Learning to Cook with Mindful Chef

I'm probably the most vanilla person you've ever met.

Food-wise, I mean. I'm just a bit rubbish with flavour. Spice? No thanks. Salt and pepper? Rather not. Herbs? Get them off my food right now. My idea of a taste sensation is a really good carbonara. I'm not even kidding.

Obviously, this means I'm a very unadventurous cook. I tend to stick to Mediterranean dishes - minus the olives and feta, of course. Recipe books don't really do it for me, and although I've been tempted by food boxes in the past, the meals tend to contain gluten which is a big no-no.

Step in the absolute babes at Mindful Chef.

I started ordering food boxes from these guys in November, and they have literally changed how I eat. Previously, I felt fancy whenever I cooked halloumi - now I'm rustling up bean cassoulets, coconut chickpea kormas and Swedish meatballs like no one's business.

In a nutshell, Mindful Chef deliver weekly recipe boxes - just like those other guys at Hello Fresh, Abel & Cole and Marley Spoon. However, all of Mindful Chef's recipes are gluten, dairy and refined carb-free, which is an absolute dream. There's a big focus on seasonal vegetables, and their meat is sourced from award-winning British farms. Each meal contains just 10 ingredients and takes 20-30 minutes to prepare, max.

I buy meals for one, which makes them a little expensive - generally around £8. However, my favourite, favourite, favourite thing about Mindful Chef is their CSR: For every meal bought, they donate a school meal to a child in poverty. That, plus the things I'm learning and trying along the way, makes it totally worth it.

All of HC's historical recipes are on their website, which I'd 1000% recommend checking out. And if you fancy trying a box, you can get a cheeky £20 off by using my email address (hello@kerisocial.com) as a voucher code. Don't say I never treat ya.

Images from Mindful Chef.