SimplyCook’s £5 first box leads to about £3 a meal, before the fresh food you add

SimplyCook is selling a first box for £5 including postage on 1 November 2026, with the regular price quoted at £12.98 a month. After the trial, the brand says it is “just £3 per week” to cook a new meal. That is cheaper than most recipe boxes on a headline basis, but SimplyCook sells flavour kits, not full ingredient boxes, so the fresh food comes on top. You can see the current offer on the SimplyCook £5 box page.

What does SimplyCook’s £5 offer include?

SimplyCook’s homepage says: “Claim your £5 box today including postage (usually £12.98 per month)”. It adds that each pot holds up to 23 ingredients, that there are more than 140 recipes, and that you can change, pause or cancel after your first box with no commitment. The brand also says meals go from door to dinner table in half an hour.

The page does not spell out how many recipe kits are in the £5 box. The footnote describes the regular box as four recipe kits at £9.99 plus £1.99 postage each month, and the FAQ says a box comes with four kits, each designed for two to four people depending on portion size.

Source: SimplyCook.

What does a SimplyCook meal cost per kit?

The sums on the page do not quite match, so here are both versions:

• Headline price: £12.98 a month for four kits is about £3.25 a kit.
• Footnote price: £9.99 plus £1.99 postage is £11.98, which is about £3.00 a kit, or about £2.50 a kit before postage.
• Brand claim: “£3 per week to cook a new meal”.

The footnote adds up to £1 less than the £12.98 headline, so check the total in your basket before you pay. The £3 claim fits the £11.98 figure better than the £12.98 one.

Source: SimplyCook.

What do you still have to buy?

This is the part that changes the comparison. SimplyCook’s FAQ says each kit holds pre-measured spices, pastes and stocks, and that you provide four to five fresh ingredients of your own, such as meat, vegetables, and rice or noodles. So £3 a kit pays for the flavour, not the chicken, the peppers or the rice. SimplyCook does not publish a price for those extras, and what you spend depends on your shop.

The kits come by Royal Mail and fit through most letterboxes, so no one needs to be in, and the FAQ says boxes usually arrive within four working days. Our SimplyCook listing has the monthly price at a glance.

Source: SimplyCook FAQ.

How does it compare with Gousto and Mindful Chef?

It is a different product, so it is not like for like. In our round-up of box deals before Black Friday, Gousto came in at £1.60 a portion on a first box and Mindful Chef at £3.15 a portion for new customers. Those prices include the ingredients. Our HelloFresh against Gousto comparison covers the full-box side of the market, where the ingredients come in the box. SimplyCook’s strength is the shorter shop and the flavours you would struggle to build from a normal cupboard.

What are the terms?

SimplyCook’s terms say the subscription renews until you cancel, and that you can skip or delay boxes without being charged for the period you choose. If you cancel before the first order has been processed, SimplyCook may cancel the trial dispatch and refund the payment. The FAQ still mentions an older offer, a free first box for £1 postage and a 7-day trial, so rely on the homepage and the basket total for today’s price, and read the terms before you sign up.

What we think

SimplyCook suits you if you already shop for chicken, vegetables and rice, and want more flavour for a small outlay. At £5 for a first box you are risking little, and the £3 a kit after that is fair for restaurant-style sauces and spice blends. It does not suit you if you want a delivered dinner with nothing else to buy; Gousto or Mindful Chef are closer to that. Remember the price mismatch on the page, remember to set a reminder to pause or cancel before the second box, and check what you will pay in your basket. We have not cooked from this box ourselves, so this is based on SimplyCook’s published prices and terms.

Price and availability: the essentials

• First box: £5 including postage, according to the SimplyCook homepage on 1 November 2026.
• Regular price: quoted at £12.98 a month; the footnote gives four kits at £9.99 plus £1.99 postage, which is £11.98.
• Per kit: about £3.00 to £3.25 after the trial, about £2.50 before postage.
• What you add: four to five fresh ingredients per recipe, according to the FAQ.
• Delivery: Royal Mail, usually within four working days, letterbox friendly.
• Cancel or pause: after your first box, with no commitment, according to the homepage.
• Prices checked: 1 November 2026 on simplycook.com.

Start from the SimplyCook offer page and check the total at checkout.