Can I put my hand up in the air and firmly state that I wanted to hate Gousto. I really did. At each stage of the process I let negativity swamp my thoughts. For Gousto is a service where you choose recipes, they deliver all the ingredients to your door, weighed out ready for you and then you cook your dinner. Soulless, awful and exactly not what someone like me might like. Or so I thought.
My preconceptions were, in no particular order:
– The recipes won’t be to my taste.
– The recipe instructions will be badly written.
– The recipes will never change as it’ll cost Gousto too much to change them. I’d hence get bored.
– The portion sizes will be too small.
– I will feel too restricted knowing what I’m eating for two/three/four nights in a row.
– The delivery will be a nightmare.
– The cooking will take too long and be complicated.
– It will be too expensive.
– This is not for people like me. It’s for people who have a lot of money.
– I just won’t like it. I won’t. I won’t. I won’t.
And guess what? I loved it. The recipes were delicious. In the style of Jay Rayer, I even ordered two recipes that I suspected I wouldn’t like. I liked them. The portion sizes were generous, even for a piglet like me and my piglet husband. I absolutely didn’t mind knowing what I would be eating in advance. Sometimes playing Ready, Steady, Cook! every evening with two small people screaming and asking for stories/milk/play dough rescuing is stressful. Sometimes it’s just nice to take that stress away and have someone else decide what’s for dinner. Even if that someone was you 7 days previously, sitting at a laptop with a glass of red in your hand and the children in bed.
The delivery was a dream. If I ever set up my Holly Bell Hampers business I will absolutely be using the same courier service. The gentleman who delivered the food box was lovely, he didn’t smell of fags and he smiled at me with all his own teeth. I liked him a lot. The packaging was SO GOOD that I have (blush) saved it for picnics and holidays in the summer. Wool wrap around blanket and frozen ice cube style bags made for icy cold meat and veg. Everything was weighed out and you know what, it was great. It was like having my own sous chef. The recipe cards were easy to follow and well written. The cooking time was short.
They have thought of everything… when you choose your recipes the week before you even get to decide according to what kind of cooking utensils you have or can be bothered to use. So I chose one wild boar ragu with no extra faffing and one artichoke and courgette pasta dish that needed a blender. It’s all so clever it hurts. And it IS for people like me. 3 meals for 2 people (they do a family service too) including meat is £42 including delivery. The quality of the food was very high. I liked the whole experience a lot. And they even change their recipes every week so you absolutely cannot get bored.
I have a Gousto experience to giveaway – for one lucky person they’ll get 2 meals delivered to them which will each feed two people. So you and your partner/pal/mum can eat for free for two evenings. This is worth £28 and honestly, it makes your heart sing when you realise that for two wonderful evenings, someone else has thought about dinner.
Please note there’s an extra way to enter with this giveaway (on the Rafflecopter form as usual) where you sign up to the Gousto newsletter. Just enter your email at the bottom left of their website. They won’t be passing on your details to anyone else, they would however keep you up to date with any goings on. This is not a mandatory method of entry so if you don’t like joining mailing lists then there’s no need to. Oh and please check that Gousto deliver to your postcode before you enter. You can do that here.
There are lots of ways to enter – see the Rafflecopter form below. The first way is just to leave a comment on this post. Easy peasy. Closing date Friday 1st March 2013.
How to enter:
- Complete the Rafflecopter form below to confirm your entries made via blog comments, Twitter, Facebook etc.
- This giveaway will close on 1st March 2013.
- Please read the rules below.
- Winners are announced on the Rafflecopter form after the prize has been claimed by the winner.
- First timers: Please watch how Rafflecopter works (video)! It is 46 seconds long. It explains everything.
- If no form is showing, hit refresh and it should appear.
- Complete the form – or your beloved entries will not go into the draw. And that would be such a waste of time.
- Mandatory entries need to be completed first – so leave a blog comment before you try and complete any of the other methods of entry.
- Want more chances to win? Come back daily after tweeting about the giveaway and fill the form in again.
- If you are viewing this by email you will need to click through to enter.
Rules and things:
- Only to people in the UK over the age of 18. Please check that Gousto deliver to your postcode before you enter. You can do that here.
- There’s one prize of two meals to feed two people worth £28. There’s no cash alternative to the prize and the prize is not transferable. No part or parts of the prize may be substituted for other benefits, items or additions.
