I Tried Mindful Chef: Is the Premium Price Worth It?
If you’re searching for healthy, high-quality recipes delivered to your door, Mindful Chef is likely to pop up very quickly. But is it actually worth the money, or just an expensive way to avoid the supermarket?
I’ve tried more meal kit services than I care to admit. From Gousto to HelloFresh and Simply Cook, if it saves me time and removes the need to think about dinner, I’m interested. I’m a terrible cook, I lack imagination, and I’m well aware that recipe boxes will never beat the supermarket on price. That doesn’t mean I’m happy overpaying for convenience, though.
So when Mindful Chef offered 25% off my first four boxes, I decided to give it a proper test to see whether the premium pricing is justified.
Mindful Chef summary
Mindful Chef focuses heavily on healthy, high-quality ingredients and caters well for people with specific dietary requirements, including meals for one person. However, weekly recipe choice is limited compared to rivals, and pricing is noticeably higher, making it harder to justify for families or budget-focused households.
Pros
- Strong focus on healthy, nutritious meals
- Excellent for dietary requirements
- One of the few meal kits offering meals for one
Cons
- More expensive than rival meal box companies
- Limited choice of weekly recipes (usually around 20)
Reviewed by Household Money SavingIs Mindful Chef worth it?
Mindful Chef is worth it if you prioritise healthy meals, high-quality ingredients and specific dietary requirements. It isn’t cheap and won’t save you money, but it can be good value for people cooking for one or anyone willing to pay more for nutrition and ingredient quality.
Who Mindful Chef is (and isn’t) worth it for
Mindful Chef is worth it if:
Mindful Chef isn’t worth it if:
What is Mindful Chef?
Mindful Chef is a UK-based recipe box subscription founded in 2015. Its focus is firmly on health, sustainability and ingredient quality. Meals are made using British meat and poultry, sustainably sourced fish and carefully selected fruit and vegetables.
Unlike some competitors, Mindful Chef keeps things simple: it’s about healthy recipe kits rather than mass-market variety. You choose your meals online, ingredients arrive pre-portioned, and you cook them at home.
Boxes are available for one to five people, which makes Mindful Chef unusual in offering genuine single-person meals.
Also worth reading
Find out how Mindful Chef compares to the other popular meal delivery services.
How does Mindful Chef work?
Mindful Chef is a subscription service, but you’re not locked into regular deliveries. You can choose between one and four deliveries per month, skip weeks, pause your account or cancel entirely at any time.
When you sign up, you select your dietary preferences, such as vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or dairy-free. If you eat meat or fish, you can also choose the type of protein you prefer, such as British grass-fed beef or sustainably sourced fish.
Once your delivery date is set, Mindful Chef automatically schedules future orders. You then choose your meals from the weekly menu. If you forget, meals will be selected for you.
You can change or cancel meals up to four days before delivery. You’ll receive reminders by email and text as the delivery date approaches.
How much does Mindful Chef cost?
Mindful Chef pricing works differently to Gousto or HelloFresh. There’s no bulk discount for ordering more meals. Each recipe is priced individually, and the cost per meal stays broadly the same regardless of order size.
That makes Mindful Chef relatively expensive, especially for smaller households.
| 1 person | 2 people | Family | |
| Meal cost per person | £10-£14 | £6.50-£9.50 | £4.75-£7.13 |
This means single diners pay the most, and families get the best relative value, although it’s still more expensive than rival meal kits.
Prices don’t decrease when ordering more meals, which is why Mindful Chef suits occasional use rather than weekly bulk orders.
Does Mindful Chef save money?
No. Even compared to other meal kits, Mindful Chef is on the expensive side. Cooking from scratch will always be cheaper, and services like Gousto or HelloFresh offer better value if you’re ordering multiple meals each week.
What you’re paying for here is ingredient quality, nutrition and convenience, not savings.
Mindful Chef vs supermarket vs takeaway
| Option | Typical cost per meal | Primary focus |
|---|---|---|
| Mindful Chef | £6.50–£14.00 | Health & ingredient quality |
| Supermarket home-cooked | £2.00–£3.50 | Lowest cost |
| Cheap takeaway | £7.00–£10.00 | Convenience |
Mindful Chef doesn’t compete on price or convenience. It competes on nutrition, quality and dietary control.
My Mindful Chef experience
Signing up and choosing meals was straightforward, and the introductory discount applied automatically. Unfortunately, my first delivery experience wasn’t smooth.
I was initially told my box would arrive on Monday, then warned there may be supplier issues. The box was delayed, one meal was missing, and although I was promised a £10 credit as an apology, it never appeared. Communication after that point was disappointing.
The box eventually arrived a few days late with a minor leak, although the food was still usable. A small extra item had been added, presumably as an apology, but it didn’t really make up for the inconvenience.
To be fair, my second delivery arrived without any problems.
The food
This is where Mindful Chef redeems itself.
The ingredients were fresh, well packaged and clearly labelled. Expiry dates were generous, so there wasn’t the usual panic to cook everything immediately. Recipes were presented in a magazine format, which looks nice but isn’t as practical as individual recipe cards.
Cooking instructions were clear and beginner-friendly. However, cooking times were optimistic. One recipe listed at 40 minutes took closer to an hour once prep was included, which is worth bearing in mind on busy evenings.
Taste-wise, the meals were excellent. Portions were generous, flavours were good, and I didn’t feel hungry afterwards. For healthy meals, that’s not always a given.
Is Mindful Chef easy to cancel?
Yes. Cancelling or pausing your subscription is done online through your account. There’s no need to call anyone or explain yourself.
The Mindful Chef app
The app is simple but useful. It lets you manage deliveries and, more importantly, sends reminders so you don’t forget to choose or skip meals.
So, is Mindful Chef worth it?
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to eat, Mindful Chef definitely isn’t it. Even compared to other recipe boxes, it sits at the premium end of the market.
However, if you value healthy meals, high-quality ingredients and dietary flexibility, Mindful Chef delivers where it matters most: the food itself. The ability to order meals for one is also a big plus.
For me, it’s something I’d use occasionally rather than long term. The quality is excellent, but the price makes it hard to justify every week, especially when delivery issues undermine the convenience factor.
Mindful Chef discount code
Click the button above to get 25% off each of your first four boxes. That’s the best way to try Mindful Chef without paying full price.
Mindful Chef alternatives
If Mindful Chef isn’t quite right for you, these alternatives may be worth a look:
Gousto and HelloFresh offer better value for families, while Mindful Chef remains the strongest option for health-focused eating and dietary requirements.
FAQ’s
Is there a free trial available?
Mindful Chef currently doesn’t offer free trials to customers.
Is Mindful Chef better than Gousto or HelloFresh?
Mindful Chef is better for health-focused eating and dietary requirements, while Gousto and HelloFresh offer better value and wider choice for families.
Just cancelled my subscription after only the second delivery as the chicken supplied for the Chicken Nasi Goreng dish was NOT free range! This is despite them claiming multiple times on their website and marketing that they only use free range chicken. They didn’t ask me if I was ok with this, or even inform me they’d done this. It was only when I become suspicious about the lack of the words “free range” on the chicken packaging that I contacted the Mindful Chef support team, who confirmed the chicken was NOT free range. Given the claims of 100% free range chicken was the main reason I signed up with this company, I feel very let down….