Best Meal Prep Services
We get it, meal prep is a pain. But it’s also one of the best ways to ensure you stay on track with your nutrition through the week (when you’re at your busiest).
That’s where meal prep services come in. They save you time and stop you from reaching for your phone to place a convenient order on Deliveroo or UberEats.
We have spent the last few weeks testing, tasting, comparing and enjoying the UK’s best meal prep services to help you find the one that is right for you. With so many to choose from it can seem daunting – but find the one that suits you best and you could have your perfect macro friendly meals two or three times a day – all delivered to your door for maximum convenience.
Healthy Meal Prep Services – The How & Why
We’ll get straight in to our 5 best meal prep services the UK has to offer in just a moment – but first off – how do meal preparation services work and why should you bother?
The long and short of it is that anyone can meal prep themselves. No matter your level of proficiency in the kitchen, with a bit of time, effort and education you can 100% meal prep for yourself.
But that doesn’t mean you should.
To start with, a lot of people who will be considering getting healthy meals delivered to their door will not have the time or want to put in the effort to meal prep successfully – not only that, they might not have enough knowledge of how to do it right now.
Using a done-for-you meal prep service means you don’t need any time or to put in any effort. It will also give you the opportunity to learn how meal prepping works and what it looks like.
Once you have seen how meal prepping is done right, you can then decide whether or not to continue with a service that you love or try to replicate it yourself at home (pro tip: you’ll might also have collected some containers from the meal prep companies you have tested).
Typically, meal prep websites will have you choose your goals – e.g. weight loss, maintenance, muscle gain – and how many daily and/or weekly meals you want. So you might choose 5 days per week with lunch and dinner provided each day, or you might opt for 3 days per week with breakfast, lunch and dinner included.
Some meal prep services include all of your food for the day – including snacks. We’ll be showing you what each includes below and trying to push you in the direction of the right service for you.
Our 5 Best Healthy Meal Delivery Services
Now we have covered what a good healthy meal prep service looks like and why you should try one, let’s take a look at our top 5 picks. Each of the options below have been tested by myself (and my wife as she has a better palate than me) and where we can we have included as many images of the meals as possible.
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Fresh Fitness Food
Fresh Fitness Food was one of the last meal prep companies that we tested, and you could say that we saved the best until last – because everything from the initial consultation to the meals was far and away the best we tested.
Although Fresh Fitness Food are based in London, they do deliver to most of the UK. Their meals have been developed with a Michelin starred chef and are macro and nutrient friendly.
They offer truly personalised plans that are specific to your own exact metrics. You simply give them your details (such as height, weight, gender) and your aims and they then tailor your meals to reach your goals. In fact, you can have a 1-2-1 consultation with a nutritionalist – and can check in with them on and on-going basis if required.
They offer 4 plans to choose from which include:
Lean Gains: This is designed for those looking to lose weight. Your personalised meals are designed to give you a 10% calorie deficit, are high in protein and are made using whole foods (no refined carbs here).
Fat Loss: For those wanting faster fat loss these meals are designed with a 20% calorie deficit. You can further tailor your meal selection by choosing balanced, low carb, plant-based or pescatarian meals.
General Health: This is their ‘maintenance plan’ and is designed to provide you with a balanced macro intake each day that has you at the exact daily calorie limit so you neither add or lose weight. These meals are full of vitamins and essential minerals and as such are designed to keep your body and mind in an optimum state.
Build Muscle: This plan puts you in a 10% calorie surplus and is high in non-refined carbs and protein – perfect for fueling high intensity workouts and to aid recovery.
Once you have ordered, you can control everything through their dedicated app. Your meals are automatically added for the day and you are given a full breakdown of your daily macros. Aside from MyFitnessPal, this is just about the best food tracker we have seen – and you can of course also add other food and drink that you consume to your daily log.
Your food intake can be synced to Apple Health, Fitbit and Garmin devices – and everything you need to manage your account can be done from within the app – including arranging a collection for packaging from previous orders which can then be re-used, making FFF one of the more sustainable options too.
