Honest Hello Fresh Review (From An Actual, Paying Customer)

If you’re reading this article, you have likely seen an advertisement for Hello Fresh, either on the telly or online, and it’s got you curious. Hailed as one of the best meal delivery services in the UK, Hello Fresh vows to supply healthy meals, exciting menu options, and easy-to-follow recipes – but does it actually deliver on these promises? 

Today, I am going to be sharing my honest Hello Fresh review. I have been paying for the Hello Fresh meal kit delivery service for nearly a year now, and I have a lot of feedback to share. I’ll be answering frequently asked questions, such as “Are Hello Fresh Meals Healthy?” and “Can You Pause Your Hello Fresh Subscription?”, as well as diving into the nitty-gritty about menu options, food quality, and delivery standards. 

So, whether you’re considering Hello Fresh because you have heard it’s one of the most popular meal kit companies for families in the UK, or you’re simply looking for a convenient way to get more home-cooked meals into your diet, this is the review for you. 

Honest Hello Fresh Review: The Cost

The first thing I wanted to know when I first looked into using the meal kit delivery service was how much Hello Fresh costs. When it comes to the price of Hello Fresh delivery boxes, you need to remember two things: you’re paying for the ingredients, and you’re paying for convenience. These factors are definitely reflected in the price.

When choosing a delivery plan, the Hello Fresh website will offer you a recommendation based on the number of people in your household, the number of meals you want per week, and the number of servings each meal should produce.

Single-occupant households are out of luck; however, Hello Fresh recommends their smallest delivery box for single households, citing that the 2-person delivery box will provide single-occupancy households with leftovers for lunches as well.

Cost of Hello Fresh Delivery Boxes [2026] – Excluding Delivery Charge

# People In Household	# Recipes Per Week	# Servings Per Meal	Cost	Cost Per Serving
2	3	6	£30	£5
2	4	8	£34.96	£4.37
2	5	10	£42	£4.20
3	3	9	£42.03	£4.67
3	4	12	£48.96	£4.08
4	3	12	£45.96	£3.83
4	4	16	£55.04	£3.44

Hello Fresh also charges £4.99 for delivery.

Often, people ask, “Isn’t it cheaper to go to the supermarket rather than use Hello Fresh?”, and the answer is, well, yes. You could almost certainly get the food needed for the recipes from supermarkets, or even budget stores like Aldi and Lidl for cheaper; however, that takes away the convenience of it all.

My Thoughts On The Cost: 4 out of 5

When paying for convenience, I am prepared to pay a little more than I would normally for the cost of the ingredients. It saves me time because I don’t have to go to the shops, but it also saves me the mental headache of trying to decide what my entire family is going to eat every night, meal planning, and buying ingredients. Recipe cards are also included, taking away more mental stress. For me, I am happy to pay for the convenience.

Hello Fresh Review: The Menu

After the cost, the next most important thing to think about is the menu. When signing up to Hello Fresh, you are prompted to select the type of meals you like. This is simply so that Hello Fresh can offer you a selection of meals that suit your preferences first – so don’t worry, you will still have access to the whole Hello Fresh UK meal collection. You’re also prompted to select any dietary requirements, such as low carb or high protein, which the algorithm uses to create a suitable menu for you.

The recipes on the menu change each week. At the beginning of the week, you are given the opportunity to change your menu so that it suits your own tastes. As a vegetarian with a meat-eating family, sometimes I have to go into the Hello Fresh UK app and amend my options to select meals that are easier for me to adapt. I do think it’s pretty easy to just pop into the app and change your weekly menu; however, I have found that sometimes there are quite ‘samey’ meals for vegetarians.

Although the menu changes each week, you will see repeats of popular dishes. This works out nicely for us because it means that when I find a meal the whole family likes, I can reorder it. But if you’re looking for adventurous new cuisines, it could get a bit uninspiring for you. It’s worth mentioning, however, that as the seasons change, so do selection of menu items.

Hello Fresh also offers ‘premium’ recipes and other ‘add-ons’, which cost extra and are not included in your plan.

A word of warning: do not forget to go through your weekly menu! Hello Fresh will automatically choose a menu and send it out to you, whether you have amended it or not. I have forgotten a few times to have a check and only remembered once I received a notification from my bank saying that Hello Fresh has received payment, at which point, it’s too late!

My Thoughts On The Hello Fresh UK Menu: 4 out of 5

This is purely based on my own opinion and tastes in food. My husband would probably rate it higher, as he can handle a lot more spice than me, and like sto explore other cuisines a lot more than I do. My kids also have similar tastes to me when it comes to food, and we will all eat the same meal together. I have been surprised that some meals I thought they wouldn’t like, they have absolutely loved. It has also been a great way for them to explore Asian food and other cuisines that I’d otherwise not have cooked for them.

To sign up using my referral code: click here

Hello Fresh Review: The Packaging and Delivery

Now this is where things start to get a little sketchy for me. Hello Fresh may be described by some as one of the best meal delivery services in the UK, but their packing and delivery standards often leave a lot to be desired.

From my experience, Hello Fresh uses either DPD or Evri to deliver their boxes. I can understand that the courier service is ultimately responsible for the quality of the parcel when it’s delivered to your door, but all I can say is that they usually handle things very poorly. I have, on numerous occasions, received squashed parcels that have been mistreated during the delivery process. Ultimately, this has led to ingredients in packets leaking (think oily pesto and sticky crème fraîche), and fresh vegetables and fruits being squished. Unfortunately, if all your food has leaked or split, it means that you are then unable to make the meals in your kit, and you must go and spend more money and time going to the shop to buy replacements. This is obviously not ideal, and it is certainly not convenient – you know, that thing you’re paying more money for!

