So you've decided that you'd like to try a vegan lifestyle for 2023, but where do you start?

Converting over to a plant-based lifestyle can seem really flipping daunting at the start and like a lot of effort in the kitchen and if you're anything like me no matter how many cookbooks you acquire you're always left with the same question...

Just what exactly can I make for food?

I've been meat-free for 26 years and vegan for 5 years, and while going vegan is the most impactful thing you can do for the animals, your health, and the planet it can feel like quite the challenge at the start. I try not to be to pushy with my views on Veganism, but honestly I believe that every single life is worth fighting for, and any changes we humans can make to protect animals and the planet is worth at least a try.

If your reason for wanting to go vegan is for the animals I believe knowledge is power, and you have to put yourself out of your comfort zone in order to obtain it. As hard as it can be to research the practises being used in the meat and dairy industries, I think you'd be hard pushed to open your eyes to the information out there and then not to come away from it actively trying to lead a cruelty-free lifestyle.

‍

Thankfully Veganism has become a lot more popular in the past 5 years and the convenience of being able to access all types of vegan options in supermarkets, restaurants, and fast food places is better than ever. Although access to these foods has improved - it's not always the healthiest option, which is why meal delivery services are a fantastic way to start your Vegan journey.

In 2023 you can order anything to your door...

from premade frozen meals (you can keep reserved for an easy day) to nutritional meal kits packed full of all the good stuff you need for a balanced diet.  You can even get delicious-tasting juices and smoothies for those busy-life-juggling days where you haven't got time for breakfast. Some food delivery companies even offer options to 'up portion sizes' for two or more people so your nearest and dearest don’t miss out.

Intrigued? I thought as much. Check out my favourite food and drink delivery services in the UK :

‍

Riverford Organic Farmers

As we are here to discuss meals and drinks I'll try not to start by harping on about how Riverford has

THE BEST VEGAN MINCE PIES IN ALL THE LAND!

Ooops. OK. but it is a fact so in the spirit of January .. forgive me ;-) Back to their Recipe boxes..

As a Riverford Box orderer and consumer for over 3 years, this is an easy one for me. We started with their organic fruit and vegetable boxes that were delivered straight to our door. The main attraction being that it was affordable, organic produce. They support sustainable methods of farming and food production and only work with small-scale organic family farms for their produce. Their packaging is 100% recyclable - If you place a regular order with them they collect all previous packaging on the next drop off, as well as your boxes including packaging that you can add to your home composting.

Their recipe boxes are so reasonably priced with plenty of plant-based options that change weekly to choose from. They've designed their boxes with step-by-step instructions from their farm chefs, and exact quantities of every organic ingredient, so there’s no food waste. They come with a fabulous recipe card which you can keep for future use too! Also worth checking out are their recipe kits for things like preserves, dips, cakes, soups, and more. Always changing with new delicious items so keep an eye out! 

Riverford's founder, a self-confessed veg nerd, Guy Singh-Watsonh has taken Riverford from one man and a wheelbarrow delivering homegrown organic veg to friends, to a national veg box scheme delivering to around 50,000 customers a week. He offers knowledgable insights via the leaflets in the boxes and on social media into the state of locally sourced UK vegetables and seasonal veg and when and what you should be eaten.

Check out all their goodies on their website.

‍

EXALT Juice and Smoothies

You would be hard pushed to find better-tasting and better-balanced smoothies than the ones designed by Exalt. They have a wonderful plant-based selection and their entire range is gluten-free and a perfect grab-and-go for those mad rush mornings which I seem to experience on the daily!

Exalt's branding is the stuff of dreams - Sold in recyclable clear bottles which perfectly display the vibrant pop of colour from the fresh ingredients inside, and each one labeled-up with truly iconic names

My personal fav... 'Chilled AF'. 

Each product is made by hand in Islington, London without the use of any preservatives or pasteurisation to keep it super fresh. Their packaging is 100% recyclable and the bit I love is that they insulate their vegan orders with denim offcuts that would have otherwise gone to waste. 

You can tell from the first sip how fresh and jam-packed with goodness the produce in these drinks are.

