Meal subscription services are becoming increasingly popular, with companies promising fresh, healthy meals (or the ingredients to make them) delivered to your door.
One such company is Planthood, the brainchild of Will Moxham and Hilary Kennedy (Will and Hil) - a husband-and-wife team on a mission to make vegan food more accessible.
I decided to put three of Will and Hil’s recipes to the test. My credentials? I’ve been vegan for most of my adult life, so I’ve tasted the best and worst when it comes to plant-based food.
My kit included ingredients for a creamy coconut dahl, red lentil pasta bake and hispi cabbage gratin. I also received three juices and two oat pots for breakfast. Each recipe bag is packed with fresh vegetables and plant proteins (think pulses, tofu and tempeh), plus pre-prepared sauces.
Something Will and Hil do very well is put a twist on an old-time favourite. We’ve all had our fair share of dahls by now, but this one was different from the curry shop classic. The sauce (which needed only to be added to a pot, along with lentils and some water) was bursting with flavour. Roasted cauliflower tossed in a pre-made spice mix and crispy cavolo nero were added on top, providing a flavour and nutrient hit you wouldn’t get from more authentic versions of this meal.
I don’t know about you, but cabbage has been all over my social media feeds for the past few months. And, truth be told, I haven’t been here for it. Memories of soggy boiled leaves plated up in the school canteen live on in my head, despite my education being long over. But the hispi cabbage gratin gave what many of us might consider a rather tired vegetable a new lease of life. Coated in a creamy cashew sauce with tempeh ‘prosciutto’, not only was it surprisingly delicious, but it packed a protein hit, too. This meal was my unlikely favourite.
On the flip side, pasta bakes are synonymous with comfort. Planthood’s version didn’t scrimp on the nostalgia factor - it still felt like a hug in a bowl - but butterbeans and lentil pasta, again, provide extra protein.
Planthood differs from some subscription services in that there is a little work involved on your part - you may have to de-stem your own cavolo nero or crush a garlic clove. But the bulk of the hard graft has been done for you. Plus, the meals actually come together in the 15-20 minutes promised - a godsend after a busy day - and where some kits compromise on taste (especially when it comes to vegan offerings), each meal was bursting with flavour. For me, the one exception was the oat pots, which could have been a little sweeter.
There are also no recipe cards. Instead, scan the QR code on the front of your recipe bag and follow the instructions. I found the recipes relatively simple to follow and well laid out.
As far as I was concerned, my Planthood experience was a roaring success (I enjoyed the coconut dhal so much, I ate both portions in one sitting). But you needn’t take my word for it - Will and Hil’s success speaks for itself.
From spending their weekends cooking every recipe from their home kitchen in Clapton to appearing on Dragon’s Den, the couple have now amassed a loyal fanbase, shipping out thousands of meal kits a week nationwide.
If the veganism of it all has put you off, don't close your tab just yet. “75 per cent of our customers are meat eaters”, Will told East End Review. “For a lot of people, [eating] vegan can be quite daunting.
“Lots of people just want to try something new [and we’re here to provide that]”
But the business, founded in the pandemic, came from humble beginnings. “Our first customers were our friends and neighbours”, Hil told East End Review. “We wouldn’t have had that support somewhere other than Hackney.
“There were a lot of serendipitous moments along the way”.
Despite their success, Will and Hil’s commitment to providing healthy, UPF-free meals has remained unwavering.
