Joining the likes of Gousto and Hello Fresh is Make Kit with their vegan and vegetarian meal kits with a key difference. As well as providing customers with step-by-step recipes and all the necessary ingredients for delicious mid-week meals, this start-up puts some of the proceeds from each sale towards community healthy eating schemes for low-income families and those with diet-related health issues.
Deliveries take place every Tuesday with a choice of either vegetarian or vegan recipes – ideal if you’re trying to reduce your meat intake or cut out meat altogether.
You’re able to customise the kit to your needs, with a choice of two or three meals with either two or four portions for a weekly delivery. It’s pretty flexible with you able to skip weeks or just cancel altogether and you’ll get a new selection of meals to choose from each Saturday. The most expensive option works out as £5.90 a portion but reduces to just £4.20 if you order more and delivery is free.
We tried the kit out and rustled up a very tasty, vegan mushroom bourguignon in under 30 minutes. Portions were large, recipes were easy to follow and you’ll also get a little folder in which you can store each weeks recipes and use again and again – hurrah! Other recipes include the vegetarian freekeh with Mediterranean roasted vegetables, parsley pesto, orange and feta or the vegan West African peanut stew with jollof rice.
The idea for Make Kit came from NHS research into new strategies to combat the obesity crisis, and reduce health inequalities. Poor diet is a leading cause of death in the UK, putting a huge strain on our health services. Recipe kits provide a simple everyday solution to start cooking healthy meals from scratch. Even for those of us that feel confident in the kitchen, it’s always fun to get a bit of inspiration from time to time. I can safely say I’ve never made a vegan bourguignon before now so it certainly gets the creative juices flowing.
Make Kit is headed by Steve Wilson, a chef and entrepreneur who founded Dalston Cola and The People’s Kitchen; and Justine Fish, an ex-management consultant who’s also worked for various organic veg-box schemes in London.
Social enterprise – helping local communities
The start-up goes a step further, using some of the proceeds from recipe kit sales to fund community healthy eating programmes, with the aim of empowering people from all walks of life to create delicious and healthy home-cooked meals from scratch. Make Kit does this through free cooking classes in partnership with local schools, youth clubs and children’s centres. The focus is on accessing families and young people on low-incomes and suffering diet-related illness, and boosting their confidence and cooking repertoire.
“There’s currently a move away from reliance on meat and dairy for flavour – that includes most of my friends, much of my family, and also myself,” says Steve.
“I used to be a staunch meat-eating chef, obsessed with butter, cheese and pork fat, but I now realise that it’s better for me and the environment to reduce my meat consumption, so I’ve been particularly focused on how to bring out the best in vegetables, and how to use nuts, seeds, grains and pulses in creative and delicious ways. First and foremost, food has to taste good, I want to share the secrets of how to make vegetarian and vegan food luxurious, indulgent and tasty.”
THIS COMPANY HAS NOW CLOSED.
