Meal deliveries

my parents used them - one word - brilliant!!!

I found them pretty awful. No substance to them. Insipid looking vegetables. 1960s looking old people's home dinners.

She is much better off with her ready meals.

When I was at a Macular Society meeting we were able to sample them. The portions were good and what I had was fine but whether I would want to eat it day after day -I doubt it. Maybe if you buy ready meals from other companies including M&S for a change.

Waitrose sells frozen very small portions- unfortunately, it is not a full meal eg it may be macaroni cheese or shepherd's pie but no vegetables.

My mum used Wiltshire; they do small dinners, snacks, jacket potatoes.
She also used another company that I can't remember the name of.
She liked those because they did quite a few pasta based dishes, and also delivered non food shopping.

The thing with these companies is that their meals aren't high in fat and sugar, like a lot of ready meals.

They are usually ready after less than 10 minutes in the microwave, and they are packed to fit into the freezer easily.

We have had them in the past - they are OK. You can opt for small portions - mini-meals I think they call them.

Mum has used a local hot delivery company, which looks and smells fine, but mum being mum has cancelled which means I have to cook for her, and only meals she likes.

I did suggest to give Wiltshire a try but she turned her nose up.

Wish she would and give me a break!!

The M&S small meals were great for my M and MiL. They were 'old fashioned' type foods as neither of them liked curries or pastas. Meat and two veg in tempting little pots. Fresh too not frozen or reconstituted veg. Well balanced and full of vitamins. (I sound like an advert but they really were a godsend)
Maybe that particular range isn't available in all M&Ss though? They're well worth looking out for.

We used them for my FiL and he seemed to like them. He could microwave them for himself at first but later had to rely on his carers. It made life easy for them. I ordered them and they were delivered on a particular day of the week from the local depot.

However, we have recently tried Parsleybox. We think the meals are tastier and they don't have to be kept in the freezer. Other advantages are that they take less time in the microwave and they are sent by post/courier so you aren't tied to one day of the week.

Both are really useful.

www.cookfood.net/menu/main-meals

I ordered meals from “Cook” a couple of years ago, for a few months, after my hip replacement. They do a good range, are tasty and do meals for 1. They were expensive (I thought), but I don’t know how they compare with Wilshire. You can buy them, for the freezer, in some of their shops - there’s one in Cheltenham I believe.

If I were to go on to ready meals it would be M&S. My last ready meal from them was a pork and apple dinner with mash and cabbage and it was lovely, with three quite thick slices of pork.
For as long as I'm able, I do my own cooking/baking. Fresh food is key to keeping well.

Those Parsleybox meals (recommended by Septimia) look interesting. You can keep them in the cupboard, not frozen. You would have to allow two meals for each person though, as they contain only just over 200 calories each. No wonder they are so cheap.

Might try those.

Cook meals are lovely but they are highly seasoned and seem to contain a generous amount of alcohol which does make them, for me, rather indigestible.

Gonegirl we find the Parsleyboxmeal portions adequate (DH has a much bigger appetite than me), although we do usually have rice, potato or bread with them. We've not tried the roast meals, which might not be so filling. What is nice is that we don't both have to have the same meal.

Thank you for all these helpful replies. I’ve had Cook myself at Center Parcs; their shop stocks them and does a roaring trade! Very tasty, just like home cooked with good textures. I like M&S but there’s not a large variety and the Wiltshire brochure looks good with the vegetables included. However I have my doubts that the veg will be cooked to Mum’s liking!
I will investigate Parsley Box meals

I found the parsleybox meals a bit tasteless TBH.

I'm sure it was on here that someone said they came to an arrangement with the local pub, and they delivered a hot meal to their mum every day.

Might be worth a try, but I doubt many would be so helpful.

www.oakhousefoods.co.uk/

Remembered and found a link.
They also deliver everything else and are reasonable in price.

Oakhouse Foods look identical to Wiltshire Farm Foods.

The meals were quite different.
My mum used a mixture of both.