In terms of the food quality, this was without a doubt one of the best we experienced from a taste, quality and portion perspective. We went with the lean gains plan with daily calorie intake of 2200. This included breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack. The snack we had was a beetroot brownie – and it was one of the best brownies I’ve ever had (beetroot or no beetroot) – it was also super filling so I split it and had half as a morning snack and half as an afternoon snack.
The meals were really well put together, easy to heat up in the microwave and the breakfast was again the best I’d tested of all the companies tested.
Pricing is pretty reasonable with a flexible plan and a commitment plan. This means that for those who want to commit to a set number of days can benefit from a lower price. For those who want flexibility you can cancel any time but you will pay a little more. These prices work out to between £7.66 and £9 per meal which is still incredibly good value.
For those who want a truly personalised nutrition plan and really high quality meals then Fresh Fitness Food should be your go to choice. If you also value the time savings and efficiency of tracking you will get from the dedicated app then there really is no better option for you. You can read our full Fresh Fitness Food review here.
Use code FITBRAIN50 to save £50 on your first Fresh Fitness Food order.
Use Code FITBRAIN50 To Save £50
The Good Prep
The Good Prep is one of the most well known brands in the UK when it comes to ready prepared macro friendly meal delivery. With a focus on macro-friendly food that is full of flavour, they offer 5 different plans and a 2 day taster plan to try the service out.
As a well established company, they have one of the better systems for ordering as you can actually choose the meals to include in your plan – so you don’t run the risk of receiving something you don’t like if you’re a fussy eater.
We were gifted the 2 day taster plan which included meals from the Trim & Slim plan as well as two juices and two snacks.
The plans they offer vary in price with their Balanced plan being the cheapest and their Grow & Gain plan being the most expensive – they range from £118 to £150 per week and all plans (with the exception of the taster plan) include 3 meals per day and a healthy snack per day.
This is one thing that sets The Good Prep apart from their competitors in that you really can just live off their food for 5 days of the week with everything calorie and macro controlled for you.
Their plans include:
Trim & Slim – Leaner meals that are lower in carbs and higher in fats with a high quality source of protein.
Maintain & Sustain – Perfect for maintaining current weight. Meals are regular sized with a good macro balance.
Grow & Gain – Larger meals with higher calorie counts that are higher in carbs and protein. Ideal for those who are more active and looking to build muscle.
Balanced Plan – Similar to the Maintain & Sustain plan but with 2 meals per day (lunch and dinner).
Power & Plants – Large but balanced meals powered by plant based ingredients and protein sources.
The Good Prep deliver right across the UK and the cost of delivery is included in the package price. We love the fact that you can choose your own meals and you can add extra juices and snacks in to the mix if you wish too.
We tested 6 meals and 2 snacks from The Good Prep and on the whole the meals were very good. They were perhaps not quite on a par with what we tried from MunchFit with a couple of the dishes being overly salty to taste – this was surprising.
From the Trim & Slim range we tried the Chicken and Spinach Frittata and Biscoff Protein Pancakes for breakfast and the Beef Chilli, Thai Green Chicken, BBQ Chicken with vegetables and Orange and Honey Salmon for mains. In addition to this we had some chocolate covered granola bites and coconut protein balls for snacks.
The Beef Chilli and Salmon dishes were excellent. The beef content in the Chilli felt a little lacking (but let’s trust the portion control) but the flavour was spot on with a good kick of heat that wasn’t too overpowering. The Salmon was also delicately spiced and came with mixed greens and root vegetables. There was a honey and orange dressing which was delicious.
The BBQ chicken dish was also tasty and made for a great lunch but there was nothing there to blow you away, whereas the Thai Green Chicken was probably the most disappointing as it tasted overly salty.
The cononut water, apple and pineapple juice that is full of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories was delicious but the carrot and turmeric drink was a little harsh on the throat – although I’m sure is full of he good stuff.
I absolutely loved the protein ball snack and the granola bites were also particularly tasty and made for a lovely afternoon snack that felt like a treat.
All in all, The Good Prep seems pretty reasonably priced considering you also get the daily snack included – and this is a great addition to help keep you on track throughout the day. It might take a couple of tries before you find the perfect food choices but it’s well worth trying out the taster plan.
