The bearable lightness of tofu

From lifestyle.inquirer.net

By Juana M. Yupangco

To understand tofu is to understand something profound about the cultures that embraced it

Few foods in the world carry the weight of history, philosophy, and culture that tofu does. Made from coagulated soy milk pressed into soft white blocks, tofu is deceptively simple in appearance—yet it has shaped the diets, economies, and even spiritual practices of billions of people across Asia and beyond for over two thousand years.

It is a food that transcends mere sustenance.

Today, tofu is found in the kitchens of Buddhist monks and Michelin-starred restaurants alike

Today, tofu is found in the kitchens of Buddhist monks and Michelin-starred restaurants alike. It sits at the intersection of ancient tradition and modern food innovation. To understand tofu is to understand something profound about the cultures that embraced it—their values, their ingenuity, and their relationship with the natural world.

Accident turned historical icon

The story of tofu begins in China, most likely during the Han Dynasty (206 BCE – 220 CE). According to popular legend, tofu was accidentally discovered by a Chinese court cook named Liu An, who inadvertently curdled soy milk with salt brine.

Affordable, protein-rich, and versatile, tofu was embraced as a food of humility and practicality

Whether this story is entirely true remains debated among historians, but written records confirm tofu’s widespread use in China by at least the 10th century CE.

In Chinese culture, tofu—known as doufu—quickly became a staple of the common people. Affordable, protein-rich, and versatile, it was embraced as a food of humility and practicality. In Confucian thought, the simplicity of tofu came to symbolize moral purity and modesty. Serving tofu was not a sign of poverty, but a gesture of authenticity and groundedness.

Serving tofu was not a sign of poverty, but a gesture of authenticity and groundedness

China’s vast geography gave rise to an astonishing array of tofu styles. In Sichuan province, the iconic mapo doufu—silken tofu in a fiery sauce of chili oil, fermented black beans, and minced meat—is one of the most beloved dishes in Chinese culinary history. In Yunnan, the province’s unique climate and water quality produce a firm, fresh tofu often eaten grilled over open flames, directly at the market stall.

From China to the Philippines

Tofu arrived in the Philippines via trade with China’s Song dynasty (between 10th and 13th century). It was Fujian immigrants who made tofu a staple food in the Philippines in Chinese settlements such as Tondo and Cebu, but then started to spread to nearby villages as the Chinese settlers spread across the country.

The author’s Asian summer tofu recipe

Tokwa, which is the dry and firm version of tofu, was made to resemble meat and was soon incorporated into Filipino favourites such as adobo, or pancit (which has its roots from Chinese settlers). Today, tofu, tokwa, taho, and its derivatives are ingredients found in Filipino cuisine.

And tokwa’t baboy is probably the most “Filipino” iteration and use of tofu.

Tofu as an art form

In Japan, tofu arrived via Buddhist monks during the Nara period (710 to 794 CE), transmitted alongside the broader spread of Chinese culture, Buddhism, and Chinese writing.

Japan did not merely adopt tofu—it transformed it, refining the craft of tofu-making into something approaching an art form

Yet Japan did not merely adopt tofu—it transformed it, refining the craft of tofu-making into something approaching an art form.

Traditional ways and means of tofu

In Korea, tofu—called dubu—is embedded in both everyday cooking and festive tradition. Korean cuisine employs tofu in a remarkable range of preparations, from the famous sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew) to hearty braised dishes and pan-fried banchan (side dishes).

Korean tofu is generally firmer than its Japanese counterpart, suited to absorbing the bold, complex flavours that define Korean cooking—gochugaru (red pepper flakes), doenjang (fermented soybean paste), garlic, and sesame oil.

Historically, tofu in Korea was associated with prosperity and celebration. It was a prized food served at ancestral rites (jesa) and weddings. There is even a well-known Korean custom of giving newly released prisoners a block of white tofu—its pure white colour symbolizing a fresh start and a blank slate.

Korea has also developed a distinct tradition of fermented and seasoned tofu. Dubu-jorim—pan-fried tofu braised in a savoury, spicy sauce—is one of the most popular everyday dishes, present on nearly every Korean family table. Korean Buddhist cuisine, like its Chinese and Japanese counterparts, centres tofu as its primary protein source, with temple food (sachal eumsik) gaining international recognition in recent decades.

Integrated into daily cuisine

In Indonesia and Malaysia, tofu—called tahu or tauhu—is deeply integrated into daily cuisine.

Tahu goreng (fried tofu) is ubiquitous street food, served with peanut sauce, sweet soy sauce, and fresh cucumber. Gado-gado, the iconic Indonesian salad of vegetables and protein dressed in peanut sauce, typically features tofu prominently alongside tempeh, the other great Indonesian contribution to soy-based cuisine.

Tau kwa—a firm, pressed variety of tofu with Chinese origins—is a beloved ingredient in Singaporean and Malaysian hawker food, appearing in dishes like tau kwa pau (tofu stuffed with shrimp and vegetables) and tauhu bakar (grilled tofu with peanut sauce).

