I’m a terrible cook, so I tried the Marley Spoon meal delivery service. Here’s my verdict

Since moving out of home I’ve been confronted with the task of cooking. I’m food obsessed and a picky eater however, I have little to no experience in the kitchen.

The only two meals I can confidently cook (pasta and fried rice) aren’t always gobbled up quickly by my boyfriend, and my laziness and hate for the supermarket has always prevented me from developing my inner chef.

It was time for me to act like an adult and learn how to cook. Which is why, when the opportunity came to try Marley Spoon, I had to take it.

Below is the lowdown on this delivery service based on my experience, and why you too should become a Marley Spooner.

The process

The whole process of Marley Spoon was really easy. I signed up, entered my details and my preferred delivery time and day, and away I went selecting the meals I wanted to eat that week. Marley Spoon updates the meal selections weekly and if you’re a health nut, have allergies or are fussy, you won’t be short of choice.

Delivery

The food arrived at my door during the time slot I selected in a cardboard box. Easy!

Recipes

The recipe cards were very easy to follow and were helpful with their imagery and handy hints. What I liked was being able to keep the recipe cards and use them another time if I want to make the same meal again. Each meal that Marley Spoon selects is expected to take 30 minutes to cook. This made cooking breezy without me feeling like I was a slave in the kitchen.

Ingredients

Usually if I buy fresh produce straight from the supermarket, I struggle using all ingredients before their expiration and end up wasting a lot of food. But what I loved most about the Marley Spoon ingredients is that they were pre-portioned for minimal waste and they were sourced locally. I was helping the community without being sold cheaper home brands at a big supermarket chain.

My pet, Cat Benatar, eyeing off the Marley Spoon box. Photo: Katie Graham

Packaging

My Marley Spoon arrived in a cardboard box and inside my ingredients were still fresh, thanks to the recyclable freezer packs in the box. Each meal was pre-packaged inside a brown paper bag that was labelled, so there was little confusion as to what ingredient was used for what meal.

The food

I felt quite empowered after making each dish, and I would happily show off my leftovers that I’d take to work for lunch to my colleagues, because the food was tasty, fresh and looked damn good. My boyfriend happily ate the meals we shared and we even fought for who got seconds.

Yes, I made this – Sesame-Salmon and potato salad. Photo: Katie Graham

The New Daily’s verdict

Marley Spoon is perfect for those who burn toast regularly, want to teach their kids the joys of cooking, or those who are time poor.

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be confident in the kitchen like I now am.

For TND readers who also want to try Marley Spoon, take advantage of its $35 off first-order offer.