SimplyCook review: the low-cost flavour-kit box

★★★★☆

Our rating: 4/5 — the cheapest way to bring new flavours to your cooking, if you're happy to buy the fresh ingredients yourself.

A note on what SimplyCook is

SimplyCook is not a full meal kit like HelloFresh or Gousto. Instead of a box of pre-portioned fresh ingredients, you receive small flavour pots, stocks and sachets — and you buy the fresh ingredients (meat, veg, pasta or rice) yourself from your usual shop. That's why it's so much cheaper per meal, and why you won't find it in our weekly menu pages: you pick 4 recipe kits per box from a regularly-refreshed menu rather than a fixed weekly line-up.

What we like

The price. By far the cheapest box on this site — you're only paying for the flavour kits, not the groceries, so it works out to roughly a pound or two per meal.
Variety. A big, browsable catalogue spanning Thai, Indian, Italian, Mexican and more — a genuinely easy way to break out of a cooking rut.
Low commitment. Small letterbox-friendly boxes, and you choose exactly which kits you want each time. Easy to pause or skip.
Filters for diets. The catalogue is tagged for vegetarian, vegan, low-calorie and gluten-free recipes, so you can browse to what suits you.

What could be better

You still shop. This isn't a "no supermarket" box — you buy all the fresh ingredients yourself, so it saves inspiration and seasoning, not a trip to the shops.
Smaller portions of "kit". The value is real, but you're getting flavour, not a full ingredient box — set expectations accordingly.
Gluten-free. SimplyCook tags some recipes gluten-free in its own catalogue, but because their menu isn't crawlable from here we don't list individual GF kits on this site. If you're coeliac, always confirm the allergen information on their own recipe page before ordering.

Verdict: the box to pick if you want to spice up your own cooking for very little money and don't mind doing the grocery shop yourself. It's a different thing from a full meal kit — cheaper, lighter, and all about flavour rather than convenience.

See the current SimplyCook offer

New-customer offers change regularly — the button points at SimplyCook's current live deal. Checked August 2026.

Important on gluten-free: these meals are made without gluten-containing ingredients, but none of these brands prepare them in a dedicated gluten-free facility — HelloFresh labels its own as “Not Suitable for Coeliacs”. If you have coeliac disease, check each brand’s allergen information before ordering.

What other reviewers say

Our round-up of what independent UK reviewers and customers report — with links so you can check the source.

Trustpilot ≈ 4.1/5 from ~13,042 reviews (indicative — see the live score)

SimplyCook is a category apart from the other eight brands: it delivers flavour kits and recipe cards only — not fresh ingredients — making it the most affordable entry point to structured home cooking at £9.99 per box for four recipes. This model suits cooks who want inspiration and new flavours without the cost and packaging of a full ingredient kit, but it requires the customer to do their own grocery shopping.

Reviewers praise

Unique flavour-kit model — sends spice blends, sauces, and pastes with recipe cards only; customers buy their own fresh ingredients, making it the most affordable kit-style subscription at £9.99 per box (4 recipes) plus £1.99 delivery.
Maximum flexibility — no fresh ingredient deliveries means customers cook on their own schedule (no use-by pressure); 140+ recipes available; weekly, fortnightly, or monthly frequency.
20–30 minute cook times; strong customer satisfaction among long-term subscribers; easy cancellation with no phone calls required.

Common gripes

Not a complete meal delivery service — customers must separately shop for all core ingredients (meat, vegetables, carbs), which adds cost and effort and makes direct price comparison to full kits misleading.
Some customers report meals are 'very high in sugar'; overall nutrition profile depends heavily on the fresh ingredients the customer chooses.
Narrower appeal — does not suit households wanting zero-effort or fully managed meal delivery.

Sources (3)