I lack inspiration frequently…I go through phases of being Nigella Lawson number two and making everything I see in my latest recipe book, to wishing that we lived near a takeaway because I really cannot be bothered to think about what to make for dinner. I think because I generally only cook for the children I tend to stick to what they like because I know it will get eaten and not wasted…and then I get bored with cooking etc. etc..

I’ve always imagined how blissful it would be to have dinner decided, delivered, already chopped and ready to be cooked…

Then Gousto contacted me, and they very nearly do all of that. They deliver the ingredients for three meals a week and recipe cards with instructions on how to prepare and cook the meals. The meals can be for two people or a family bag for up to four or five people. A couples bag costs £42 a week and a family bag £72 per week.

Gousto sent me two meals for two people to try out.

First up was Sweet Chilli and Lime Beef on Noodle Salad.

Unfortunately the ingredients don’t come chopped just measured out, tsk 😉  so there was a little preparation involved. The instructions come on a large card with easy to read and follow numbered instructions.

I had a hurdle to overcome when one of the crucial ingredients was missing, the lettuce, which was a bit annoying as we live in a rural location but fortunately I managed to get someone to pick some lettuce up so that I could continue with the meal. It wasn’t until I made the second meal that I found some spinach ( which I had thought was for the second meal ) which I can only assume was supposed to replace the lettuce although it would have changed the taste somewhat.

Anyway, the meal fed three of us in the end and we all enjoyed it very much.

Next up was Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken with Fresh Corn Polenta.

This was a bit more fiddly but extremely tasty and I loved making the fresh polenta from the corn even though it was very messy. The recipe needed two chicken breasts to stuff but there was only one chicken breast and then a small sliver so it was quite difficult to stuff two smaller breasts that I had to make do with after cutting the bigger one in half and instead of four ears of corn there were three…but it was plenty anyway.

Verdict? It is a great idea, I like using in season produce and being pre-measured the meals are balanced and nutritious. The recipes are inspiring and tasty and if I didn’t have children I would probably treat myself to these meals every so often, but at a cost of £6 per person per meal it is not something I could afford as a way of feeding my family on a weekly basis sadly. Also I don’t see any options for special diets so with one child on a gluten free diet it wouldn’t be feasible anyway.

However one lucky person can try it out for themselves and win a Gousto bag of two meals for two people by doing the following four things ;

• Like Gousto’s Facebook page
• Follow Gousto on Twitter
• Sign up for Gousto’s newsletter
• Leave a comment letting me know that you have done the above and which recipe you would choose to try from Gousto

Please check that Gousto deliver to your address on their website before entering to win this fab prize.

The competition closes on Monday 26th November at midnight and the winner will be chosen randomly.