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Gousto

My Gousto Box has arrived.

Don’t know what Gousto is?

Gousto is one of several companies that sell and deliver fresh meal kits. We had a trial parcel a couple of months ago and then wavered over reordering, until now. In the meantime I have evaluated (at a theoretical level) other offerings such as Hello Fresh, Mindful Chef and Simply Cook.

Most offerings include everything needed to make a tasty and healthy balanced dish, including the recipe. The exception is Simply Cook, who provide the recipe and the more esoteric ingredients for flavouring – in their case you still go and shop for the main ingredients. 

None of the offerings are cheap, for what they are. In fact they are downright expensive. My Gousto package of four by two-person servings works out at £5.25 a serving; Ouch!

So, if it is so expensive?

All things are relative. My home-cooked meals work out a great deal more economically, to be sure but life becomes dull and cooking starts to be boring and we find ourselves at the local pub for dinner. Dinner for two with drinks about matches the cost of a Gousto Box but is not so tasty nor as healthy. If I can get four tasty meals for the rice of one very mediocre pub meal, what a I going to do – kick the pub into touch, that’s what. I’m funding the Gousto delivery by not going out for chips and beer. That is a very grown-up decision, I reckon.

So why do it?

  • Variety – we like to challenge our palates and try new dishes as often as we can
  • Convenience – the food comes to me and I don’t have to waste my time in planning meals, writing shopping lists and going shopping
  • Wider choice – due to our habit of living in extremely rural locations, more exotic ingredients (and even some everyday ones) can be difficult or impossible to source. At the very least, supplies may be classified as “unreliable.” Our diet can become boring indeed and sometimes less than healthy.
  • We are right behind the ethical reasoning of food waste reduction (the box contains only what is needed for the dish, no more hoarding out of date condiments or binning slimy vegetables) and reducing carbon footprint (it is more efficient to use couriers to deliver than for every household to burn fuel going to the supermarket)
  • Portion control – we are both porkers in need of waist reduction. I have never learned how to cook for just two persons and always make too much, then my early years training of not wasting good food kicks in and I overeat. Delivered meals are portion controlled and will educate my stomach to eat less and teach my eyes and my hands how to buy and cook just the right amount when making my own meals.

As van-dwellers we have additional considerations such as the lack of storage space for maintaining supplies of dry goods. It’s expensive to have just 150g of rice at a time but where am I going to keep my cheap bulk-buy 10 Kg bags in a campervan, eh? The same thinking applies to everything really, from spuds to tomato paste… where does it all go? As I cannot store supplies I end up shopping more frequently than I would wish to and then also throw out lots of items that simply will not fit in my tiny fridge. 

What’s in the box?

The sturdy box is divided into two sections

The delivery box (ours comes by Yodel and is tracked) is a sturdy cardboard affair that no doubt can be repurposed once unpacked. It is divided into two section, one of which holds the non-chilled items such as vegetables and salads, grains, spices and condiments. The other side holds all the chilled items such as meat, vacuum-packed then packaged inside a wool-insulated sheet inside a plastic bag with ice packs.

Gousto will deliver a parcel for two or  four persons, of two, three or four meals. This week we ordered the four meal pack. The choice of dishes is wide, allowing me to select four dishes that I am able to cook with the van’s limited facilities.

One point against Gousto’s website here is the fact that the week’s available recipes do not indicate whether an oven is required to cook the dish, nor do they publish the recipes so that this can be determined independently. Hello Fresh make their recipes available but lack the choice. 

It is worth pointing out at this stage that I had planned take the Hello Fresh introductory offer this week in order to make comparisons with Gousto but it proved impossible to have three recipes that did not need an oven or a grill.

I conclude that Gousto’s great strength is its wide range of choice but this of course must be a factor in keeping the prices high.

 

Meats, cheese, yoghurt and fresh flavouring pastes came packed in the cooled packaging

This week’s recipes range from 614 to 763 Kcals per portion, cover a range of cuisines and include Beef, Pork and Chicken (though I could have chosen vegetarian options.)

Dishes influenced by Mexican, Indian and Japanese cuisines – nothing dull!
The non-chilled components

We had one casualty this week, with a little pot of fresh Chipotle Paste arriving broken and leaked.

Disaster strikes

Now, this I do not quite understand, given the standard of packaging. The pot was inside the meat pack in an inch-thick woollen overcoat, wrapped tightly in a plastic bag and housed in its half of the compartmented stout cardboard box. The  outer box was undamaged and nothing in the meat pack itself seems likely to have done the damage.  Obviously the chilling of the plastic tends to render it brittle but all the same, it seems likely to have been broken before packing and unnoticed by the packer (who also included an un-ordered pot of sea salt.)

The Chipotle Paste was for the Pork Chilli. I obviously can’t just nip out and buy a jar to replace it so am a bit stumped. Do I make an under-flavoured version of the dish or use the pork to make something entirely different, I can’t yet decide. I have contacted Gousto to let them know and to ask if they can post me a new pot but have to confess that there is a body of comment on the Internet that suggests that Gousto are not great in the Customer Care department. We shall see. 