Meanwhile in Vietnam, tofu (dau phu) plays an essential role in vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, particularly on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, when many Vietnamese Buddhists observe vegetarian days

Meanwhile in Vietnam, tofu (dau phu) plays an essential role in vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, particularly on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, when many Vietnamese Buddhists observe vegetarian days. Sauteed with lemongrass, chili, and fish sauce alternatives, or simmered in tomato-based sauces, Vietnamese tofu preparations are bold and aromatic.

Thai cuisine incorporates tofu in its own distinctive way—in pad thai, in spicy soups, and in the rich, coconut-milk curries that define the country’s culinary identity. The Chinese Thai community has been particularly instrumental in establishing tofu as a mainstream ingredient throughout Thailand.

Tofu as a meat alternative

Tofu’s arrival in the Western world was gradual, carried by waves of Chinese and Japanese immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, and later propelled by the 1960s and ‘70s counterculture movements that embraced plant-based diets, Eastern philosophy, and ecological consciousness.

With time, tofu lost its spiritual essence in the West and instead became associated with the veganism of the ‘80s.

Our Asian neighbours have revered tofu for its lightness, purity, and almost spiritual food. But tofu does not seem to carry the same meaning here in the Philippines, having lost its essence through time and trade, and often seen as a filler food for those who can’t have, or can’t afford meat. Natural food co-ops, vegetarian communes, and health food stores placed tofu at the centre of an emerging food movement that challenged industrial meat production.

The rise of veganism and plant-based diets in the 21st century has dramatically increased tofu’s popularity

Today, tofu is firmly established in Western mainstream food culture—appearing in supermarkets, fast-food chains, and fine-dining establishments alike. The rise of veganism and plant-based diets in the 21st century has dramatically increased tofu’s popularity, with younger consumers driving demand for tofu scrambles, crispy baked tofu, tofu-based cheese alternatives, and high-protein smoothie additions.

Western chefs have also embraced tofu as a canvas for culinary creativity. Techniques borrowed from Asian traditions—pressing, marinating, fermenting, frying—have been combined with Western flavour profiles to create a new genre of tofu cuisine that is distinctly contemporary yet rooted in ancient practice.

Asian summer tofu

This version of cold tofu combines Korean and Japanese flavours, and served over ice, perfect for the summer months

Tofu is a light meal that reflects flavours and spices well. In Korea, fresh tofu is eaten with kimchi, while in Japan, hiyayakko or cold tofu is made with fresh soft tofu, topped with green onions, ginger and soy sauce.

This version of cold tofu combines Korean and Japanese flavours, and served over ice, perfect for the summer months.

Ingredients

1 container soft tofu, sliced into bite-sized pieces

2 leeks, chopped finely

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated

1/4 cup kimchi

1 Tbsp soy sauce

Procedure

Create the perfect bite. Layer the tofu with soy sauce, kimchi, leeks, and ginger for a cool and refreshing treat.

https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/568830/the-bearable-lightness-of-tofu/

 

Opinion: Oatly Lost the Word ‘Milk’ – Is ‘Leather’ Next?

From greenqueen.com.hk

By Stephanie Downs

Stephanie Downs, co-founder and CEO of eco leather start-up Uncaged Innovations, reflects on how the plant-based milk labelling debate could be echoed in the materials industry.

When Oatly lost a recent Supreme Court battle over its use of the word ‘milk’, regulators framed the decision as a victory for consumer clarity. The term, they argued, is animal-specific and applying it to plant-based drinks risks confusing shoppers about what they are buying. 

For innovators, however, the decision highlights a broader question: how language should adapt as new technologies reshape familiar products. Cars naturally evolved into electric cars. Phones became smartphones. Currency added cryptocurrency. Why do some industries evolve to accommodate the old and new while others fight innovation?

A similar dispute is now emerging in fashion. As biomaterials become credible competitors to animal hides, the question of what can legally be called ‘leather’ is becoming the new regulatory discussion. 

The debate over terminology

                                                                                 Courtesy: Uncaged Innovations/Loué Studio

The rise of alternative materials is not a niche phenomenon. Over the last decade, the leather industry has seen the birth of a number of successful alternative material companies innovating with natural ingredients like fungi, grains and agricultural waste. Analysts expect the production of bio-based leathers to grow by 37.4% CAGR from 2024-34. 

In an attempt to slow this growth, terms such as ‘vegan leather’ and ‘plant-based leather’ are now banned in many European countries, one being Italy, which, alongside China and Brazil, is one of the biggest leather producers in the world. Here, companies using plant-based prefixes on their products now face the threat of heavy fines or even criminal prosecution.  

Regulators argue that it is misleading to consumers for companies to equate synthetic or plant-based material with genuine animal-derived leather. Yet critics point out that this dynamic is familiar. It is a classic growing pain where old terminology struggles to keep up with modern innovation. 

Deciding the value of materials

Debates over what can be called leather miss the larger shift in how materials are made and valued. Take, for example, the ice industry. 

