gousto box review + giveaway.

pick and choose perfectly portioned meal inspiration direct to your door with gousto. with meat, fish and vegetarian meal box options, all you have to do is choose the recipes you fancy, pick an available date and next thing you know there's a chilled meal box at your door with just about everything you need for three days of grub.

i sampled one of the gousto meal boxes last week, which came just at the right time amongst the list of baking i have to do. a foodie's gotta have a break, right? the box i sampled had a festive recipe in there too, which was a brilliant alternative christmas dish.

menu

christmas turkey burgers with brussels sprout coleslaw and homemade chips

pork chops with caramelised leeks and thyme potatoes

pomegranate glazed koftas with red onion cous cous

for a start, i just love the packaging and brand's tone of voice. the lovely christmas themed box felt really special sitting there on my back door step (don't worry everything was chilled and secure), which colourful recipe cards and an image in my head of what the dishes were supposed to look like.

for some recipes you might need a knob of butter, pinch of salt or dash of olive oil, although you can see all this information on the website when you choose, so no nasty surprises when you don't have any milk in. on the other hand, for some of them all you need is an "appetite," which i certainly have. there is also a guide of how long the recipe will take, as well as nutritional and calorie information. basically what i'm saying is, you get to pretend to be nigella for three nights of the week. camera crew and hair flicks optional.

night one. pork chops with caramelised leek.

i was pleased to see the red tractor logo on all the meat produce, along with some beautifully muddy potatoes and the scent of fresh herbs. the instructions were great for people who struggle with timings, since it was clear that i bake the potatoes whilst sorting out the leeks and lastly the pork. a tasty and hearty winter meal.

night two. pomegranate glazed koftas.

again fantastic ingredients to work with, with the red tractor logo standing proudly on the fairfax meadow lamb. this is not a dish i would usually cook or order in a restaurant, so was a great example of how gousto can take the more advanced foodies out of their flavour comfort zone. (i hope i can class myself as more advanced... ish) i have never thought to cook lamb with fennel and have no idea where i'd source pomegranate molasses. at the same time, you only get a teeny bit so it doesn't mean buying a jar for a recipe and then hiding it at the back of your fridge.

this was my least favourite of the three, although felt like the healthiest, freshest and probably most simple too.

night three. christmas turkey burger.

isn't it a fine thing when you accidentally save the best until last? this is exactly what happened this this deliciously festive turkey burger. with seasoned turkey in a fashionable brioche bun, red onion and cranberry relish and brussels sprout coleslaw, this was a very contemporary christmas combination. it also showed how easy it was to make your own coleslaw, try your hand at homemade relish, home cooked chips and making burger patties where you know 100% of the ingredients.