- Instructions form part of the terms and conditions. Entries using any software or automated process to make bulk entries will obviously be disqualified. The winner will be picked at random using software and then contacted by email. If you win and then don’t respond to this email within 7 days then another winner will be picked so check your emails and your spam! The goodies will be delivered to the winner as soon as possible after you have sent me your delivery address.
- I am running this giveaway on behalf of Gousto who will be responsible for sending the prize to you if you win, which is very kind of them as it saves me queuing up at the Post Office. Their decision is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into. So there.
- This is where I get all stern – please don’t say you have liked the post and followed me on Twitter and Tweeted away like a Tweety thing if you haven’t as guess what? If you win I will check you did do the things you said you did. It’s only fair after all. And I do like fairness.
Good luck everyone!
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Yes, yummy!!! Fab!
A really lovely giveaway, thank you! :)
yummy great comp
Great review of Gousto – I was reading their website the other day and trying to decide whether to use them or not – I currently get my Veg and Meat – and other bits and bats – from different places – and inventing the meals – I’m trialing Abel & Cole at the moment, but your review had given me the confidence to give Gousto a shot. I quite like the idea of everything being done for you for you but still have the pleasure of cooking. I’m rubbish with lists and making sure I have the right ingredients to hand so this sounds fab. Thank you xx
Sounds great would love to try it
Am salivating already!
Nom nom nom
Sounds lovely :-)
Sounds great!
Thanks for a great competition! :)
Would love to win this – fab!
This sounds amazing – right up my street!
great comp thanks
lovely giveaway
would love to try this!
Would be interesting to try
Great competition prize!
What an unusual prize
I’d love to try this. It would be great to have a couple of meals that were stress free and exciting. It would be great to win
Great prize :)
Will be keeping everything crossed :-)
Yum, i could think of some nice things to make if i won this :)
Looks fantastic!
I’ve heard great things about gousto – would love to try.
What a great idea – my problem is not planning ahead and then there is nothing in the fridge to make a meal and so I eat all the wrong things that I can find that are quick to make
This does sound good!
Great prize
sounds like a great idea actually, for someone who is not very creative to have your ingredients put in front of you makes it easy! and once you’ve got the basics of cooking down you can start experimenting :D
lovely!!
very nice indeed.
i would love to try these
I find that I am particularly impressed that you were ‘against’ the concept in principle and found yourself enjoying the whole experience. Sounds fab.
Fingers crossed!
Great prize, thanks for the giveaway.
love to try
LOve to try these.
I’d love to try this great prize
FAB GIVEAWAY X
Wow! I would love to try this
Sounds brill would love to win! :)
Great prize
Sounds great!
sounds great
Sounds fab!
oh – looks delicious!
wow great prize, x x x x x x
great prize
I’d love to try this
Fresh RULES!!!
GREAT PRIZE
Mm, sounds tasty!
Fab prize x
great prize
I’m in!
Mmmmmmm
what a lovely prize!
fab prize
great prize. Count me in, please.
great prize
Wonderful prize!
great prize
Lovely prize :-)
A prize well worth winning
Great idea
sounds amazing
Lovely prize
I would love to win this prize!
I’d love to try this. It sounds soooo easy!
This sounds interesting – I must admit I share a lot of your preconceptions so I’d love to be proved wrong!
This looks great.
I like the sound of this, if you are going to be having a busy week etc, saves a lot of time.
Is this that chap who was on the apprentice a while back? Looks exciting!
Thanks for the giveaway – looks great
Ooh, would love this! may even try it if I don’t win ^_^
Evenings where I don’t have to think, go out, and STILL have yummy food? yes please!!!!
Great prize
What a lovely treat to have a weekend worth of tasty fuss free dinners.
Deciding what to cook is the hardest part for me so this would be amazing. Plus, not having to do the shopping with three small children hanging from me – bliss!
wow! super prize giveaway! looks fresh tasty and very healthy fingers crossed to win x
Would adhore x
looks an interesting idea
lovely, tasty and healthy x
Looks like a great idea!
Thanks for the chance – looks fab!
Nice prize
These look ideal. Yes please!
Great prize! Looks delish
brilliant prize with lots of ideas nom nom nomity nom
Fab prize
Wow… this looks sooo fresh and yummy!! Love trying new ideas!
this is a great idea, i am always missing something from the ingredients when i cook, with this it would no longer be an issue
a planned meal, yes a wonderful idea
An interesting idea, takes all the hassle out of planning a meal!