Originally, ice was seen as a ‘natural’ product, harvested from frozen lakes and rivers. When refrigeration technology emerged, the ‘natural ice’ industry insisted that this new machine-made ice was to be labelled as ‘artificial’, and launched smear campaigns to convince the public that it was unnatural, full of chemicals, and dangerous. This was pretty ironic given the dangerous origins of their ice, which was harvested from dirty rivers and lakes. 

Today, it is just ice. Though the industry tried all kinds of tactics to protect its territory, the new technology eventually won. Why? Because it solved real-world problems of cost and performance. This same logic should be applied to how leather is viewed today. 

Critics of alternative materials insist that only animal hide deserves the name leather, even though the term synthetic leather has been used since the 1970s. The concern seems to have bubbled up in just the last 10 years as newer and more eco-friendly materials have entered the scene. 

Banning a term doesn’t change the underlying reality that brands’ and consumers’ definition of value has evolved. Brands want a product that is high quality, easy to scale to meet commercial needs, and offered at stable prices. Consumers want products that are aesthetically pleasing and reasonably priced, and modern shoppers are increasingly interested in how materials are sourced and produced. 

Collaboration, not litigation

A more constructive response would acknowledge that innovation rarely eliminates tradition overnight; more often, it reshapes it. But this evolution requires a shift in how we view the relationship between tradition and innovation.

Heritage tanneries have a unique opportunity to help lead this transition by leveraging centuries of expertise in finishing, dyeing, and structural manipulation. These respected suppliers could partner with this new wave of biotech start-ups to refine their products and gain from it themselves. 

Biomaterial innovators will ultimately succeed or fail based on the benefit they provide, rather than their labels. New innovations enable capabilities such as fragrance customisation, expanding the creative possibilities available to designers, shaving months off production timelines and significantly de-risking the supply chain for brands.  

Legal battles can slow change, but they rarely halt it. If incumbent industries focus solely on protecting terminology, they risk overlooking the larger transformation of the materials economy. 

This transition offers us a chance to move past the ‘leather vs non-leather’ binary and actually focus on creating a marketplace where materials are judged by their benefits to brands and consumers rather than their proximity to an animal.  

https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/uncaged-innovations-vegan-leather-plant-based-milk-labels-oatly/ 

Stevie Wonder's Chef Found A Way To Add Bacon Flavour To His Meals, No Meat Needed

From chowhound.com 

In case you were ever wondering, there's a scientific reason why bacon tastes good with everything. So it's really no wonder that stars and the everyday home chef alike might find joy in discovering new ways to enliven dishes with the trusty help of bacon. When it comes to the multi-award winning and chart-topping musician Stevie Wonder in particular, he is known not to hold back on sharing his foodie dislikes (he once told his private chef to never again make one particular veggie food, pickled watermelon radishes). But there are certain foods that really impress his tastebuds, and bacon makes the list. However, Wonder became a vegan sometime around 2013 or 2014 (and has been public about his decision), so meat-based bacon was a no-go. So in 2015, his personal tour chef, Makini Howell, found a way to mimic the taste of bacon without actually using the meat. She did so by using smoked tofu and a vinaigrette as the next best thing for bacon flavouring.

                                                                                        Featureflash Photo Agency/Shutterstock

In an interview with Milk Street, the vegan chef mentioned that she had a specific protocol for replicating the flavour of bacon with plant-based ingredients for the singer. She would smoke some tofu and pair it with a vinaigrette made from vinegar, stone ground mustard, and fresh herbs. Howell mentioned that being on tour and cooking for one person daily helped her become more creative in making dishes that had variety but were still satisfying and "hit the spot".

How to enjoy the tofu bacon and dressing that Makini Howell made for Stevie Wonder

While you might've heard about swapping in a protein-packed tempeh in place of bacon for your breakfast or even turning tofu into deli meat for your next sub, Makini Howell's bacon replacement brings in a special smoky element that is worth trying out. To achieve the smokiness, it's best to make use of ingredients like smoked paprika for a natural and gentle kick of heat. This can be used to season the tofu as well as stirred into the vinaigrette. It's also possible to add in liquid smoke if you'd like to boost the smoky element. Tofu can be notoriously bland if not seasoned and marinated well so purchasing a pre-smoked tofu will guarantee the smoky taste profile.

                                                                                                      Veselovaelena/Getty Images

The vinaigrette dressing benefits from simplicity, which means you can fine tune it without much complication. Howell's recipe calls for vinegar, which adds a sharp acidic nature to the dressing, while the stone ground mustard adds a coarse texture, more acidity, and potent earthy flavour. While Howell doesn't disclose the exact herbs used to make Stevie Wonder's dish, her own brand, Makini's, has a smoked tofu which includes tamari sauce and chili flakes. These could bring heat and umami flavours to the dish. Experimenting with the combination to make the plant-based bacon with vinaigrette appealing to your preference might mean loading up on other ingredients. For more sweetness you can consider adding in maple syrup, and if you're interested in bringing out more saltiness and rich savoury notes, then soy sauce will be worth adding to the mix. You can then use this as a bacon replacement in your BLT or add it to any dish for vegan-friendly bacon flavours.