With 5 different plans to choose from there should be something for everyone.
View Latest Deals On The Good Prep Meal Plans
KBK Healthy Meal Delivery
KBK are another relative newcomer to the market of healthy meal prep but they blew us away with their meals. They even have a restaurant based in Manchester where you can sample their meals in person or collect a healthy takeaway.
Like all the companies featured on our list, they deliver right across the UK and the logistics were spot on with our delivery. They have a firm focus on sustainability and we found their packaging to be the easiest to recycle of all the meal delivery providers we tested – so if that’s important to you then KBK get a huge tick in that box.
KBK have three goal orientated plans to choose from, with each being customisable in terms of the number of days, number of meals and healthy snack options.
The three plans are:
Get Lean: This is the lowest calorie offering of the lot with a typical daily calorie count of 1300. These meals are high in protein and well balanced in terms of macro nutrients. This is on the low end of where we would want to see daily calorie intake so prepare for being in a significant calorie deficit if you opt for this choice.
KBK Everyday: This plan is again fairly low on the daily calorie count at just 1650 per day. This is ideal for those who want to program in some extra snacks around their meals or to stay within a calorie deficit.
Build Muscle: This is our preferred plan and has 4 or 5 meal per day options with a total daily calorie count between 2200 and 2800 depending on the specific plan you choose.
In addition to the meal prep, KBK also offer juice cleanse plans which are also well worth considering. We will be bringing you a dedicated review of the juice cleanse to follow.
We tested a three day plan with 3 meals per day, plus one snack per day – and considering KBK is one of the cheaper options, we were seriously impressed with the quality of food.
The variety of different meals was impressive and the macro breakdown was spot on. Instructions on each meal were very clear and generally each hot meal just requires 3-4 minutes in the microwave prior to serving.
The meals were perhaps a little less exciting than some of the others we tested, but KBK are soon bringing in an option to choose your specific meals that are included in the package – which should hopefully allow you to choose meals that are more in line with your own tastes.
In terms of meal selection, everything felt very safe and as such their plans will appeal to the majority of consumers – and in terms of veg content and overall nutrition, the meals were full of a range of vegetables and were well balanced. They were also filling.
We loved the variety of breakfast options, with frittata and chia seed pudding both being incredibly tasty – starting your day off in the right way.
The main meals were a triumph too. Our favourites being the Roast Rump Steak with spiced pear dressing, Chilli and Garlic Chicken with Roast Tomato Rice and the Salt & Pepper Turkey with Asian Salad and Noodles.
The snacks were also very tasty although they were very calorie dense. Perfect for the Build Muscle plan we were on and so we are guessing the snacks become less calorie-laden on the leaner plans. They were gorgeous though with the chocolate brownie taking the crown.
When it comes to costs, KBK is pretty much a clear winner and on a 5 day plan, 3 meals per day (plus a healthy snack) the cost coming to around £6.43 per meal on the Get Lean plan and £7.23 per meal on the KBK Everyday plan. The Build Muscle plan with 4 meals per day (and a healthy snack) costs just £7.05 per meal.
This comes in significantly cheaper than both The Good Prep and MunchFit and although we think MunchFit just edges it in terms of the meal quality, in terms of value for money, KBK takes the top spot.
The meals are very good quality and if budget is important to you then you are probably more likely to sustain your meal prep efforts with KBK than the other picks on this page. When they bring in their meal selector on the website it will be even more personalised and it really should be high up on your shortlist.
View Latest Deals On KBK Meal Prep Plans
Mindful Chef
Mindful Chef is a little different to the other selections on this list as it isn’t really a fully prepared meal service – however it is the next best thing and for those who do enjoy the process of cooking but just don’t want the hassle of planning the meals then it really is a great option.
It works on a subscription basis similar to Gousto or Hello Fresh, but you do get to choose your meals each week and there are 1 person options too.
Most of the meals can be cooked in as little as 10-15 minutes (with some being 25-30 minutes) and as such it is still a highly convenient way to eat – especially for those who are eating their evening meals at home.
You can choose meals based on your daily macro goals and everything is clearly labelled. We tested the Harissa Koftas with Tabbouleh and the Turkey with Quinoa and Chipotle Yoghurt Slaw and both were delicious.
