If you had asked me in January last year if I would be a huge fan of frozen meals this year, I have to admit, I’d have laughed and said ‘no way’. I have always loved freshly cooked meals, having grown up with a Mum who was a chef for many years, a quality meal is something my palette is accustomed to. Fast forward to December 2020 and I was contacted by the amazing Delicious PR who were running the PR for Hey Fresto! and they kindly asked if I would be interested in reviewing some of the frozen foods. I shocked myself and said yes. Fast forward to January and their arrival and I can honestly say, hand on heart, that they are amazing.
Hey Fresto! have managed to create luxury frozen meals that are incredibly tasty, well priced and are great calorie wise.
All of them can be heated in the oven for 25-35 minutes with many of them being microwavable in just 4-6 minutes. Perfect for those home school days or long work commutes when you’re just shattered and really do not fancy cooking up something from fresh, but like me, you still value a taste sensation in your mouth.
Hey Fresto! are based in Birmingham with a purpose built kitchen and over 30 years of experience in making delicious food and feeding the public nationwide. For over a decade they have held a grade-A certification by independent food auditors. You can tell with the packaging, quality of the food and range of dishes available – everything from vegetarian, vegan, meat dishes, kids portions, adult portions and family sized portions and an array of cuisines (which I shall mention later on), this is a business that really values everyone. Starting in the sourcing of the food as they ensure only approved and ethically sourced suppliers are used and all ingredient deliveries are inspected and checked in before being allowed in any of the dishes. Gourmet isn’t just a word thrown in here, they really are the connoisseurs of Frozen Meals.
You can order in set bundles, with a subscription plan or order a variety of individual meals. The cost of these meals is incredibly reasonable for the quality that you receive.
Kids Meals:
My girls have been loving the kids meals which start at £2.50 each with the most expensive being £2.99 (£1.50/£1.80 using my discount code). They would be the ideal portion size for someone with a smaller appetite too, not just children.
The Kids Spaghetti Bolognaise and Kids Cottage Pie with Root Veg Mash were firmly enjoyed. But the complete winners for my two so far have been the Kids Penne in Tomato sauce: Penne Pasta in a clean Italian style tomato sauce and the Kids Fish Pie: White fish, peas and sweetcorn in a creamy white sauce flavoured with lemon and topped with cheesy mash.
Other options for children include Kids Fruity Chicken Curry, Kids Vegetable Lasagne, Kids Oriental Chicken Noodles, Kids Hidden Veg Macaroni Cheese and Kids Butternut Squash Risotto. We haven’t tried these ones yet, but we definitely will.
British Fayre Cuisine:
With options like Cottage Pie with Horseradish Mash, Fish Pie with Smoked Applewood Mash, Chicken & Leek in Creamy Tarragon Sauce, Croxton Manor Cheese & Cauliflower Bake with Walnut Crumb (v), Spinach & Lentil Pie with Kale Mash (vegan) and Beef Stew with Red Wine & Root Vegetables, there really is something for everyone. Many of the meals can be purchased as a meal for 1, meal for 2 or a meal for 4.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Beef Stew with Red Wine and Root Vegetables. With tender diced chunky pieces of beef, carrots and swede in a rich red wine gravy flavoured with thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, this was the perfect winter warmer and at only £5 for a meal for 1 or £9 for a meal for 2 (£4 or £7.20 with my discount code which I will put at the end), it’s a bargain.
Mediterranean Cuisine:
A taste of the Mediterranean straight from your freezer. Hey Fresto! have provided a collection of Mediterranean influenced dishes, everything from pasta to paella, abundant in rich, fragrant flavours. A Beef Lasagne with Chianti, Seafood Paella, Catalan Style Chicken Stew, Chicken & Chorizo Arabiata Pasta, Lentil & Sage Lasagne (vegan), Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni (v), Squash, Cranberry & Red Onion Tagine (vegan) and my personal favourite from this section, the Vegetable Paella with Cashew Nuts (vegan) which was the first meal I chose to eat from the collection that I was sent and it was divine. A mix of roasted Mediterranean vegetables including piquillo peppers and courgettes mixed with a deeply flavoured paella rice mix and finished with toasted cashew nuts. Priced at only £4.50 for a meal for one or £7.75 for a meal for 2 (£3.60/£6.20 using my discount code).