https://www.chowhound.com/2143753/stevie-wonder-chef-bacon-flavor-smoked-tofu/

Ferrero brings vegan Nutella to the US, but it's not the one Europe got

From vegoutmag.com

By Oliver Park

Ferrero launched Nutella Peanut in the US — the brand's first vegan product in North America and its first new flavour in 61 years. But it's a different formulation than the plant-based version European shoppers already know 

After years of watching Europe get its own plant-based Nutella, Americans finally have a vegan option—just not the one they were expecting. Ferrero has launched Nutella Peanut in the United States, a dairy-free spread that reportedly swaps milk powder for powdered rice syrup and chickpeas while blending peanut flavour with Nutella's signature chocolate-hazelnut taste, as Plant Based News reports. It's not a port of the European product. It's a calculated rewrite—and it reveals a sharper truth about how plant-based products actually win in America.

The European Nutella Plant-Based, which reportedly rolled out across the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy, kept the original hazelnut-forward profile and simply removed the dairy. Nutella Peanut is a different formulation entirely, built around a flavour Americans already buy in staggering quantities. The distinction matters for anyone who's been waiting for a straightforward plant-based Nutella on US shelves—but it matters more as a signal of how Ferrero reads the American market.

And that reading is grounded in data. According to National Peanut Board data, Americans consume an average of 4.4 pounds of peanut butter per person each year, and roughly 94 percent of US households stock at least one jar. By anchoring a new product to that existing habit, Ferrero sidesteps the harder sell of convincing American consumers to try something unfamiliar. It's less a plant-based conversion play and more a flavour extension that happens to be vegan. The product appears to be available at major retailers, with Ferrero announcing the launch alongside a new Nutella Ice Cream Cone, both debuting in North America to coincide with World Nutella Day.

This is the quiet lesson of the past few years in plant-based marketing: the biggest wins have come when companies stop leading with what's missing and start leading with what tastes good. Oat milk didn't break through by advertising the absence of dairy; it broke through because baristas liked steaming it. Impossible Burger didn't gain traction by telling people to eat less meat; it gained traction by showing up on menus at Burger King. Ferrero is running the same playbook. Nutella Peanut reads as an indulgent new flavour first and a dairy-free option second—and that framing is exactly the point.

Whether Nutella Peanut eventually opens the door for the original European plant-based version to cross the Atlantic remains an open question. But Ferrero's choice to build a different product for the US rather than simply import what worked elsewhere suggests the company understands something many plant-based brands still struggle with: you don't ask consumers to change their habits. You find the habits they already have and make a version that fits. For now, that means meeting American shoppers where they already are—elbow-deep in peanut butter.

https://vegoutmag.com/food-and-drink/vo-fd-ferrero-brings-vegan-nutella-to-the-us-but-its-not-the-one-europe-got/

UK: ‘Fresher than anything in a shop’: the best recipe boxes and meal kits for time-poor foodies, tested

From theguardian.com

By Jane Hoskyn

Whether you want budget, organic or vegan, these are the best meal delivery services from our writer’s test of nine

Recipe box services are the best thing to happen to time-poor foodies since, well, sliced bread. They’re cheaper than a takeaway, often less processed than a ready meal, and much more culinarily adventurous than beans on toast.

You have to do the actual cooking, but not the shopping. Recipe boxes contain every ingredient you need (well, most do), often in the exact measurements required. “Meal kits” cut hassle even further by including pre-prepared stocks, sauces and other flavour bombs, plus ready-chopped veg. All you have to do is put them together following the steps in the recipe, which can take less time than queueing at a supermarket checkout.

Besides slashing your reliance on takeaways and toast, the benefits of these services are legion. All nine recipe boxes and meal kits I tested for this article were packed with excellent-quality, UPF-free ingredients, and the recipes trod a fine balance of accessibility, culinary intrigue and genuine deliciousness.

To find out how nine bestselling recipe boxes suit different food tastes and cooking abilities, I enlisted the help of my extended family for this test. Here I’ll reveal our favourites, including a letterbox-friendly kit that relit my 86-year-old dad’s cooking bug, and a sustainably packaged box that contained the most beautiful cauliflower I have ever seen.

Why you should trust me

I’ve spent decades writing about products, from smartphones to hay fever remedies, so I’m professionally sceptical of manufacturers’ claims to magically improve our lives by buying their stuff.

In some ways, I’m the ideal target audience for meal delivery kits (I’d like to cook more but am short on time), and in other ways, I’m not (I’m a fussy eater, and I loathe unnecessary packaging). To impress me, a recipe box would have to inspire me to cook, be significantly less hassle than a supermarket sweep – and not fill my bin with plastic.

How I tested

With nine recipe box brands on test, and some sending me multiple boxes (guys, you really shouldn’t have), my fridge and I couldn’t cope with this test on our own. So, as with my mattress testing, I leaned on my relatives to help.

My family covers a spectrum of cooking and eating types. Among us, there’s a confident cook who doesn’t like to follow recipes (my sister, Maeve); a lapsed cook gradually sliding into ready meals (my dad, Don); and an enthusiastic baker who likes to follow recipes to the letter (my husband, Alan). Alan and I are vegetarian; Maeve and Don are not.

