The Great Gousto Unboxing: Plastic, Tofu, and the "Hidden" Half an Hour of Labour

Well, Gousto has officially arrived! And a huge "thank you" to the delivery driver for letting the whole road know we were out. Seriously, what is the point of the "message for the driver" box if they’re going to ignore the instructions anyway?

Once I finally lugged the box inside, the excitement quickly turned into a bit of a "what have I done?" moment. Here’s the lowdown on my first impression of the Gousto experience.

The Plastic Mountain (And the Sorting Struggle)

The first thing that hits you—and I mean hits you—is the plastic. It is everywhere. To make matters worse, unlike HelloFresh, where things are somewhat organized, Gousto sends all the spices, flavourings, and small bits in one giant bag.

For a parent with young children demanding attention, this is a nightmare. I spent a good half an hour just sorting ingredients into my fridge boxes (if you need some, here's my affiliate link to check out these ones I use and love ).

The only silver lining? It forced me to actually clear out the fridge and give it a wipe-down, otherwise, there wouldn't have been a prayer of fitting it all in. But the thought of trying to hunt for a tiny sachet of ginger paste on a busy Tuesday night? Exhausting.

Tofu for Days... and Weeks... and Months

If you’re vegan, Gousto clearly thinks you have a deep, personal relationship with tofu. My husband is going to be thrilled (note the sarcasm), but I currently have six packs in my fridge.

One recipe alone has two massive heads of broccoli and two packs of tofu. I’m all for generous portions, but unless my friends want to come over for a Tofu Party, I can see some serious wastage happening here if I follow the recipes to the letter.

The Quality Control Check

It wasn't all sunshine and broccoli, though. I found some very sad, squashed mushrooms at the bottom of the pile.

For those wondering—yes, Gousto does have a refund/credit system similar to HelloFresh! You can jump into the app, report the "damaged ingredient," and they usually credit your account pretty quickly. Still, it’s a faff you don’t need when you’ve already spent 30 minutes playing "ingredient Tetris."

The Verdict (For Tonight)

I’m looking forward to trying the actual meals, but after the "message-for-the-driver" drama and the sorting marathon, I’m officially done for the day.

Tonight, it’s a reliable bowl of leftover lentil spaghetti Bolognese. No sorting, no plastic, and zero "faff" required.

Do you want to try Gousto for yourself? Check out my friends and family referral code to get 5 meals for 3 people for under £22 like I did!

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Are you a Gousto or HelloFresh fan? Or have you ditched the boxes entirely for a Whole Food Plant-Based DIY approach? Let me know in the comments!