I highly recommend the Plant-based Trial box but if you wanted to pick your own to order my top ones are :

• Nip & Tuck Green Juice -The first & ONLY fresh cold-pressed green juice with collagen peptides on the market.
• Health Nut - A super delicious protein smoothie that gives you the chocolate fix without the guilt!
• Chilled AF - Sunshine in a bottle. Made with tropical fruit and Passion Flower (which Native Americans to help aid relaxation and prepare for a restful night!)
• Morning Glory - Probably my number 1. So tasty and the double shot of Guatemalan coffee gave me the boost I needed on my busy mornings!

Also worth mentioning that commitment to remaining carbon-neutral - every order placed with Exalt one tree is planted. They also do incredible charity work which I will link to here so you can read all about it as it's always amazing to see a brand giving back. 

The extremely cool (and drop-dead gorgeous) team at Exalt has kindly given my readers a whopping 30% off any order on their website. Just use code: MOG20

We love you Exalt! We love you Charlie and Dan ... we love you Ubi & Oke (*fluffs puppies noses)

Balance Box

Ever dreamed of winning the lottery and having a chef make Every. Single. Meal and Snack for you. Well, I can't provide you with the winnings of money, but I can point you in the direction of an incredible brand that will deliver all your daily food requirements direct to your door.

There’s no need to plan, shop, chop or cook – Balance Box literally do it all!

This brand is the dieters dream because every meal is nutritionally-balanced and calorie-controlled, and takes away all the stress of meal planning, shopping and prep which derails so many of us when we're trying to stick to a plan.

Each box that's delivered contains 3 or 4 days of food and these are made up of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks per day. The meals don’t contain refined carbohydrates, refined sugars, unnecessary additives, or preservatives, meaning that the diet food delivered to your home is as healthy and natural as possible.

Their food is also ethically sourced and they choose local and organic produce for their meals. The well-portioned, varied meals are conveniently stored in plastic food boxes (which when arrives seems like a lot of plastic, however, they can be recycled with your domestic recycling, and London-based customers can arrange collection with their next day delivery) so you can take them to eat when you're on the go.

My personal favourites from the 4 day plan were:

• Breakfast - Mango & Coconut Bircher
• Lunch - Teriyaki Tempeh with Mixed Rice & Quinoa
• Dinner - Noodle Laska

Another amazing thing very much worth mentioning is if you're a Weight Watchers member, that Balance Box also offers to deliver ready-to-eat meals calculated using the WW PersonalPoints!

The rad team at Balance Box has gifted my lovely readers a huge £25 off your order with code MotherOfGrom25

Planty

My mouth is actually watering thinking about some of the dishes I ate from Planty. Preprepared, balanced and nourishing meals and desserts that you can store in your freezer and use at your convenience. 

Incorporating more plants in our diet is one of the most powerful things we can do to reduce our impact on the planet and reduce the environmental footprint of the food we eat and Planty nails these aspects on the head (and stalks). They ingeniously illustrate how incredible plant-based food can both look and taste. Not to mention the dishes are easy to cook via oven or microwave.

I'll be honest, I do love salads and lighter meals but my heart lies with more filling dishes and the selection I tried from Planty were some of the best-preprepared meals I've ever tasted - So hats off to the chefs.

I literally had to fight my husband off their Pumpkin Ravioli. 

All (I REPEAT ALL) of their meals are vegan and palm-oil free and the box, insulation, trays, films, and sleeves are fully recyclable, with the box and insulation also being biodegradable.

I will 100% use Planty again and if you are wanting the top star dishes awarded by MOG then go to the following dishes:

- Aubergine Moussaka 

- Pumpkin Ravioli

- Creamy Leek & Cider Pie 

- Mac 'no' Cheese

- Polpette Alfredo 

- Yaki-Miso Udon Noodles

You can also use code GOPLANTS for 20% off your first box. Just enter the code on their website.

