Mummy Review: I had never heard of Chef’s Palate before investigating different options for meal subscription services out there, but I am glad I found them!
Disclosure: The following products have been provided for me to review and feature. However, all the opinions and recommendations are my own. I never recommend something I haven’t tried or wouldn’t purchase myself. See the full disclosure policy for details, or why I disclose, here.
Where to buy: Chef’s Palate Website (Click “Order Now”)
How it arrives: In an insulted cardboard box with ice packs
What you need: Refrigerator space
What is in the box? Paper bags with designated recipes, ice packs, and recipe cards inside box.
How long it is good for? Until designated date (up to 7 days as per their website).
Sizes Available? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 person serves all available
Delivery Area: Sydney Metro, Central Coast, Newcastle through Wollongong. Check their website for further details.
How far in advance to order: Orders must be done by 11 pm on Wednesdays for delivery the following Sunday or Monday.
Pickup delivery available? No.
Specific dietary plans available? Gluten free, vegetarian and a low carb option is coming soon.
Cost? Price Per Serve? 1 Person Meals: 4 meals- $49.90/Week; 5 meals- $59.90/week
2 Person Meals: 2 meals- $49.90/Week; 3 meals- $69.90/Week; 4 meals-$89.90/week; 5 meals- $109.90/Week
3 Person Meals: 2 meals- $74.90/Week; 3 meals- $104.90/Week; 4 meals-$134.90/Week; 5 meals-$164.90/Week
4 Person Meals: 2 meals-$89.90/Week; 3 meals- $129.90; 4 meals-$159.90/Week; 5 meals- $189.90/Week
5 Person Meals: 2 meals-$109.90/Week; 3 meals- $159.90/Week; 4 meals- $192.90/Week; 5 meals- $237.90/Week
6 Person Meals: 2 meals-$134.90/Week; 3 meals- $174.90/Week; 4 meals-$229.90/Week; 5 meals- $284.90/Week
Vegetarian Meals also available which winds up slightly cheaper
Average of about $10.50/serve
Plans available? Rollover subscriptions until you opt out. They offer 1-6 person serves up to five times per week.
Frequency? Weekly.
Self-renewing or manual? Subscriptions roll-over until you opt out.
Delivery days range? Big or small? Delivery is between 4 am and 7 am on Sundays and Mondays
Variety of food? 9 meal choices per week to choose from (less for vegetarian options).
Groceries/Fruit available as well? No
Coupons or discounts available? Yes, various percentages/dollars off
Need to be home for delivery? No, so long as you provide instructions for the delivery.
Chef’s Palate Website//Facebook//Instagram
My Experience
Price (4/5)
The price is higher than the average food subscription service, however, this is based off of the 4 person/4 meals a week (they do get more affordable the more serves you order). They offer a huge range of sizes to meet nearly every family dynamic, so I think that counts for a lot to cater to your needs. All of my meals came with pre-marinated meat, which I have not had with any of the other subscriptions. Also, it must be noted that each recipe is supposed to take around 20 minutes to cook and not much time to prepare. This is not a guarantee with any of the other services, so definitely unique to this service as well. For saving time cooking and shopping for food, it’s worth the cost!
Delivery: (5/5)
Delivery came early in the morning before hubs went to work, and he merely put the box inside, so it sat for a little while without being refrigerated. The meals stayed find and cool within the box. Ice packs were also in the box to keep it cool. Everything was nice and sorted in the box, and I have no complaints about the delivery.
Storage: (5/5)
As with other subscription boxes, the ingredients come in pre-portioned bags, sorted by the recipes with an expiry date printed. You can either take these out of the packs or put them straight into the fridge. They would take up no more room than your typical grocery shop.
Preparation: (4.5/5)
Preparation here was super simple! The longest time I took was to top and tail the green beans (for this recipe) and cut the potatoes. They overestimated the time it took me, so plenty of time to spare, and great for the whiny kids who were hanging off of my legs the whole time!
Portion/Size: (4.5/5)
The portion size for this meal was for two people, and it nearly hit the mark! For bigger eaters, this seemed a bit more filling than other meals, and while I did add some more potatoes, it was filling and a decent sized meal. It was probably the largest of the meal plans offered.
Taste: (5/5)
Seriously, the seared steak meal was the most delicious of all of the meals we cooked up, and my husband agrees! It was so well complimented by the potatoes (which I didn’t smash) and the butter provided was lovely! It was so tasty, I will need to find the ingredients again, and try to figure out who to create a similar flavour! The kid were a big fan of the potatoes, though I didn’t share any of my steak. Everything tasted fresh, well cooked, and well seasoned.
Leftovers: (3/5)
There were no leftovers for the steak. We ate them all. However for the spicy kung pao chicken, my husband took a portion to work with him for later (as I’m not big on spicy). If you order the portion for the amount of people you have, I wouldn’t be surprised if you eat the amount, so if you want leftovers, order a larger amount to have for later.
Disposal/Removal of Packaging: (5/5)
This was easily removed and recycled for the cardboard box and plastic was easily disposed. No complaints or difficulty in this.
Overall: (4.75/5)
This is so very close to a 5 because all around it was a great flavour, portion size, and easy to order and have delivered. The amount of time it took to prepare and cook compared with everything else was a noticeable difference, too. If you are after tasty and simple yet fresh ingredients, this is one to try! The portion sizes have enough variety for most size families, and the time saved shopping and cooking is wonderful. Taste is by far one of the most important things, and these meals had that taste! I’m very pleased with my experience with Chef’s Palate and love that there is an option out there somewhere in between the other meal subscriptions and frozen prepared foods!
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