I began by assessing the boxes’ contents for freshness and quality, and comparing how sustainably they were packed. Many claim to cut food waste by providing ingredients in the amounts needed, but that’s not great news for the planet if all those portions come wrapped in plastic. I carefully compared the amount of plastic used in each box, including ice packs, and gave extra sustainability points for measures such as compostable insulation, paper bags, plastic collections and local sourcing. I also gave kudos for reducing the size and weight of boxes to cut the carbon cost of delivery.

Then I handed out some of the recipes to the designated cooks. To ensure specific and consistent feedback, I drew up a score sheet so that each cook could rate elements such as quality of ingredients, clarity of recipe steps, how the meal tasted and how closely it resembled what had been promised.

My test looked outside the box(es), too. I compared the services on value for money, including delivery fees, range of recipes and cuisines, special diets covered, and ease of ordering. No food subscription service should tie you into a contract, so I was pleased to see that all the boxes I tested could be cancelled when you want. I awarded extra kudos for particularly flexible subscription models and the option to order a one-off.

The best recipe box and meal delivery services for 2026

Best recipe box overall:
Riverford

                                                                            Photograph: Jane Hoskyn/The Guardian

Riverford’s organic recipe service started from a car boot. The Devon-based company now also dispatches organic meat, dairy, bakery and drinks, as well as recipe boxes and smaller recipe kits, to homes across the UK.

Why we love it
The best recipe box services include food you can’t just buy at the supermarket; recipe ideas that expand your repertoire; cooking tips that actually work; and sustainability measures that go above and beyond offsetting the carbon cost of delivery. On all these factors, Riverford topped my test.

It wasn’t quite a slam dunk, though. The recipe range is smaller than that of Gousto or HelloFresh, and meals are more expensive. But with about 13 recipe boxes and eight kits each week, the range is imaginative and varied, with recipes that span the globe from curry and pasta to fajitas and mac ‘n’ cheese. There’s always a veggie and vegan option, plus meat and fish (the latter of which is wild rather than organic).

When my Riverford box arrived, I was amazed by the breadth of ingredients and the quality of the veg, which included vividly red and yellow peppers and a lettuce fresher than anything I’ve ever seen in a shop. If, like me, you avoid ordering veg in supermarket deliveries because you prefer to choose the best items yourself, be assured that fresh produce from Riverford is outstanding. Just be careful to use it quickly, because organic veg ages fast.

Plastic levels in the box were low compared with others in my test, with dry items such as basmati rice wrapped in paper. The company keeps emissions down by limiting its delivery schedule to one specific day of the week according to where you live, and it also collects packaging for free, plastic included, for reuse and recycling.

Alan and I cooked a couple of Riverford’s vegetarian meals: falafels with lime salad, and curried tofu traybake. As someone who rarely manages to cook tofu without disintegrating it, I was grateful for the tip about leaving “ample room in the trays”, and ended up creating the tastiest meal in my whole test. I’ll definitely be cooking both meals in future, and may well get the ingredients from Riverford again – not least because the likes of kefir, harissa and tahini are not readily available at my local Tesco Express.

It’s a shame that … Alan felt that the recipes could have used more basic guidance, for example, for cooking unsticky rice. However, I thought this helped avoid making the steps “too wordy” (something my dad, Don, criticised Gousto for).

Subscription type: flexible; pause or cancel at any time
Price range per meal: from £3.98 (side) or £7.50 to £12 (main), depending on recipe and number of people
Delivery cost: free (min order £20)
Delivery frequency: weekly (day depends on where you live)
Areas covered: UK, but not all postcodes, so do check
Dietary options: vegetarian, vegan, naturally gluten-free
Sustainability: 100% organic except fish, which is certified wild; low-emission deliveries; minimal packaging, including paper bags for dry ingredients; packaging collected for free

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Best budget recipe box:
Gousto

                                                                           Photograph: Jane Hoskyn/The Guardian

Gousto has the biggest recipe range in my test, with more than 175 to choose from every week. It’s outstandingly good value if you’re feeding a whole family, although it gets a little more expensive if you only order one or two servings. Still, the fact that Gousto includes a “one person” option at all is testament to its versatility.

Why we love it
Gousto’s boxes burst with colour, literally, because unlike its rivals, it doesn’t divide the contents into a separate bag per recipe. This helps to save on packaging, but can make for a slightly overwhelming start, because you have to divvy everything up yourself.

Ingredients duly sorted, I took the meat and fish recipes over to my dad, Don. At nearly 86, he’s in fine fettle but has lapsed from his previously adventurous cooking habits, and welcomed the nudge to try something new. He said the produce was fresh and carefully chosen, and liked not having to measure out the smaller ingredients – tomato puree, cumin and so on – by himself, or find cupboard space for any leftovers.