The quality of ingredients is excellent with the meat being free range and British. These two meals we tested were at the top end of the calorie range per meal with 649 and 647 calories per meal – and the macro breakdown for each was 36g fat, 37g carbs and 43g of protein for the Koftas and 28g fat, 49 carbs and 52g of protein for the Turkey.
With each delivery you receive all the ingredients you need and the cooking instructions. All the meals are pretty simple to prepare but of course you will need access to a kitchen. They tend to only use complex carbs in their foods such as brown rice and wholewheat pasta which also helps to keep you satiated.
Their delivery process is spot on and has a low carbon footprint, with everything being very clearly labelled for easy recycling.
All in all, Mindful Chef is well worth considering if you want to stay hands on but be more calorie and macro controlled without having to get too involved in the planning.
View Latest Deals On Mindful Chef Boxes
MunchFit – Healthy Prepared Meal Delivery
After launching in 2013 with a London only healthy meal delivery service, founder Angus Fay found that his most loyal customers loved and believed in the MunchFit brand so much that they invested in the company. Almost a decade later and the company now delivers healthy meals across the UK and employs over 30 staff.
We tested the MunchFit service with their 2 meals a day, 3 meals a week service on their ‘Strong’ plan.
They have 4 different plans in total:
Lean – Lower calorie meals designed to help you lose body fat while still providing long lasting energy.
Balanced – A maintenance plan designed to help you maintain your current level with a mix of pre and post workout meals.
Strong – High protein meals with higher calorie counts to fuel workouts and help build lean muscle.
Green – High protein plant based meals that provide long lasting energy.
MunchFit have a focus on creating restaurant quality meals and I would agree that it is a great way to describe their meals. Out of the 6 meals I tested, not one disappointed. The flavours were perfect, nothing was overly or under seasoned, there was a great combination and ratio of macros with each meal and each meal was very filling.
In fact, just how filling each meal was surprised me as I have tested meals from other providers that left me hungry or having a feeling of not being fully satiated. This was not the case with MunchFit.
Servings were generous (although this was on the higher calorie ‘Strong’ plan) and the protein element of each meal was greater than any of the other providers I tested.
Instructions for heating each meal were very clear and one meal was a salad (beef teriyaki) which didn’t even need to be heated – perfect for when you are ‘on-the-go’!
Some of the meals I had included Teriyaki Salmon with Asian Vegetables, Coconut Sea Bass with Rice and Greens, Mauritian Spiced Chicken With Sweet Potato and a Lamb Meatball Tagine with Granola.
The descriptions alone do not do them justice and each had a delicately balanced flavour that really was restaurant quality. In addition, the quality of the meat was top rate – especially the beef in the Teriyaki – it was so tender!
The use by dates had a day or two leeway after my 3 days of receiving the box which meant if I missed a meal I could still use it after my allotted three days and each is clearly labelled with macros, cooking instructions and allergens.
The three day plan that we had was gifted to us a complimentary review box but would ordinarily cost £59.94 which works out to £9.99 per meal. If you order more per week then the cost comes down per meal, but £9.99 per meal is good value for money if you compare it to a takeaway that has nowhere near as good a macro breakdown and I guarantee you will not taste as good as these meals.
All in all, I think that MunchFit is close to leading the way in this marketplace and if they add the ability to choose your own meal selection then they really will have nailed it.
Verdict
We are spoilt really with the amount of choice we have when it comes to healthy meal prep. Gone are the days when you had to rely on one or two sub-standard service providers. The quality of meals and amount of plans to choose from is impressive and whichever of the companies that made our shortlist you choose, you will be happy with what you receive.
If you want gourmet meals that are packed with flavour and are macro friendly then MunchFit would be our suggestion. If you want value then KBK is hard to beat. For those who want to choose your meals and have a complete solution then you should opt for The Good Prep. If you like cooking then Mindful Chef is worth a try. If you want a really personalised approach then Fresh Fitness Food is as good as it gets.
Enjoy your meal prep journey and let us know if you find another food prep service worthy of inclusion on our list.
