Mindful Chef, Gousto and HelloFresh come up together a lot - the premium health-focused kit against the two big-volume brands. Here is how they compare on price, health credentials, choice and flexibility.
| Mindful Chef | Gousto | HelloFresh | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our rating | 7.8/10 | 8.4/10 | 8/10 |
| Value | £7.08 / portion | £3.84 / portion | £4.06 / portion |
| Recipes/week | 2-5 | 2-5 | 2-5 |
| Cook time | ~20 min | 10-45 min | ~30 min |
| Diets | Dairy-free, Gluten-free, High-protein, Low-calorie, Pescatarian | Dairy-free, Family-friendly, Gluten-free, High-protein, Low-calorie | Family-friendly, High-protein, Low-calorie, Pescatarian, Vegan |
| Delivery | Mainland UK; £5.99 per box (free first box on intro offers) | Most of mainland UK; £3.99 per box. Excludes Scottish Highlands and islands, Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Scilly | Mainland UK; £4.99 per box; some Highland and island postcodes excluded |
| Subscription | Subscription only | One-off available | Subscription only |
| Packaging | B Corp, Recyclable | B Corp, Recyclable | Recyclable |
| Get the deal - 30% off your first 4 boxes | Get the deal - 70% off your first box | Get the deal - Up to 60% off your first box |
The quick verdict
If you want the healthiest, cleanest option and will pay for it, Mindful Chef. If you want the widest choice and best value, Gousto. If you want generous portions and the easiest start, HelloFresh.
Price
There is a clear order. Gousto (from around £3.84 a portion) and HelloFresh (from £4.06) are the affordable pair; Mindful Chef is the premium option at around £7 a portion and up, because it prices each recipe individually and uses higher-end sourcing. You pay roughly double for Mindful Chef, so the question is whether its health positioning is worth it to you.
Health and dietary
Mindful Chef is built around health: every recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free by default, with no refined carbs, UK-sourced meat and sustainable fish. Gousto and HelloFresh are mainstream kits with healthy options rather than a health focus - both let you filter for lower-calorie or higher-protein recipes, and Gousto adds gluten-free and dairy-free filters. For a genuine free-from or clean-eating diet, Mindful Chef is the natural pick.
Choice and flexibility
Gousto leads on both - the biggest menu (around 75 recipes), one to five servings and one-off ordering. HelloFresh is next. Mindful Chef offers fewer recipes and caps out at five a week, so it will not cover a full week of dinners on its own, though it does single, double and four-person boxes.
Ethics
Both Mindful Chef and Gousto are certified B Corps; Mindful Chef is also carbon-neutral and donates a school meal for every box. HelloFresh is not a B Corp. If ethics matter, the two B Corps lead.
Which should you choose?
- Mindful Chef - for gluten-free or dairy-free eating, clean sourcing and ethics, if you will pay a premium.
- Gousto - for the best all-round value, the widest choice and the most flexibility.
- HelloFresh - for generous portions, simple recipes and families.
Frequently asked questions
Is Mindful Chef healthier than Gousto and HelloFresh?
It is more focused on health: every recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free with no refined carbs, and the sourcing is higher-end. Gousto and HelloFresh offer healthy options but are not built around health. Mindful Chef costs roughly double as a result.
Which is the cheapest of the three?
Gousto, narrowly ahead of HelloFresh, both from around £3.84-£4.06 a portion at larger boxes. Mindful Chef is the premium option at around £7 a portion and up.