HelloFresh vs Gousto vs Mindful Chef: which recipe box costs least this winter

When the evenings draw in and the diary fills up before Christmas, a recipe box can take the "what's for tea?" question off your plate. But prices vary a lot between the big three. On a family-sized order, Gousto says it costs from £3.20 a portion, HelloFresh from £3.50, and Mindful Chef from £4.50. Delivery and minimum orders change the picture again.

We've compared the three on price, new-customer offers, choice, flexibility and delivery, using each company's own website. Prices are the "from" figures each one publishes, so your own box may cost more depending on the recipes you choose.

At a glance

We scored each recipe box out of 5 on price, starter offer, choice, flexibility and delivery. The overall score is the average.

Who's behind them

HelloFresh was founded in Berlin in 2011 and launched in the UK in 2012. It also owns Green Chef. Gousto was founded in London in 2012 and is a B Corp. Mindful Chef started in 2015, set up by three friends, and was bought by Nestlé in 2020. It is also a B Corp.

Price: what a week of dinners costs

Gousto is the cheapest on its published prices. Its box price checker shows a two-person box with five recipes at £46.50 an order, or £4.65 a portion. Its homepage says portions cost £3.20 on a box of five recipes for four people, which works out at about £64 for 20 portions. Delivery is £3.99 on top, and Gousto's prices exclude surcharges on some recipes.

HelloFresh says that on its two-person plan, meal kits start at £7.00 a serving for two meals a week, dropping to £4.70 for five. On the four-person plan they run from £4.56 a serving for two meals down to £3.50 for five. Its plans page gives five meals for four people (20 servings) at around £69.99. HelloFresh doesn't show its delivery fee until you enter your postcode and build a box, so we couldn't confirm the standard charge.

Mindful Chef costs the most. Its homepage says family meals cost £4.50 a portion for existing customers, while its help centre lists family boxes from £5.12 a portion, two-person boxes from £6.75 and one-person boxes from £11. Delivery is £5.99 an order, or £8.99 for premium pre-noon delivery, and there's a £25 minimum order before delivery.

New-customer offers

• Gousto: 50% off your first box, 40% off the second and 20% off the next six, plus free delivery on the first box. On its two-person, five-recipe box, that brings the first order down to £23.25.
• HelloFresh: 50% off your first box and "free treats for 2 months".
• Mindful Chef: 30% off your first four orders and free delivery on the first box, which it says brings family meals down to £3.15 a portion.

Introductory prices end, so judge each service on what you'll pay from the second month onwards.

Choice and dietary needs

Gousto offers the most variety, with more than 175 recipes a week, including more than 40 ten-minute meals, and filters for vegetarian, gluten-free, low-calorie and high-protein dishes. HelloFresh's menu changes weekly and includes Rapid, family-friendly and Calorie Smart recipes. Mindful Chef has a smaller menu of 28 meals a week, focused on healthy, wholefood cooking, with gluten-free, plant-based, high-protein and low-saturated-fat options labelled.

Flexibility over the holidays

None of the three ties you into a contract, and all say you can skip or cancel at any time. That matters in December, when you may be away or eating with family.

• Gousto lets you choose two to five recipes for one to five people, and deliveries can be weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
• HelloFresh has two to five recipes a week, and its plans page describes boxes for two or four people. It suggests that if you're cooking alone, you order for two and keep the leftovers. Its how-it-works page says you can change, pause or cancel up to five days before your next delivery.
• Mindful Chef offers two to five recipes for one, two or four people. Its family box is based on two adults and two or three children.

Delivery

Gousto charges £3.99, and new customers who finish signing up before 11:59am on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday or Tuesday can get free next-day delivery on their first box, where it's available (not in Northern Ireland). HelloFresh's standard slot is 8am to 7pm, with an 8am to noon slot for an extra charge and evening slots in London. Mindful Chef delivers seven days a week across mainland UK between 8am and 9:30pm. It also delivers to the Channel Islands on Wednesdays.

Where each wins, and where it falls short

• Gousto wins on price, the length of its discounts, choice and box sizes. It falls short on surcharges for some recipes, which its headline prices leave out, and delivery isn't free after the first box.
• HelloFresh wins for families who want quick, crowd-pleasing recipes, and its site links to key worker, student and Avios schemes. It falls short on price transparency, as the delivery fee only appears once you start building a box.
• Mindful Chef wins if healthy eating comes first, and for its ethics: it's a B Corp and says it donates a meal to a child in need for every box. It falls short on price, delivery cost and the £25 minimum order.

Your questions answered

Is a recipe box cheaper than the supermarket?

Usually not, if you shop carefully. At £3 to £5 a portion, a recipe box costs more than cooking the same dishes from a supermarket shop. What you save is waste and time: ingredients come pre-portioned, so there are fewer half-used jars at the back of the cupboard.

Can I pause my box over Christmas?

Yes. All three say you can skip weeks or cancel at any time. HelloFresh needs changes five days before delivery. Check your account well before the holidays, as delivery days around Christmas may change.

Can I use a new-customer offer more than once?

No. Gousto says its offer can only be claimed once, and the welcome deals at all three are aimed at new customers. If you've used one service before, a different one may still offer you a welcome discount.

Do I need to be in for delivery?

No. HelloFresh and Mindful Chef both pack chilled food with ice packs and let you choose a safe place for the box. Mindful Chef says 99% of its customers aren't in when their box arrives.

Ways to save

Start with the most generous welcome offer, then compare what a full-price box costs after it ends. Order more recipes per box to spread the delivery fee, skip weeks when you'll be away, and avoid surcharged recipes if you're on a budget. You'll find current offers on our Gousto voucher codes page and HelloFresh voucher codes page, and more detail in our Gousto spotlight and HelloFresh spotlight. We don't currently list Mindful Chef, so check its website for its current offer.

Sources: Gousto, Gousto box prices, Gousto how it works, HelloFresh, HelloFresh meal kits, HelloFresh menu and plans, HelloFresh how it works, Mindful Chef, Mindful Chef: how much does it cost?, Mindful Chef delivery, Mindful Chef recipes and minimum order, Wikipedia: HelloFresh, Wikipedia: Gousto, Wikipedia: Mindful Chef

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