Grubby, the UK’s first 100% plant-based recipe kit is on a mission to make plant-based cooking more convenient and accessible without costing the earth
I can see the appeal of recipe kits like Grubby, if you live a busy life it can be hard to find time to plan, go out and buy all the ingredients you need for tasty, nutritious meals every week.
I really enjoy cooking (if you couldn’t guess), but even I don’t always have time to cook new, tasty, healthy meals every week (running my own freelance business and being a dad of 2), so I thought I’d give Grubby a try and share my thoughts.
Grubby’s commitment to the planet
This was honestly the thing that drew me in, you can tell that Grubby seriously cares about the impact they have on the planet, they:
use around 90% recyclable, biodegradable or compostable packaging
offset their waste through food waste partners so nothing goes unused
source most of their ingredients from the UK
all recipes have a carbon rating, helping you make more informed decisions
recipes show how much CO2 you’ve saved compared to a meat-equivalent meal
they even deliver all their recipe kits via bicycle in London
On top of all of this, Grubby even donate a free meal to children living in poverty in Uganda for each box sold – having donated more than 12,000 meals already.
One thing I was a little bit disappointed about was the plastic that some of the produce came in. This is what Grubby have to say on the matter:
From time to time, plastic is used in our boxes… the tricky truth is that in some instances, plastic still plays an important role in tackling food waste and keeping produce fresh. Don’t get us wrong, we’d much rather use eco-friendly alternatives, and we’re pushing ourselves to continuously research and test new materials.
So this is definitely something Grubby is aware of and is continuously looking into – for more information on the sustainability of their packaging make sure to check out their FAQs.
How does Grubby work?
Each week you can choose up to 4 recipes (serves 2-3 people) or 2 recipes (serves 4-5 people) from a lineup of 10 (the recipes change every week).
If you’re someone who likes to plan ahead, you can even choose the meals for the following 4 weeks.
Your Grubby box will be delivered on either a Monday, Tuesday or Friday – depending on the day you select in the Grubby app when choosing your meals.
If your circumstances change you can skip weeks or change the delivery day.
Once your box arrives, you can expect to find fresh, pre-measured ingredients inside for all of your meals – with each recipe’s ingredients found in separate bags based on the recipe.
If you’re lucky, you might even get a freebie in your box – in my case, I got a free vegan hazelnut truffle chocolate bar from Rhythm. Safe to say it didn’t last long.
And if you like to listen to music whilst cooking, each recipe card has a QR code to a curated Spotify playlist so you can listen along whilst cooking.
How much does Grubby cost?
Now that we’ve covered all of that greatness, how much will Grubby set you back?
Well, you have a few options to choose from.
If you’re choosing the regular box which serves 2-3 people per recipe, you can choose from:
- £26 for 2 recipes per week
- £36 for 3 recipes per week
- £46 for 4 recipes per week
Or if you’re choosing the family box which serves 4-5 people per recipe:
- £46 for 2 recipes per week
Are the meals any good?
So now that you know what Grubby stand for and how it works, are the meals any good?
In the first box my wife and I tried:
Butternut, pepper & pinto quesadillas, avocado salsa
Roasted med veg risotto and toasted seeds
Pak choi and sugar snap laksa
Ease
This recipe required a bit of context switching – oven, frying pan, making the sauce and preparing the salsa.
But the recipe was structured in a way that meant I didn’t fall too far behind and everything was ready when it was meant to be.
Time
It did take me a little bit longer to make, the recipe said 30 mins but it ended up taking me around 40 mins.
Taste
I knew when I was cooking it that it was going to taste good.
The balance of flavours between everything was spot on, you wouldn’t guess you’re eating so many different veggies in one go. If I got this in a restaurant I’d be really happy.
Ease
This recipe was pretty straightforward, it didn’t involve too much context switching.
I did find the order of steps could’ve been better (as the veggies from the oven were ready much sooner than my risotto in the pan).
Time
Timings were pretty accurate, it took maybe 5 mins longer than stated.
Taste
Taste-wise, it was okay. Not the most flavoursome meal, but when you got a spoon with the toasted seeds, the flavour kicked in. I’d happily eat it again but I wouldn’t choose it over their other recipes.
Pak choi and sugar snap laksa
Ease
This was the recipe I was most looking forward to. Following the recipe was pretty straightforward – it mostly consisted of chopping veggies and adding them to a pan.
Time
Timings were again pretty accurate, it probably took me 25 mins to make – whereas the recipe said 20 mins.
Taste
It had a generous portion size (possibly could’ve served 3 people depending on how hungry you are). As for taste, it was great, the crunch that the peanuts added were an underrated addition – would definitely eat this meal again.
Who is best suited for Grubby?
People who want to eat tasty, healthy plant-based meals
People who don’t have time to find recipes and buy the ingredients
People who want to spend less time cooking
People who enjoy cooking
Who is not suited for Grubby?
People who are happy to find recipes and buy ingredients themselves
People who really don’t like cooking
People on a budget
Would I buy Grubby again?
Honest answer, yes, but not all the time.
There are many positives to Grubby; the meals are tasty, I don’t need to plan what to cook, or buy the ingredients and with bigger box sizes it means I can cook enough food for my wife and me for 2 separate meals.
But the sticking point for me is – cost.
Do I think Grubby is worth it? Yes.
But as someone who enjoys cooking and will happily go out and buy the ingredients, the cost difference can be vastly different.
Personally, I feel like I could incorporate Grubby into my schedule when I get busy.
As someone who runs their own business, there are weeks where I just don’t have the time and/or brain capacity to plan out what to cook for the entire week – this is where Grubby would come in really handy for me.
But that’s just me personally, Grubby could be exactly what works for you.
So if you’re in the market to try out one of these recipe kits, I’d definitely recommend giving Grubby a try.
Whether you’re new to plant-based eating or you’ve been plant-based for a while, Grubby is definitely worth a try – you’ll be making healthy food choices that have less impact on the planet.
Looking for something that doesn’t require so much effort? Check out my review for allplants – frozen vegan ready meals.
