Home cooking, the HelloFresh way

On the run up to the summer holidays, I was very aware that our diet had become very unimaginative. Mrs Adams and I would eat the same dishes in rotation, as would the kids.

I vowed to do something about it, but the summer holidays are never a good time to shake things up. As a stay at home dad with two young kids, I find those six weeks are jam packed with numerous activities. Meals were often thrown together in a hurry, sometimes at strange times of day and in obscure locations (IE, the car!).

With the start of the new school year and routine having returned to family life, I have vowed to give the HelloFresh home-cooking delivery service a go. Allow me to explain how it works.

Chefs from HelloFresh put together a week’s worth of recipes. If you’re into celebrity chefs, it’s worth noting that some of the recipes have been put together by Jamie Oliver.

Each Sunday, Monday, Tuesday or Thursday the ingredients are delivered to your door in a cool box. I think you have probably worked out what comes next: you cook and eat!

The HelloFresh chefs are so confident that anyone cook the meals that they’ve laid down a challenge. Throughout September they’re offering a number of online tutorials plus access to recipes and you are challenged to become a top chef yourself in 21 days. More information can be found below. Very best of luck if you accept the test!

One of the fringe benefits of this for me will be fewer trips to the supermarket. Done on my own, these trips aren’t too bad but I frequently have to take two reluctant youngsters with me. No aisles, no checkouts or repeated demands for sweets. It’s going to be great.

What are the recipes like? They are very varied. In the coming weeks the HelloFresh box will contain ingredients for seared steak and crispy potato salad, mustard and honey glazed pork and yogurt and dukkah crusted chicken. Previously they have included pork and apple burger with rosemary potatoes and mixed green salad and Sicilian aubergine stew, which happens to be one of Jamie Oliver’s recipes.

I have already had a sneaky peak at the recipes and one in particular caught my eye; quickdraw quesadillas with tomato and corn salad. I’m quite a fan of Latin-American influenced food and I like to eat vegetarian from time to time so this appeals greatly.

Alerted to my interest in this recipe, HelloFresh chef Victoria gave me the following advice on presenting the quesadillas: “When you plate, it’s always best if you focus on different textures, colours and height. This adds some nice interest for your eyes. You can add different heights by placing things on top of each other, or by standing some things upright. ”

I’ll do an update on the blog in the coming weeks to let you know how I get along cooking the recipes. I’ll also post some pictures on social media. I hope you enjoy what I post!

‘This September, HelloFresh’s in-house chefs Patrick, Mimi, Victoria and Andre are challenging home cooks to become top chefs in 21 days, providing exclusive access to a database of delicious recipes and expert tips. The chefs will also be hosting a series of live Facebook cook-a-long events and Twitter Q&A’s direct from the Fresh Farm at the London based HelloFresh HQ. Sign up here to get exclusive access to the recipes and online events.’

This post was produced in association with HelloFresh.