Don cooked the curried basa and lentil dal, using the wipe-clean card that’s more sturdy than the sheets of paper you get with Riverford, HelloFresh and Abel & Cole. The recipe was fairly simple, and he thought it could have been expressed in far fewer words (“I suspect they wanted to fill up the card”), but it seems to have reawakened his culinary mojo. “It was a way of making dal that I’d not tried before, in the oven rather than in the pot,” said Don. “It was easier than my usual way and tasted just as nice, so I’ll use Gousto’s method in future.”

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Alan made hoisin king oyster mushroom bao with sesame fries. The buns came ready-made, but the fries had to be rustled up from scratch. No disrespect to the chef, but this wasn’t one of my favourites, partly because the buns were a little dry and there wasn’t much sauce to compensate.

It’s a shame that … 175 recipes means there’s something for everyone, but it gave me choice paralysis. Also, a cucumber does not need to be wrapped in two layers of plastic, even if it’s been cut in half.

Subscription type: flexible; cancel or pause at any time
Price range per meal: from £3.20 (five recipes for four people) to £10.25 (two recipes for one person)
Delivery cost: £3.99 per box
Delivery frequency: weekly, fortnightly or once a month (customers choose delivery day)
Areas covered: England, Scotland, Wales, NI and Ireland
Dietary options: vegan, vegetarian, dairy-free, gluten-free, weight loss, high protein
Sustainability: B Corp certified; works with trusted suppliers for 100% British meat and responsibly sourced ingredients; uses recycled paper for its Eco Chill Box.

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Best letterbox meal kit:
SimplyCook

                                                                          Photograph: Jane Hoskyn/The Guardian

By far the cheapest box in my test, SimplyCook doesn’t even add a delivery charge for its boxes, which are sent by Royal Mail and posted through your letterbox. It was never in contention for “best budget”, though, because its kit of seasonings, sauces and pastes (plus recipe cards) is all you get. You have to buy the big ingredients – veg, starch and protein – yourself.

Why we love it
SimplyCook’s chef-prepared pots are what my dad, Don, calls “the interesting bit of cooking”. They’re the ingredients that can be hard to find at the shops – or at least hard to find in quantities small enough for one dinner.

This approach makes the recipes easy to customise according to your tastes, dietary needs and what you’ve got lying around. Alan made a “beef” stroganoff using Quorn, for example, and it tasted glorious. He found the recipe “idiot proof”, even when altering it to suit us, and he said the suggested cooking time was accurate and short enough to fit in after a long day at work.

SimplyCook’s format also removes the time pressure that comes with boxes containing fresh ingredients. The pots have a long shelf life, so you don’t have to find time to cook them right away or find space for them in your fridge. It also widens the range of recipes on offer at any one time, covering a huge variety of cuisines and dietary requirements.

The subscription model continues the uncomplicated theme. Your first box is £5 including postage, and you can cancel after that if you just fancy a one-off. If you do continue it’s £11.98 per box, with four recipes per box and three little pots of perfectly measured flavourful ingredients per recipe.

It’s a shame that … while I liked the freedom to choose my own bulky and fresh ingredients, it won’t suit you if you don’t have easy access to a supermarket.

Subscription type: flexible; cancel or pause at any time
Price range per meal: set price of £9.99 for four recipes
Delivery cost: included in box price
Delivery frequency: weekly, fortnightly or monthly
Areas covered: all of UK
Dietary options: vegan, vegetarian
Sustainability: packaging is mostly cardboard, with plastic used minimally; small box means no need for courier delivery

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Best recipe box for quick meals:
HelloFresh

                                                                           Photograph: Jane Hoskyn/The Guardian

The recipes from HelloFresh were the most accessible in my test, and came with the clearest step-by-step instructions, including a photo for each step. There’s a lot of choice, too, with a rotating menu of 80+ weekly recipes in categories including family friendly, low calorie, vegan and high protein.

Why we love it
HelloFresh’s jolly green box was waiting on my doorstep after I’d nipped out one grey January morning, and it brought much-needed joy – albeit wrapped in slightly more plastic than seemed necessary. Beans were in Tetrapaks rather than cans, while potatoes, broccoli and lettuce were in non-essential single-use plastic. It was easier to forgive the plastic ice packs that kept fridge items cool – that’s hard to avoid – and I was glad to see recipe-specific ingredients divided into numbered paper bags according to recipe.

My sister Maeve took HelloFresh’s pack of beef and pork mince off my hands and cooked the cheddar cheeseburger. As an experienced cook, she went a little off-piste with the recipe, but she said the quality of ingredients and clarity of the steps made this easy to do. “I could see which bits were essential and which bits I could play around with a bit more,” she said. The finished result was delicious, according to her family, and the mince was excellent quality, but she would have welcomed a higher veg count.

Most of the recipe collections I tested are easy to browse online before you decide to sign up, but HelloFresh prefers to hide its recipes behind pages and pop-ups urging you to take out a subscription. I found a trick to bypass this: click delivery areas, then use the recipe category links towards the bottom-right corner of the page, just above the QR code. When I did this, I was delighted to see that every recipe’s thumbnail is loaded with at-a-glance information, including cooking time, difficulty level and allergens.