One breakage is not sufficient to turn us away from Gousto so today we have ordered next week’s box:

  • HARISSA HALLOUMI SANDWICH & CARROT SLAW
  • CLASSIC LAMB MOUSSAKA
  • PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM & PESTO PASTA
  • CHICKEN & CHIMICHURRI QUESADILLAS

Once I become accustomed to using the Remoska we shall try the Hello Fresh offering.

Days 9 – 12, at Huntly

Monday and Tuesday were planned for Huntly Castle Caravan Park, a site that we enjoyed very much indeed. The weather remained beautiful and there was much walking by the river and elsewhere. The weather however was promising a turn for the worse, with gale force wind and heavy rain. We swiftly booked a further two nights rather than face the elements at Glenshee.

Huntly Castle
Huntly Castle

Unfortunately even with two extra nights, I still did not find time to fit in a trip around the castle.

Huntly did endear itself to me and I am sure that we shall return, not least because Mr Snail will have a follow up appointment at the ARI in six months’ time. The hourly bus service leaves from a stop very close to the site and takes a little over an hour, dropping off right outside the hospital. It is very convenient.

Day 4

Really? Only Day 4!

Well, here we are in Brora, at the Sea Breezes caravan site. It may not be the world’s prettiest site but it serves its purpose and is well placed for our needs, The site was once a Cold War Listening Station (nicknamed The Gulag Archipelago) – and it shows.

Yes, it is ugly
Yes, it is ugly

Outside the perimeter fence is a coastal footpath walk that goes all the way to Golspie – that and a sandy beach, if curse. Nell is delighted.  Once again we are parked looking out to sea. Tonight we can see the lights of Lossiemouth in the far distance, twinkling through the mesh wire of the fence,

We have just arrived home after eating out at Sid’s Spice, where I was treated to the most delicious Tarka Dall and the best Naan Bread that I have had in many long years.

Earlier this afternoon we sought out the  local branch of Harry Gow’s and had a double cornet each. I had Coconut with Chocolate, and Raspberry flavours; Mr Snail had Melon and Honeycomb in his. It has been hot and sunny all day once again and the ice cream was welcome.

The moment that we rolled into town we were hailed by the gentleman who had parked next to us at Duncansby Head. He and his wife spotted us again as we wildly attempted to navigate the town and find our place. Luckily when we asked directions a local young woman offered to drive ahead of us and show us the way. Thank you to her, whoever she was. Our motorhoming colleagues followed us down to the site and came to say hello, and show off the morning’s yarn purchases. I brewed up, of course.

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Too hot to close the door, so Nell was happy

The ride down here was a short one, under 30 miles from Dunbeath where we had spent a very pleasant night… listening to the rain. It rained solidly from supper time to breakfast but cleared to offer us a marvellous day. I sat at breakfast watching the creel boats at work on a mostly flat and sparkling sea. The lights on the sea were twinkling so vigorously that the effect reminded me of a Star Trek alien from another dimension. It was quite hypnotic.

We took Nell for a walk along the coastal path before leaving and she made lots of new friends when a tourist coach came in.

I left a donation in the collecting box at the boat house to say thank you for our overnight accommodation.

Tomorrow we head for the Brahan Estate, where we shall spend three nights. It will be a wee while before we see the sea again.

Mr Snail has been making enquiries about fixing the exhaust. One of the recommendations received was for a place in Elgin, where it just so happens that we intend to be on Monday. Seemingly we may avoid the expense of sending to America for an exhaust pipe and an end-piece may be specially fashioned for us. Watch this space.

If nothing can be done on Monday we have the option of returning later in the week after the ARI appointment, missing out Balmoral and Glenshee, but still arriving at Pitlochry in time for the Enchanted Forest. The backup plan would see us parking up at Lossiemouth and in sight of the sea once more, so I’m fairly laid back about this possibility.

Day 1

We got away last night and reached the top of the road only for Mr Snail to recall that he had left his coat and wallet at home. He did a magnificent job of reversing all the way back to the gate…

We set off again. I was a little concerned about the exhaust puttering and asked if all was well. Mr Snail said it always sounds like that from a cold start.

On the way to Loth we heard an odd noise. I asked what it was and he said we must have run over something. I tried hard not to have images of cats running between the wheels.

We parked up at Loth and waited for the otters to come out and play. G&A Best came along to see us off and we all sat waiting for otters.

Hank at Loth in the evening light
Hank at Loth in the evening light

This morning we were up bright and early and ready for the early boat departure.

Ceridwen awaits the ferry to Kirkwall
Ceridwen awaits the ferry to Kirkwall

It was a beautiful morning and a calm sailing.

We exercised the dog and breakfasted on arrival in town and then hit the supermarkets before going for lunch at Helgi’s.

With time to kill before the ferry to Scrabster, we went to Brodgar for a walk around the RSPB reserve. As we set off, Mr Snail groaned. I asked what was wrong and he said, you see that exhaust pipe under the van? We used to have two of those.

Oh, dear.

The Pentland Firth was flat calm and plain sailing today. We set off for Sibster only to find the place chock full of motorhomes. It was a motorhome ghetto. Clearly the secret is out. We felt guilty about parking, and really ought to have gone elsewhere. But where?

Luckily four of the six vans here left without staying the night so now we don’t feel too bad. Just tired. Very, very tired.