MEAL PACKS FEATURE
We’ve long been singing the praises of our cooking app, Meal Packs. But we wanted to see how it helps regular normals cook delicious, budget-friendly meals as part of their daily routine.
We checked in with our Communications Executive, Polly, to find out how she uses Meal Packs as part of her routine.
Polly (26)
The essentials
Meet Polly…
Polly lives with 2 housemates in southwest London. Since moving out of her family home last year, cooking has become a much bigger part of her life: ‘In the past I would probably just eat whatever my mum was cooking, but now I make much more of an effort to look for exciting recipes and try new ingredients.’
She’ll often cook with her housemates or they’ll cook for each other, but sometimes it’s easier to just cook for one. Meal Packs comes in handy in both situations! It also means that she knows her meals will always be on budget.
Polly only cooks veggie and pescatarian food at home (though she can sometimes be tempted by some of the meatier dishes on offer at the SORTEDfood office…) and tries to keep her midweek meals fairly healthy, leaving room for those all-important dinners and drinks out.
At work
Cycling – and coffee!
Always a favourite
Waste not, want not
As someone who is conscious of food waste, Polly says that Meal Packs helps her streamline her food shopping and avoid buying things she doesn’t need. This is particularly handy when faced with those tempting buy one, get one free offers – though chocolate will always be a necessity!
‘For me, the best thing about Meal Packs is that the app combines ingredients across meals, so I know that I’ll use everything I buy. This is really important for me as I hate wasting food and buying things I don’t use.’
A day in the life of Polly
Polly works from home most of the time, though things are starting to pick up at the SORTEDfood studio too. Having an evening meal planned out is really helpful on busier days.
Her evenings are often taken up with seeing friends or with activities like running, swimming and cycling, so she sometimes makes a quick Meal Pack meal for lunch or at the weekends instead.
When she is making food at home, she doesn’t mind spending a bit longer on cooking: ‘If I’m cooking for my housemates and we’re just hanging out for the whole evening, I don’t mind too much how long it takes. I’ll usually go for something with some nice, interesting flavours rather than something super speedy. None of the Meal Packs take longer than an hour, but I like to take my time.’
Hanging with friends
From new veggie dishes to old classics…
One of Polly’s top priorities when choosing a Meal Pack is that it’s veggie, or pescatarian at least. Luckily there are lots of veggie options on the app, from tofu to lentils to beans, so she doesn’t really feel like she’s missing out. The ‘Twists’ section of the app is also a great way to find out how people are making Meat + Fish Meal Packs Veggie.
And how does she decide what to cook? She’ll always check the Club Menu to see if there’s anything new that appeals. Having done a fair bit of travelling before the pandemic, she is always keen to experiment with different ingredients and learn about recipes from other cultures.
But sometimes only a classic will do. This week Polly is cooking one of her favourite Meal Packs, ‘Hone Your Skills’. It was one of the first she ever tried and was a great introduction to how the app works. Though it’s a Meat + Fish Meal Pack, she’s put a twist on the Chicken Mozzarella Bake and subbed it for aubergine instead.
‘It was a great Meal Pack to pick because it taught me a couple of quick recipe hacks that I’ve since used in other meals. The 2 different potato salads are such great additions to lots of different dishes’.
Enjoying food abroad
Lemon baked salmon + potato salad
Poached eggs + roast potato salad
Aubergine mozzarella bake
Less food waste, more foodie skills
With at least 3 meals taken care of every week, it’s safe to say that Meal Packs has made Polly’s life easier. It’s also taken the stress out of planning meals, as she knows that she can pick up all her ingredients in one go and won’t waste any food either.
But that’s not all. ‘To be honest, I didn’t expect to learn so many different skills that I can use in other meals too. I think the app has helped me get more confident in the kitchen and pick up little tricks that work with other ingredients too.’
Fancy trying ‘Hone Your Skills’ and loads more for free?