Simply Cook

If you're a regular user of recipe box subscriptions, you will know that sometimes time flies by and you're left in a rush to cook meal boxes up because they're about to go off. Simply Cook is wonderfully flexible and eliminates that. They send you a letterbox-sized box (goodbye boxes being left on the street!), containing 4 recipe kits, which have a mixture of rubs, pastes, spice blends, marinades, garnishes, and dips to go alongside a step-by-step recipe card.

All you then have to do is combine their kits with 4-6 basic items from your fridge or cupboard and voila in 20 mins you can enjoy delectable food for 2-4 people! The kits are vacuum sealed for a naturally long shelf life of up to 6 months so you can use them when you're ready. 

This kit is super affordable, it really does make cooking simple.

It gives you the chance to try different dishes from countries all around the world that you may never have considered cooking otherwise. 

You will undoubtedly save money cooking with Simply Cook as you would need so many spices, cooking sauces and other ingredients to make these dishes. They have a huge variety of recipes to choose from on their website so you always have the opportunity to try new meals.

You can try SimplyCook for just £3. Just pop over to their website!

‍

Chunk Pasties and Pies

So what happens when a multi-award winning (*175 awards in fact) UK-based, small butcher/turned pie and pasty company turn their hands to creating some strictly Vegan varieties. I'll tell you exactly what happens ... more awards are getting presented for sure.

*as I type this I have just discovered that most (if not all of their vegan bakes) have won an award of sorts!

Founders of Chunk, Simon and Suzy believe that the best way to make great tasting pies and pasties is :

to source ingredients as locally as possible and when you’ve got fantastic natural produce why spoil their flavours with additives and other junk?

So all of the plant-based ingredients that are crammed into these pies and pasties come from *as local farmers as possible. And when I say 'crammed' I mean it in it's most literal sense. On cutting open each and every one of these vegan baked goodies, the cross section revealed not a single pocket of air between the pastry .. these suckers are verifiably 'fully loaded'

Top of the pops for the Mother of Grom house were :

• Chunky Roast Veg Pasty
• Veggie Taggine Pie
• Ruby Murray Veggie Curry Pastie
• Spicy Jack Pie

They also do a Vegan Cheese pasty - 'A Vegan Cheatin' Cheeze Pasty' which is their award winning Cheese and Onion pasty but replacing the cheddar with a dairy-free option and keeping all the herbs and veg the same.

Ordering is simple and to your door, and you purchase a box of 8 goodies at a time. I can't recommend enough their Vegan Selection Box which includes all of the treats I have listed above. Here you will find complete listings for the ingredients, nutritional information and cooking instructions,

Simon and Suzy - we salute you on creating such a delicious range of plant-based pies and pasties.

On a closing note I also want to mention that you can and create your own boxes and also they do gift cards!

PHOMO 

Great name and incredible food. PHOMO Vietnamese Phở Meal Kits felt like such a treat, and the hubby and I really enjoyed preparing and cooking together for our date night at home.

Phở (pronounced 'FUH') is a Vietnamese soup

that's made with all the good stuff: broth, noodles, your choice of protein, and lots of fresh herbs and garnishes. The PHOMO chefs have already done the hard work; simmering thier signature broths for 16 hours, creating mouthwatering marinades, and chopping hand-selected toppings - All can be cooked up in your kitchen in 10 minutes.

When I go to any Vietnamese/Asian restaurants I don't normally opt for Pho, but after trying this meal kit I will certainly be choosing it more often when we eat out as it was full of fresh flavours and felt extremely nourishing for my body.

PHOMO also sent us a side dish of Tofu Summer Rolls served with a Nước Chấm dipping sauce which might just be my new favourite food. Summer Rolls are of Vietnamese-origin, and typically consist of rice noodles, carrots, lettuce, cucumbers, herbs, and a protein wrapped in a rice-paper wrapper - Would make sure a fabulous dish for a party or picnic.

The PHOMO kits are such a great way of bringing a complete Vietnamese meal experience for you to enjoy at home and all of their packaging are recyclable or compostable.

Order your PHOMO meal kits here

GRUBBY

Looking for a great family meal box? GRUBBY is the one to go with. They're the company in the UK to create

100% plant-based meal kits and use a variety of 6+ fresh vegetables in each recipe, so that's your 5-a-day sorted!

