Skip the supermarket! Meal delivery services to help you avoid the queues

A trip to the supermarket nowadays can be a stressful experience, with restrictions on certain items and swarms of people eager to get their hands on stock as soon as it hits the shelves. And while stores are doing their best to ensure everyone has access to the necessities during the coronavirus outbreak, sometimes the thought of being surrounded by a hoard of shoppers can leave you feeling a little anxious.

If this sounds like you, then don’t fret because there are some great meal delivery services on the market that will deliver groceries to your door each week.

While there’s many on the market, they all work relatively similar by offering you a selection of meals to choose from and delivering either the exact ingredients to prepare them yourself, or the meals already cooked and ready to be heated up in the microwave in a matter of minutes. Here’s some of the options available:

HelloFresh

If you don’t fancy the idea of eating frozen meals, then HelloFresh may be the option for you. The company creates easy recipes and delivers the ingredients straight to your door. They work with local suppliers and try to use Australians ingredients as much as possible.

There are three different boxes on offer, including the Classic, which offers you the choice of 10 different recipes each week, the Veggie plan for those who follow a vegetarian diet, or the Family plan, which is designed for big families with kids. All you have to do is select the box that suits you and how many people you are cooking for, place your order online and wait for the delivery to arrive at your door.

The boxes include simple, easy-to-follow recipes, and all ingredients (including meat, herbs and spices), so there’s no need to stock up on basics. Then it’s up to you to cook the meals, some which can be completed in just 15-minutes.

HelloFresh currently delivers to towns and cities across Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and the Northern Territory. To check if your home is within the delivery area simply check online.

Dinnerly

Dinnerly works in the same way as HelloFresh, but is marginally cheaper, with each meal as low as $5.25 per serving. Just like its competitor, Dinnerly gives you a range of recipes to choose from each week and delivers the exact ingredients needed in an insulated box to your door.

Unlike other meal service kits, Dinnerly uses very few ingredients per meal and you’ll need to purchase a few of the basic items at your supermarket, such as garlic, salt and pepper – things you no doubt already have in the pantry. You can choose between a two-person box or a family box and select either three, four or five meals per week. For a couple getting five meals in a week, you can expect to pay just under $74, including shipping.

There is a great variety of meals to choose from, and an option for vegetarians as well. You can select meals like chicken tacos, Asian beef stir-fry and smokey one-pan chicken. Currently, Dinnerly delivers to most parts of the country including areas of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, the Northern Territory, ACT and Tasmania.

YouFoodz

Unlike the other companies, YouFoodz offer refrigerated (not frozen meals) that can stay fresh in the fridge for seven to nine days. There are no contracts required, but there is a minimum spend of $49 per order.

They focus on healthy nutritious products, with all meals portion-controlled and made from premium ingredients. And it’s not just dinners either, with options for breakfast, lunch and snacks. If you like, you can even choose from one of the custom meal plans, such as the Clean and Lean plan which includes healthier meal options.

There is something for everyone, with meals including beef lasagna, satay chicken and vegetables and creamy chicken carbonara. Meanwhile, for breakfasts you can choose from options such as coco-berry protein oats and a loaded brekky pie.

Currently, YouFoodz is delivered Australia-wide to capital cities and select regional and rural areas.