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Healthy meal delivery services are big news, with Cook one of the most popular. So, in a bid to level-up her nutrition – and save some time – one health and wellness editor put it to the test. Here's her honest Cook review.
My dad is a massive foodie so, when visiting him for a family reunion recently, I wasn't surprised to see him whip out enough Thai chicken curry for 20 people without breaking a sweat. I also wasn't surprised when it was delicious: fragrant, creamy with just the right amount of spice.
I was surprised, however, to find out he hadn't made it himself. Instead, he'd chosen a meal delivery service to serve up to us all. Specifically, it was a meal from Cook, the gourmet frozen meal brand.
I'd heard of Cook before, having had a Cook shop near my house, but I'd never gone in to shop or buy a meal. I'd assumed they were expensive – and who wants to pay a shed load of money for what is essentially a ready meal? But, after trying the curry put on the table for my family, I started to get curious. After all, if it was good enough for my dad, who famously takes pride in the food he serves for his loved ones, surely it would be good enough for me to eat throughout my week?
But I still had questions: as someone who values good nutrition, is it really healthy to regularly eat ready meals at home, without a special occasion? Would I get sick of Cook's meal selection? Or would I find a meal delivery service like Cook to actually be inconvenient?
There was one way to find out: try a bulk order of Cook food and see if my experience with the brand was a one-off fluke – or a delicious meal delivery service to rely on in real life.
JUMP TO: How we tested Cook | How does Cook work? | How much does Cook cost? | What types of meals does Cook deliver? | Is Cook healthy? | What delivery options are there for Cook? | Does Cook food stay frozen? | Is Cook's packaging sustainable? | What are Cook recipes like? | Who is Cook most suited to? | Are there any negatives to Cook? | Is Cook worth it?
Cook meal prep service, at a glance:
- Price: Around £50 for nine meals.
- Pros: Delicious, fresh meals straight from your freezer.
- Cons: May not be affordable for everyone.
How we tested Cook
I tested around £80 worth of food from Cook (in a couple of separate orders) - which I was pleasantly surprised included 13 meals. With my freezer fully stocked, I turned to my Cook meals whenever I needed a quick meal throughout the week – on a busy day when I didn’t have time to prepare lunch or when I’d let myself get too hungry for dinner that a 30-minute cooking session felt impossible, for example. When reviewing Cook, I considered everything including:
- Cost: how much is this per serving, and is it worth it?
- Effort: how much easier/more affordable would it have been to make this myself, and is it worth it?
- Flavour: arguably the most important thing to consider with food is - does it taste nice? Would you eat it again?
- Ease: how easy was the delivery, storage, reheating and recycling?
- Sustainability: is it a sustainable option for my diet in the longterm, both in terms of nutrition and the planet?
How does Cook work?
Cook is a fully prepped meal delivery service, meaning all your meals come cooked and frozen. All you need to do is pop them in the microwave or oven, then dig in.
You can order Cook directly from its website, buy it in designated Cook shops or find it in the frozen section of some supermarkets and corner shops.
Cook is great for all dietary requirements and preferences. On the website, you can filter by categories such as portion size (buying individual servings for one or larger dishes with some serving eight people); type of meat or vegetarian and vegan options; whether you want their healthy or free-from ranges and the type of cuisine.
Unlike other meal prep services where you have a smaller choice with a rotating menu, Cook offers every choice every week and also has seasonal dishes that change every few months.
How much does Cook cost?
I first ordered nine meals for £50. Within that, I ordered from a few different ranges, such as its ‘Pots for One’ range which are on offer at three smaller, healthy dishes for £15, and the main meals which have dishes such as the curries for around £6. Red meat and game dishes come in at around £7+.
Cook also offers bundles and meal boxes, such as the healthy meal box or the ‘new parents’ meal box, which come in at a slight discount.
What types of meals does Cook deliver?
The meals really vary, with Cook offering food across a variety of cuisines, meals and purposes. For instance, I tried meals such as:
- Chicken pad Thai
- Prawn and mango Keralan curry
- Vegan mushroom and aubergine lasagne
- Prawn, chorizo and artichoke cassoulet
- Red vegetable curry
However, there are also more staple classics, such as pies, pastas and roast meats available - so really something for everyone.
Is Cook healthy?
Unlike other meal delivery services like Frive, Cook’s focus isn’t health per se. Instead, it aims to make great-tasting, home-cooked food – and it does it well, having won numerous Great Taste awards.