Inside the box, there are two compartments. Hello Fresh uses pre-measured ingredients in their meal kits, and the ingredients are separated into two compartments. Typically, the food that needs to be chilled is in a compartment with some ice packs, and the rest of the food is in the other, larger compartments. The non-perishable items are placed in labelled paper bags, with a number that corresponds to one of your recipes. Be aware that, sometimes (but not all the time) onions are placed in the paper bags along with the non-perishable items.

Each ingredient is pre-measured, which means there are a lot of plastic wrappers. I feel like there’s definitely room for improvement here when it comes to sustainability. According to their website, Hello Fresh states that using pre-measured ingredients helps to avoid food waste. Although this may be accurate, I hate that I find myself producing so much rubbish that will be heading to a landfill every time I cook a recipe. There are, however, some great sustainability efforts being made in other areas of the recipe box – for example, all ingredients are sent straight to Hello Fresh, rather than being delivered to a warehouse first, and then being dispatched, thus cutting down on CO₂ emissions.

My Thoughts On The Delivery and Packaging: 2.5 out of 5

My latest Hello Fresh delivery came in a box that had been squished, ripped, and torn. This time, it seems that someone at the courier service decided to do something about it and taped the box up; however, this isn’t always what happens. I have received boxes in worse states, but I don’t know if I am just unlucky, or maybe the couriers that work the route I live on just don’t like me for some reason!

Either way, the delivery gets a 1 out of 5 from me. The packaging of the ingredients makes up the rest of the score. I HATE that there’s so much wastage from the ingredient packets. Some can be recycled in areas that recycle soft plastics; however, much of it cannot. The ingredients are packaged like this for convenience; however, I do think that Hello Fresh could work on creating more sustainable options in this area.

Hello Fresh Review: Customer Service Experience

Since I have experienced the poor packaging and delivery of Hello Fresh, you can bet your bottom dollar that I have also dealt a fair bit with their customer service. To their credit, the people I have spoken with have been calm, polite, and apologetic about the issues I have raised. Not much can be done from their end about missing or unusable ingredients, but I have found that they are usually happy to apply credit to my account.

Hello Fresh Discounts

Two of the most frequently asked questions I get asked are, “Do Hello Fresh have discount codes?” and “Where can I find Hello Fresh discounts?“

Yes, Hello Fresh offers some really excellent discount codes to customers – especially new customers! Most notably, Hello Fresh offers a 50% – 70% off your first box discount, with subsequent meal kits also coming in at a reduced price. Additionally, there are offers available that grant you free add-ons and free desserts for a select period of time.

Moreover, the longer you remain a customer, the more rewards you will unlock. These awards are added to your account and include things such as free desserts, discounted add-ons, free postage, and reduced pricing.

Sharing A Free Box With Your Friends

Another pretty neat thing that Hello Fresh offers is a free box for your friends. Family and friends can use your code to get themselves a free meal kit for the week, but you are limited on how many of these you can give out.

Referring Your Friends and Family

I do love a referral scheme, and Hello Fresh has a great one. If you find that Hello Fresh is really working for you, you may want to share the love and encourage others to start using the meal kit service too. Sharing your unique discount code with them grants first-time customers with some great discounts, plus you get some extra money in your pocket after they place an order using your code. It’s a win-win!

To sign up using my referral code: click here

Honest Hello Fresh Review – Your Questions Answered

What are the Hello Fresh portion sizes like?

I personally feel that the portion sizes are pretty spot on. Some people think they’re small, but I find that the type of meal you’re cooking also plays a role in the portion size. For example, for a pasta dish, I would say the portions are pretty sizeable; however, for something like a sausage and mash type dish, I think they could be a bit bigger. That being said, I am very prone to over-piling my plate!

Are Hello Fresh Meals Healthy?

All Hello Fresh boxes come with fresh ingredients that are pre-measured for convenience and portion control. Trust me – I am always tempted to add more cheese! Many of the meals are well-balanced, some may be higher in calories, fat, or salt than others. It’s up to you to choose meals for your weekly Hello Fresh subscription that best suit your dietary needs. You can customise meals to your preference, and use less butter/oil or alternatives if you wish.

Will Hello Fresh Help Me Lose Weight? 

There are several ways Hello Fresh can help you to lose weight or manage your weight. Firstly, the pre-measured ingredients will help you to cut back on the overconsumption of the tastiest parts of the meal, such as cheese. The Hello Fresh subscription box promotes fresh ingredients and homemade cooking; both of these factors can help you to lose weight by eleminating sodium rich pre-made meals from your diet, and teaching you a life skill that can help you to benefit from healthy food more often. In addition to this, Hello Fresh offers several sub-sections of meals that are specifically made to target health-related goals, such as weight loss.

Can You Pause Your Hello Fresh Subscription? 

Yes, you can pause your Hello Fresh subscription at any time and skip a week (or however many you want). You can also cancel at any time.

Overall Thoughts – TL;DR

In conclusion, after nearly a year of using Hello Fresh, I can honestly say it’s a service of highs and lows. The cost is higher than a traditional supermarket shop, but for me, the convenience, reduced mental load, and ease of getting home-cooked meals on the table make it worthwhile. The menu offers a good variety, even if it can feel a little repetitive at times, and the flexibility to swap meals or pause deliveries is a definite plus.

However, the biggest let-down has consistently been the delivery experience and the excess packaging, which can undermine the very convenience you’re paying for. Customer service has always been helpful and quick to apply credit when things go wrong, and the generous discounts and referral perks are a nice bonus. Overall, while it’s not perfect, Hello Fresh has made weeknight cooking simpler and more manageable for my family, and for now, that’s enough to keep me subscribed.

If you fancy giving Hello Fresh a go yourself, use my referral code below to sign up.

To sign up using my referral code: click here