Healthy Eating Made Easy: Meal Delivery Services in Dublin
With our busy schedules, it can often be difficult to find time to prepare a nice sit down dinner. Not only can the prep and cooking be time consuming, but the thought of having to go to the grocery store to collect all the necessary ingredients can be daunting. This can often lead to ordering delivery or takeaways, which typically aren’t all that healthy and can be expensive.
After some research, we discovered there were meal delivery services in Dublin! I’m not talking about fast food here, I’m talking about fresh ingredients with easy-to-follow instructions for you and your family. We began to see how much money we were saving per week on groceries, and it was mind boggling. We went from spending roughly €300 per week on groceries and takeaways, to only around €100 per week!
In this blog post, I will be breaking down the top meal delivery services in Dublin, and which ones I believe you should try. So if you want to clean up your diet AND save money, then this is for you!
Hello Fresh
First up is Hello Fresh, and let me tell you, this meal delivery service is truly a game changer. I was waiting for them to come to Ireland for a long time, and immediately signed up when they did.
With their fresh, pre-measured ingredients and easy-to-follow recipes, Hello Fresh makes cooking at home a breeze. We end up with little to no food waste because the ingredients are portioned to the meals.
Each week you have the opportunity to choose between 12 meals, and their menu options are always changing, so you never get bored with the same old meals. They also list their allergens on each menu.
Our current plan with Hello Fresh consists of 4 meals per week (serving size 2 people), and we pay €56 per week. We calculated that if we were to buy the same amount of food in the grocery store, we’d be spending around €150. So this is quite a savings. There are 6 categories to choose from including family friendly, fit & wholesome, quick & easy, pescatarian, meat & veggies, and veggie. However you have the option each week to choose from any of these menus, regardless of the plan you signed up for!
I also appreciate that Hello Fresh does a variety of cuisines, and not just typical Irish dinners. This is where I feel like some of the other food delivery services lack. Their instructions are clear and easy to follow, and require minimal effort. Most meals take between 20-30 minutes to make, however some can be up to 45-60 minutes. Plans begin at €7.70 per person and you can pause, skip a week, or cancel your plan at any time. As far as meal delivery services in Dublin go, I’d say this is your best bet.
DropChef
DropChef offers a classic plan, plant-based plan, and a family plan. Much like Hello Fresh, you can pause, skip or cancel your plan whenever you like. Choose from 15 new recipes each week, where the average meal is ready in 30 minutes. Plans begin at €6.95 per person.
DropChef which gained popularity during the pandemic. This also happens to be when we first discovered them.
Unlike Hello Fresh, their menu was a little more difficult to follow and lacked images. There was also issues with there being typos, missing steps, and even missing ingredients.
We also found their recipes to be a bit more bland and unremarkable, however I did appreciate the fact that all of their ingredients are locally sourced and organic.
GourmetFuel
If you want something even more simplified which removes the prep and cooking altogether, then you should consider GourmetFuel. They offer the widest range of meal plans including Mediterranean, diabetic, vegetarian, vegan, high fiber, family dinners, high protein/low carb, pregnancy, and lunch and dinner plans. You have the option of selecting a 4 week or 8 week plan. Prices begin at around €113.
Dublin Meat Company
Dublin Meat Company is a great choice for those who prioritize high-quality meat in their diets. They have a great selection of cuts and sides, as well as ready made meals.
They’re more geared towards a fit and athletic lifestyle with their FitFoods menus, but also offer burgers, chicken and even a few breakfast choices.
We like to order from here when we know we’ll be hosting BBQs or dinners with family and friends. They don’t offer meal plans like the other food delivery services, so you can simply go online and order and your convenience.
Eatto
Last on the list is Eatto. Eatto offers healthy meal bundles including low carb meals, vegan meals, healthy eats, Asian favorites, and more. You can also order meals individually based on preference or food allergy. They have a special “By Diet” tab, where you can choose based on dietary restrictions such as gluten free or dairy free. They are quite a bit more expensive than some of the other Dublin meal delivery service options – for 4 meals which serve two people, you could be looking at around €110 depending on the meals you select. That’s double what we pay for Hello Fresh.
All in all, there are some great meal delivery services available in Dublin. However, in my opinion, Hello Fresh is the clear winner. Their recipes are delicious and easy to follow, their ingredients are always fresh, and their menu is constantly evolving. Give them a try and see for yourself!
Still looking for more? Check out my blog post on The Most Popular Food Festivals in Dublin!