While there are plenty of meals that would tick the comfort box, like mac and cheese, chicken and leek pie and chicken tikka masala, there is also a separate ‘healthy’ range which is slightly lighter than the other meal offerings if that is a concern for you.
However, I don’t think the healthiest choice is always the one lowest in calories. Instead, I would say Cook does a good job of making all meals as nutritious as possible thanks to the fact the food is frozen as soon as it’s cooked. That means Cook doesn’t need to add additives or preservatives and instead relies on fresh ingredients we’d all find in our store cupboard. Most of the meals I’ve tried also contain a good serving of veg, even if that wasn’t the focus of the meal.
Whether the food is ‘healthy’ depends on what health means to you – and what you’re looking for from your food. If you have specific health goals, Cook meals might not have the biggest selection of meals for you. But for the majority of people who want to look after their bodies without restricting, I’d say Cook does a pretty good job of catering to your needs.
What delivery options are there for Cook?
Cook delivers to most areas in the UK for those who are keen to order from its site. You can also select your delivery day and time slot so you know that you’ll be home for it.
Cook also offers a subscription for your favourite meals and will deliver them every one week to eight weeks, depending on your desired frequency.
Does the food stay frozen?
Keeping frozen food frozen is vital for health and safety. If your food is delivered via one of Cook’s couriers it will be in a heavily insulated box and will stay frozen into the early evening if it has to be left in a safe place. If it comes via another delivery service, you will need to be in to accept delivery as these arrive in carrier bags or boxes and need to be put straight into your freezer.
My delivery driver brought my food straight to my door and it was still solidly frozen so I had no worries about transferring it into my freezer.
Is Cook packing sustainable?
Your Cook meal will be delivered in a cardboard box with paper padding which is fully recyclable. The dry ice packs or gel freezer packs may be recycled depending on your local council.
As for the packaging of the food itself? Cook’s meals come in 100% recyclable plastic trays (which are made from 85% recycled plastic).
What are Cook recipes like?
As someone who loves cooking, I’m always sceptical when I try out a meal prep company. But Cook meals did not disappoint.
Firstly, I adored the variation of the recipes. I like to eat a lot of varied flavours (I get very bored if I eat the same thing every day), so being able to choose from curries to lasagnas and noodles to cassoulets really fitted how I like to eat. And, most importantly, the food was really, really good.
As I mentioned, I wasn’t sure if Cook meals would be the sort of thing I could eat every day – I worried I would find ready meals too dull or rich – or simply miss cooking. But on a busy week, my Cook meals weren’t just a life saver in terms of ease and convenience, it actually made me wonder why I ever bother cooking at all.
Even when reheated in the microwave, Cook's food managed to maintain loads of flavour and keep the right texture. It’s worth noting that some of the recipes aren't complete – for instance, a couple of the curries I ordered came with just the sauce and meat without the rice or bread, so I did have to add my own ingredients to the meal. But even with that in mind, I thought that Cook was surprisingly affordable for a meal prep company, especially considering the cost of single ingredients in supermarkets at the moment.
Who is Cook most suited to?
Cook can be for anyone who wants to eat really well without spending time in the kitchen (and isn’t that most of us?). I found the portion sizes decent enough – as did my always-hungry boyfriend, which says a lot.
It's also great for someone who wants ease without eating a load of ultra-processed foods, additives and preservatives.
Cook is also great for anyone who wants convenience but hates waste, since it's an environmentally-conscious founding B-corp business.
Are there any negatives to Cook?
Honestly, I’m struggling to come up with a negative for Cook. The main issue would be that a £5-7 meal isn't a realistic amount for everyone to spend on food. And the only other downside I can think of is that the ‘healthy’ options were mainly categorised by being ‘low calorie’ – I’d love to see some other options labelled as ‘healthy’ that included the same nutritious, protein and veg-focused meals, but were slightly more hearty – as we all know calories aren't the only thing that matters for (or most important aspect of) health.
Is Cook worth it?
Whether Cook is worth it or not depends on your income, how hard you find cooking fresh food and what you want to prioritise at meal times. While they may not be an everyday affordable meal, they are a good price for the quality (and worth every penny).
Going forward, I will absolutely be stashing a load of Cook meals in my freezer ready to go on days when I have no time or energy. Cook has been game-changing – and I don’t want to go without.