Sounds very good, must have to try!
Easy dinner….perfect!
Would love to try this. I’m always stuck for ideas!
BEWARE GOUSTO FOODS – NO COMMITMENT (not true)!!! We signed up to
trial the service for half price (initially thinking £42 for two people
for three meals was a bit steep). The food arrived on a Wednesday
without issue. Due to a lack of menu options and the price we decided
not to order again. Having taken note of the claim of ‘no commitment’
plastered over the website we took no further steps. On Friday we
discovered that £42 had been taken from our bank account for next
Wednesday’s delivery, even though we hadn’t even placed an order!
We
then tried to ring up their customer service on the Friday to cancel the
delivery for the following Wednesday but they REFUSE TO CANCEL THE ORDER
& REFUND OUR MONEY!
I’ve read about Gousto – and it’s always good. I’m not sure if I’m within their delivery range or not though so tried up to now…
Fab – would be great not to have to worry that I’d forgotten something for the recipe :)
I’ve heard about this company and generally it’s been good reviews. Would like to try!
looks tasty
I’d love to try these packs
what a great prize
Some great ideas
This looks yummy!
I would like to try Gousto
Great treat. Love trying new & exciting recipes.
Would love to try this out
What a good idea – and a lovely giveaway x
Lovely prize! xxx
Would love to try this!
would love to try this, brilliant idea
this looks like a great idea -and a fab prize!
How difficult are the recipes as I am not a good cook?
Amazing prize. Good luck to everyone x
Fab prize
Great competition
Mmmm – yummy. I’m a piglet too so it’s good that the portions are generous.
Great competition
Interesting idea, looks very tasty
Another fabulous competition, thank you so much!
This is such a great idea and I would really love to try it!
I love the look of this.
love to win this, seems interesting concept :)
I’d like to try this – it would be a nice treat to cook something a bit different
id be interested to try this
love to win this – especially after binging over Christmas
Looks delicious!
Great competition – hope I win!
fab comp
Their marketing is excellent as I see this name everywhere and am curious to try them!
great idea!
brilliant prize!
Sounds good to me – food on the doorstep lol!
this is a very clever idea – would love to try
would love to give this a go!
here’s hoping!
Company looks ace! I love that the recipes look so simple to cook :)
IF they really are as good as your picture, they look tantalisingly delicious/
fabulous ideas
I keep seeing these mentioned everywhere and would love to try one!
Sounds like a great idea, would be cool to try them out :)
Fab, thanks! :)
Simon.
fab prize
Great giveaway, thanks for a chance to win!
looks great
A great idea, would love to try this.
These look a great idea and much better than convenience food x
Yummy, great prize
What a fab idea! Great if you don’t have time to prep meals or even if you *hate* visiting supermarkets!
please enter me
Brilliant prize!
great prize
Looks like a great way of trying exotic recipies
Lovely healthy giveaway and no cooking for two days, brilliant!
Delicious!
great prize
Lovely giveaway. X
I don’t have a blender ;(
yummy, great giveaway
Fab giveaway. Good luck everyone.
i’d like to try this
Looks great!
This looks delicious!
I would love to try these
A Happy new year
Great competition :)
Have entered!
LOVELY!
This is a clever idea :)
lovly prize :)
Great prize.
not quite sold on the idea but wd love to try xx
What a super prize
It would be great to try something new as sometimes I find myself cooking the same thing
I really like the idea of this :)
lovely!
Sounds great!
they look really tasty :O)
would love to try this
Great Prize.
What a cool idea!
Would love to try these
Lovely food, yes please
What a super prize :)
Please put me into the draw – thank you xxXX
That sounds wonderful for my husband and I.
Always a struggle to decide what to cook, would love this prize
Wonderful healthy prize, xx
Gusto good – fresh and healthy
wow Holly – another fab prize! x
What a great prize : )
yummy
The food looks really fresh and healthy.
Fab giveaway would love this!
Would love to win this
I’ve been sceptical too – I’d love to I’ve them a try!
I’d love to give this a try.
Cool, these look good
These loook lovely!
I love this idea, its like eating out in.
Interesting – my thoughts about delivery services were the same as your preconceptions.
I’m intrigued
Sounds fab
what a great giveaway