Indian Curries:
Whether you’re a fan of hot or mild curries, Hey Fresto! have you covered. Chicken Tikka Masala, Chicken Saffron Korma, Chicken & Roasted Vegetable Jalfrezi, Garlic Chilli Beef Madras, Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken), Lamb Dhansak, Goan Style Piri Piri Prawn Curry, Chicken Achari, Paneer & Palak Curry (v) and the Keralan Red Pepper & Cauliflower Curry (vegan).
Yesterdays lunch for me was the Keralan Red Pepper & Cauliflower Curry and at only 339 calories a serving, it was a complete winner. Red Pepper and cauliflower florets in a fragrant coconut based sauce flavoured with tempered mustard seeds and curry leaves. It was the most fabulous veggie and vegan curry that I have ever had – which is quite something for me. I could sit and eat it right now as I sit thinking about how delicious it was. £4.50 for 1 person or £7.75 for 2 people (£3.60/£6.20 using my discount code).
Far East Cuisine:
Succulent dishes full of tasty Eastern flavours, from aromatic curries to noodles. With 9 fantastic dishes to choose from including Thai Green Chicken Curry, Beef Rendang, Chicken & Prawn Chow Mein, Katsu Chicken Curry, Mango & Lemongrass Vegetable Laksa (v), Sweet Chilli Chicken in Sticky Plum Sauce, Vietnamese Style Beef Curry, Mushroom Ramen (vegan) and a Scirachia & Coconut Chicken Curry.
The Scirachia & Coconut Chicken Curry comes with plenty of succulent diced chicken breast cooked in a mildly spiced coconut sauce flavoured with sriracha, smoked paprika, ginger and lime. It has an enjoyable little kick in the back of your mouth and my husband was a HUGE fan of this.
The Americas:
5 great dishes packed full of flavours and spices, the Americas are said to tease your tastebuds. I haven’t tried any of these yet but they have Chilli Con Carne With Cocoa & Black Bean, Creamy Cajun Bake With Lobster & Seafood, Black Bean & Butternut Squash Quinoa Chilli (vegan), Chicken in Jamaican Style Jerk Sauce and Black Bean & Okra Vegetable Jambalaya (vegan). Don’t they sound amazing, especially the Creamy Cajun Bake with Lobster & Seafood. My mouth is watering just imagining it.
Sides:
A collection of tasty dishes are available to accompany your meal choices including Plain Rice, Tadka Pilau Rice, Kids Sunshine Rice, Harissa & Herb Cous Cous, Jasmine Rice, Plain & Wild Rice and the most phenomenal tasting Curried Cumin Roast Potatoes, which I ate but didn’t take a photo of as by the time I remembered to take a photograph I’d eaten them all up. Delicious.
How to Order:
If that’s tempted you to give Hey Fresto! a try, all you need to do is click on the Hey Fresto! website: https://www.heyfresto.co.uk/ look through the 50+ meal options spanning 6 different cuisines from across the globe (all with high quality pictures showing you what the dish looks like) and choose what you would like. Choose your meals individually or subscribe to a plan. Apply online, if you use code SMALL20 you will get 20% off your total order. Hey Fresto! will cook, freeze and deliver your meals within 3 working days. When it arrives, simply unpack and put in your freezer ready to be enjoyed another day (or if you’re too eager to try one, put it straight in the oven or microwave).
We are now huge fans of Hey Fresto! and would recommend them to everyone. For me, they have become the perfect quick lunch whilst trying to home school two children, two different curriculums but also have been a great evening dinner when I’m just too tired to create a tasty fresh meal from scratch but still want the quality and flavours of a nice meal, I might even say these are restaurant quality meals served to your door in frozen meals.
Disclaimer: We were gifted a range of meals from Hey Fresto! but all of our thoughts and views continue to be honest and true. We won’t recommend what we wouldn’t spend our own money on.