Gousto review - A vegetarian perspective

I'd been thinking about trying a food subscription box service for a while. I know some of my friends and family order from the likes of Hello Fresh and find it really convenient, so after seeing an advert on Facebook for 50% off your first Gousto box (and 30% off any other boxes that month) I thought I had nothing to lose from trying it out.

After browsing the available recipes (they change every week) I decided to order the following:

• Curried Cauliflower, Cashew & Potato Tray Bake (plant-based)
• Chickpea, Butternut Squash & Apricot Tagine (plant-based)
• Halloumi Burger & Smoky Tomato Relish (vegetarian)
• Chilli-Lime Sweet Potato Rice Salad (plant-based)

I was concerned there wouldn't be many options for me as I don't eat meat, however I was glad to see there were 8 vegetarian options that week (I believe there's usually 9 but one had sold out) and 4 of those were plant-based.

My box containing 4 meals for 2 people (so 8 meals in total) would have usually been £34.99, however with the 50% off discount code bringing it down to £17.50, I thought it was more than reasonable!

When it comes to delivery, you can opt for free delivery where your order arrives any time between 8am-7pm, or for an extra £2.99 you can choose morning delivery (8am–12pm) or evening delivery (7pm–10pm).

The day before my order was due to arrive I received an email reminder which also advised what day each recipe had to be used by. I thought this was really helpful when it came to planning the order to make each meal.

Curried Cauliflower, Cashew & Potato Tray Bake

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I'm glad this was the first recipe I tried, as it was delicious! The instructions were simple and easy to follow and the portion sizes were generous. I gave the leftovers to my mum and stepdad and they both enjoyed it too.

The curried potato in particular was full of flavour. I often find vegetarian curries can go wrong when the recipe uses too much spice, but this was perfect and not too overpowering.

Chickpea, Butternut Squash & Apricot Tagine

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

I was a little disappointed with this recipe. I love chickpeas and overall it tasted ok, but I found it very spicy. My mum on the other hand loves hot food and thought it was delicious! The recipe does advise you can use half the harissa paste if you'd prefer it a little milder and I think in hindsight I probably should have done that. Alternatively a yoghurt dip could have helped take the edge off.

Halloumi Burger & Smoky Tomato Relish

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | View the recipe

I'd been looking forward to this recipe all week and luckily it didn't disappoint! The smoky tomato relish was delicious and worked well with the halloumi. The herby wedges were also very tasty, although I thought the salad was a little underwhelming and I wasn't keen on the dressing.

As I was cooking I felt the recipe was using a lot of oil, so I switched to garlic fry-light to cook the halloumi to try and cut down. By the time I sat down to eat it my burger bun had unfortunately gone a little soggy... I wasn't sure if it was down to the salad dressing leaking over it, or the excessive oil. It was a shame (and a mess to eat!) but I still enjoyed it.

Chilli-Lime Sweet Potato Rice Salad

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ | View the recipe

My final recipe of the week was this sweet potato rice salad. The ingredients complimented each other perfectly and chilli-lime dressing was unbelievable. I'm definitely planning on recreating it! I used half the chilli because I was worried it was going to be too hot, which turned out to be a good decision.

So what did I think?

I really enjoyed my first experience with Gousto. Placing my order was easy, and it took away a lot of stress knowing I had 4 of my evening meals planned for the week. I've actually already ordered a second box to arrive this week! With the 30% discount it came to £24.50, which at £3.06 per serving isn't bad. I usually spend between £20-30 on food shopping per week anyway (not including eating out). After my first month discount runs out I think I'll carry on using it once per month or every 2 weeks when I know I won't be in the mood to go food shopping.

If you're interested in trying out Gousto for yourself, I have a 'refer a friend' code which gives you 50% off your first box and 30% off boxes ordered during the rest of that month (it also gives me £15 credit towards my next box!) The code is SAMAN23915478 for anyone who's interested, or click here.

Have you ever tried Gousto?