As with most of the services I feature here, you can get a one-off HelloFresh box by signing up, then immediately skip or cancel future deliveries.

It’s a shame that … portion sizes and ingredient measurements were occasionally inconsistent, and I’d like to see the amount of plastic reduced.

Subscription type: flexible; cancel or skip five days before next scheduled delivery
Price range per meal: from £3.50 (five meals for four people) to £7.25 (two meals for two people)
Delivery cost: £4.99 per box
Delivery frequency: weekly
Areas covered: UK, but not all postcodes, so do check
Dietary options: vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, naturally gluten-free
Sustainability: B Corp certified; the company’s new cool box is fully recyclable

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Best recipe box for healthy meals:
Mindful Chef

                                                                           Photograph: Jane Hoskyn/The Guardian

As a health-conscious vegetarian, I felt right at home with Mindful Chef. Its light, wholesome recipes are easy to follow without being uninspiring, and there’s plenty of culinary variety among the 28 weekly recipes, which include meat and fish along with all the veggie and vegan options.

Why we love it
The fresh ingredients in my Mindful Chef box were superb quality, and store cupboard ingredients were premeasured and packed using minimal plastic. Items that needed refrigerating were in a cardboard cool section with ice packs, while other ingredients were divided into three numbered paper bags that corresponded to my three chosen recipes.

I took the role of chef this time, whipping up a creamy miso and tahini ramen in slightly less than the suggested 40 minutes. The steps were clear, with just enough wriggle room (“season to taste”), and I was delighted by my finished meal, which I’ll be cooking again. Actually, I’ll be cooking several of them without the need to buy another Mindful Chef box, because every box comes with a booklet containing all 28 of the week’s recipes in full.

Mindful Chef is a service after my own heart, but not everyone will love its emphasis on wholesome eating. Confident cooks, too, may wonder why a recipe box would include a pack of microwave rice.

It’s a shame that … fans of slap-up roast dinners and puddings may feel a little short-changed here.

Subscription type: flexible; skip or cancel any time
Price range per meal: £5.12 to £11.85, depending on recipe and number of people
Delivery cost: £5.99
Delivery frequency: weekly
Areas covered: UK except Isle of Man
Dietary options: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, weight loss, high protein
Sustainability: certified B Corp and carbon-neutral; aims to be net zero by 2030 and operates a 0% food waste model

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The best of the rest

Abel & Cole

Best for: confident cooks who love organic and don’t always need a recipe

Abel & Cole got into the grub-in-a-box game early, starting in 1988 with its organic veg box service. It now delivers organic meat and fish as well, plus a whole range of household goods from champagne to bin liners. Look closely, and you’ll find recipes and recipe kits, too, including meat and veggie options.

I was impressed by the quality of Abel & Cole’s ingredients, which included a staggeringly beautiful cauliflower and carrots that tasted more like actual carrot than anything I’ve bought from the supermarket. They were mostly wrapped in paper (even the box had no tape, just clever folding mechanics and string), and the minimal plastic was in the form of food storage bags that I was able to reuse. Abel & Cole even runs a plastic pickup service to collect the stuff you’ve used.

Alan cooked the hot and sour Syrian-style lentil stew, which turned out to be one of my favourite meals from this whole test. The recipe card was a sheet of paper that got soggy quickly, and the instructions were a little wordy with no pictures, but the end result was gloriously tasty – and big enough for seconds the next day.

It didn’t make the final cut because … Abel & Cole’s recipe kits section is a nice addition to its food box service, but it’s a relatively small part of the company’s remit. In many ways, it’s up there with Riverford, but its recipe range is less broad and its instructions less clear.

Subscription type: weekly or ad hoc; price range: from £3.50 (two sides) to £40 (special occasion for two); delivery cost: £3.50; delivery frequency: weekly; areas covered: most of UK except Scotland; dietary options: vegetarian, vegan; sustainability: certified B Corp with sustainability pledges include zero air freight; organic certification by the Soil Association; delivery routes planned to minimise emissions; plastic packaging used only where necessary to avoid food waste

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Grubby

Best for: vegans tired of reading the small print on everything in the supermarket

If you think shopping for ingredients is exhausting, just try doing it as a vegan. Recipe boxes help by doing the ingredient-checking for you, and Grubby’s recipe range – which includes dishes designed by guest chefs such as the Bosh team – is entirely plant-based, so you don’t even have to look for a “vegan” or “vegetarian” stamp.

Grubby started as a ready meals service, delivering UPF-free meals for vegans in a hurry. It still does them, but it’s now added a meal kit range that you can see in full by clicking “order now”. Recipes aren’t published in full on the website, but dozens are published in a hardback book that you get with your first order, which also comes with free delivery. Prices are reasonable, and the ingredient quality is excellent.

It didn’t make the final cut because … I’d have liked less plastic for ingredients that would have been fine in paper bags, such as peanuts and pumpkin seeds.