They partner with family-run farms to bring you the best seasonal produce on offer, most of which is grown on organic British soil, and for every box you buy, they donate a meal to a child living in poverty through 1morechild.org

Throughout lockdown, my husband and I really got into cooking together on a date night, and there's nothing more satisfying than making something from scratch. GRUBBY provides you with all the ingredients you need, and a step-by-step recipe card to make meals for up to 5 people from scratch. Their creamy sweetcorn and mushroom pasta with a cashew nut crumb finish is the pasta dish of dreams and one that I have made for my kids twice since. It's a winner!

Their packaging is 100% recyclable, compostable, and produced in the UK in over 95% of cases and they offset any food waste through two fantastic food waste partners, so no grub goes unused. And what's cool is if you're London-based, GRUBBY delivers to your door by bike for a super eco friendly service.

Order your GRUBBY recipe box here

#GRUB4GROMS4LIFE

‍

Soulful Onepots

Fantastic vegan, gluten-free food in a pot. Soulful Onepots are filled with wholesome stews, curries, and hotpots made from vegetables, pulses, and grains and are all under 400cal per pot.

A square meal in a round pot... just heat and eat!

Apart from the convenience and deliciousness of Soulful, the one thing that stood out for my was just how much variety your got with this company. There are 15 different dishes to choose from that are all handmade in their kitchens in southeast London.  Each pot contains at least 2 of your 5-a-day and can be cooked on the hob or in the microwave making them super handy to take to work with you.

Pop them in the freezer. Defrost overnight. Job done. We took these in the van with us for a weekend away and worked so well because the pots are smaller and convenient to store in the fridge. 

The top boys for me were:

• West African Peanut & Chickpea with Red Rice 
• Chestnut Mushroom Stroganoff
• Cajun Spiced Jackfruit with British Spelt
• Tempeh Katsu with Peppers, Baby Corn & Brown Rice

They are delicious on their own, but I often served them with rice and/or a Nann bread for a larger portion.

Order your Soulful meals here and get  10% off when you join the Soulful mailing list.

Allplants

Allplants frozen meals are entirely plant-based, ingredients are responsibly sourced, low in sugar, are 100% dairy-free with no palm oil, GMO or added preservatives. Their stance is in no way 'too preachy' on being entirely vegan. You can read my review on ALL PLANTS here.

And treat you to 15% off your orders with code 'motherofgrom15' on their website‍

I'm always honest with you with all of my reviews on motherofgrom, and would never partner with a company if they didn't fully align with my beliefs. I researched every  brand in this article before partnering up for this review, and I honestly think they're the best in the biz. When you buy something I recommend, I may also get an affiliate commission — but it never affects your price or what I pick to write about.

Home Cooks

From the quality of the ingredients to the ease of preparation, everything about this service is top-notch. With exciting new dishes and chefs each week there's something for everyone

One of the things I love most about Home Cooks is the variety of meals available. There are so many different cuisines to choose from, including Asian, Italian, and Mexican, so I never get bored with the menu. Plus, each week there are new dishes to try, which keeps things interesting.

Another thing I appreciate about Home Cooks is the quality of the ingredients. Everything is fresh and of the highest quality, which really comes through in the final dish. I also like that they use organic and locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, which makes me feel good about supporting sustainable agriculture.

Overall, I highly recommend Home Cooks to anyone looking for a convenient and high-quality meal delivery service. The food is delicious, the ingredients are fresh, and the preparation process is a breeze. It's the perfect solution for busy weeknights when I don't have time to cook but still want a delicious and healthy meal.

You can find the Home Cooks menu here

‍

So.. to conclude... both my dear herbivore, carnivore and omnivore humans

I'm asking you to make the changes, no matter how big or small. Try to incorporate plant-based eating into your weekly meal planning, because every little bit helps you, helps the animals and the helps the future of our planet. If you have any questions, or want any recommendations on Vegan recipes, products, restaurants, etc please don't hesitate to reach out to me at any time on Instagram over on @motherofgrom

In Memory of Regan Russell: “I don't know if it does any good. But I know doing nothing does no good.”