Hello Fresh – our third box

I’m so behind with these posts, what with being away and generally not having time to post as regularly as I’d like. On Sunday, we received our fifth – and most likely final – box. If I’m honest, after the issues with box one, I said I’d persevere, but I’ve had missing ingredients in my last two boxes and their customer service isn’t great, so I’m pretty fed up of it. For something that’s meant to be a convenience, it’s been a total inconvenience – my local Asda rarely stock things like burger buns and ciabatta and let’s be honest, coconut milk isn’t cheap!

But back to this box, where I had all the ingredients necessary and they were correct! What did I cook from our third box?

Monday:      Roasted butternut squash curry with green beans and fluffy rice

Meat-free Monday went down a total storm with this flavoursome and filling curry. The sauce was rich and creamy, without being too spicy. The roasted squash was beautiful, sort of caramelised and smoky. I was a bit terrified of chopping it up but the recipe said not to even bother peeling it, so result! I’d make this again, or even consider squash as a side dish to accompany a meat curry. I took the leftovers to work and few people commented on how good it smelt.

Tuesday:     Creamy prawn & pancetta spaghetti with rocket

We love pasta in our house and I probably cook it once a week. It’s the kinda thing that Alfie can have the leftovers of. Different variations of prawn linguini are my thing of late, so I knew I would love this. The green chilli was so subtle, and I’d have been inclined to use more than half to add a little heat. As with all the Hello Fresh dishes I’ve made using prawns, there simply aren’t enough for two people when they shrink down. Other than, it was great. The fresh chilli/chive combination for garnish was wonderful.

Wednesday: Pork shepherd’s pie with mangetout

Okay, so I was really looking forward to making a family favourite and I knew Alfie would eat it. I’ve recently been experimenting with pork mince for pies and pasta dishes, as I’d like to eat more of it, rather than beef or lamb mince. The chopped tomatoes and red wine jus combo was just far too rich for the pork, so we may as well have been eating red meat. There weren’t enough potatoes either, so the ratio of mince to mash was all wrong – in fact, I couldn’t even cover the whole of my Le Creuset dish in potato so I had to sprinkle the cheese over the cracks, which obviously didn’t work either. It looks like a car crash and I didn’t enjoy it. Alfie wouldn’t eat it, either!

Thursday:    Quick n sticky beef with basmati rice

I made a boo-boo with this one, using the whole pot of Thai seasoning, rather than half – so it was very spicy! But it was still delicious. The beef was tender and the veg was soft. The rice soaked up the sweet and sticky sauce nicely. It was a great quick and easy midweek meal, which I managed to stretch into three portions – hence the spring roll side dish! I have to say, despite using too much spice, this was my favourite dish of the whole week.

Friday:                  Honey, ginger & soy fish parcels with sesame wedges and broccoli

Fish and chip Friday got a dramatic (but probably healthier) makeover this week. Honey, ginger & soy is my go-to marinade, usually for stir-fry or baked salmon, but on this occasion, I found it too salty. The sesame wedges – wow! Honestly, who would have thought of seasoning some potato wedges and sprinkling sesame seeds on the top? They were a revelation... and talking of revelations, we had roasted broccoli again! I’ve found if I cut the florets super small, they are almost like veg crisps – perfect for snacking too!

If you’d like to try Hello Fresh for yourself, you can receive £20 off your first week’s box. Visit the website or download the app and enter code HS-8D719Y9EE when asked to do so. You can choose which day of the week you’d like to receive your box, can easily select your meals and skip or cancel whenever you please.

I’ll be posting the other two boxes very soon, but in the meantime, bon appétit!

Love, Lucy xx

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