Subscription type: flexible; make changes by 72hrs pre delivery; price range: from £4.49 (two recipes for two) to £7.25 (five-recipe family box); delivery cost: £4.99 each or £5.99/mo; delivery frequency: weekly; areas covered: UK except Northern Ireland, Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Channel Islands; dietary options: vegan, vegetarian; sustainability: B Corp-certified Grubby uses biodegradable pods and “mostly organic” tins, and donates a meal to a child in poverty for every box sold.

Planthood

Best for: vegans who find other recipe kits too time-consuming

Planthood is another entirely plant-based meal kit, and it’s an even bigger time-saver than Grubby. Planthood’s chefs pre-prepare many of the meals’ elements, including sauces, garnishes and fresh veg, much of which arrives already peeled and chopped. This may sound dangerously close to ready meal territory, but Grubby says it’s all “zero additives or UPFs”, and most of its proteins are organic.

The range is small, but with 10 meals each week, there should be plenty to keep a regular subscriber interested. Alan rustled up a high-protein dish of tempeh “meatballs” in smoky tomato sauce, and while I loved the braised green kale accompaniment – which deployed a green-veg-cooking trick that we’ll be using again – I wasn’t a fan of the pre-prepared sauce, which I found rather cloying.

It didn’t make the final cut because … there’s little opportunity to learn to cook new dishes, because elements are pre-prepared and recipes are only available via a QR code.

Subscription type: flexible; price range: £7.50 per meal; delivery cost: £3.99; free for orders over £50; delivery frequency: weekly, fortnightly or monthly; areas covered: UK except NI and islands; dietary options: all vegan, some gluten-free; sustainability: aims to be 100% organic “in the future”

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Pasta Evangelists

Best for: pasta lovers who don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen

Pasta dishes aren’t exactly notorious for being difficult, but the sauces and other elements can be tricky to master. Unfortunately, Pasta Evangelists won’t help you master them, because it provides them ready-prepared, but it can certainly help to broaden your pasta palate.

Like Planthood, Pasta Evangelists employs chefs (it’s a restaurant chain, too) to make its sauces and other pasta-adjacent dishes such as focaccia and tiramisu, which are delivered ready-made. All you have to do is cook the pasta, which is fresh and therefore needs very little cooking indeed.

We tried the cherry tomato and fresh basil rigatoni, one of only two meat-free mains at the time of writing. Beans on toast would have required more actual cooking, but it was delicious, and at less than £7 each, it was cheaper than a takeaway.

It didn’t make the final cut because … it’s less a recipe box and more an Italian takeaway that requires a few minutes on the hob.

Subscription type: weekly or ad hoc; Price range: from £4.25 (two sides) to £9.75 (lobster ravioli main); delivery cost: £2.99 or free over £30; delivery frequency: ad hoc; choose delivery date (normally within 2-3 days); dietary options: vegetarian, vegan

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What you need to know

Are recipe boxes and meal delivery kits worth it?

“If money were no object, I’d cook with these boxes every week,” said my husband, Alan, genuinely delighted to be spending another weekend whipping up a meal in our fragrant kitchen.

And that about sums it up: courier-delivered recipe boxes are great, but they’re not a cheap way to cook. That’s especially the case if you’re a single person or couple who just wants to cook an interesting meal once or twice a week. It would cost Alan and me much less (in plastic, as well as cash) to look up a recipe online and hit our local Tesco.

However, they can be good value if there are more people in your household and you cook several times a week. Price per meal is usually dictated by the number of servings you want, falling to just a few pounds when there’s a whole house of mouths to feed. For a family, a subscription with Gousto or HelloFresh potentially costs no more than a weekly shop, and it creates less food waste.

How do recipe box costs compare with grocery shopping?

Value for money isn’t the only benefit of recipe boxes and meal kits. They save you time, not just at the shops but in meal planning. “I would have loved this when Alex was little,” said my sister Maeve, recalling how she’d have to dream up daily dinners for my niece.

My dad, who at nearly 86 is no fan of schlepping around the supermarket, loved having ingredients delivered in exactly the quantities needed. No more buying a whole jar of some exotic substance to use only a teaspoon. This can cut waste, save time and avoid an icky build-up of years-old jars in your cupboards.

Recipe boxes aren’t for everyone, though. If you’re the kind of cook who loves to choose your own ingredients and effectively make up meals as you go along, you won’t be comfortable with the prescriptive nature of these schemes. A recipe box only cuts food waste if you stick to the recipe and use everything in it; otherwise, you’re better off being your own food-planning boss, and you’ll almost certainly use less plastic.

Do recipe boxes tie you into a subscription?

Having recently struggled to untangle myself from a gym membership, I was relieved to find that a recipe box subscription is a whole different beast: genuinely flexible, with no tie-ins or contracts. At worst, you have to give a few days’ notice when cancelling your subscription or pausing deliveries. The best services, including Riverford, let you pause with one click, then re-enable deliveries whenever you want.

You can order a one-off box from any of the brands I’ve mentioned in this article, but to do so, you’ll need to open an account and then cancel or pause. This is well worth doing if you’re intrigued to try a recipe box but don’t want to commit, especially since most offer generous discounts for new members.

https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2026/apr/10/best-meal-delivery-service-food-recipe-kit-tested-uk