive with their offers!


Here is how the "Big Four" stacked up for my first four weeks:


  • Week 1 Simply Cook: The cheapest entry point. I got the first week free, paying just £1.98 for delivery. I’ll update you on the total cost once I’ve bought the fresh ingredients. You could be savvy and choose recipes with overlapping ingredients to save money, but let’s be honest—I’m not up for that level of effort right now!


  • Week 2 HelloFresh: I grabbed a 50% discount, bringing it to £27.25 for 4 meals (3 people). That works out to £2.27 per serving, which is very reasonable!


  • Week 3 Gousto: I managed to find a cheeky referral code for 65% off, making this the cheapest actual kit. £21.86 for 5 meals (3 people). That is a tiny £1.46 per serving!

  • Week 4:

    Mindful Chef: The most expensive of the bunch. It cost £47.36 for 3 meals (4 people). Even with 25% off, it came to £2.96 per serving. Because they only offer 1, 2, or 4 person options, I had to size up even though we only needed 3 servings. Weirdly, some recipes (like the risotto I wanted!) only appear for certain group sizes, which was a bit of a let-down.


One Week Left... What's Next?


We are officially prepared for January! However, I still have one week left to fill. Which recipe kit should I add to the experiment?


  • Grubby (100% plant-based)?

  • Plant-Chef?

  • Yummy?


I’d love to hear your opinions—what should I try last?


Join the Journey!


If you’re penny-pinching after Christmas but want to eat well, why not join me? I have referral codes that will give you similar (or even better) discounts than the ones I found.

I’ll be 100% honest in my reviews. I have no link to these brands other than the standard referrals everyone gets—I just want to find out what works for us "veteran" vegans and newcomers alike.


My Referral Codes:



Remember to cancel the subscription if you're just in it for the introductory offers!

 
 
 

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