Abel and Cole Recipe Box

I have tried (I think) all the recipe boxes available now with the Abel and Cole recipe box being the last instalment. I will be doing one review of all that I’ve tried as a big comparison so keep your eyes peeled for that coming soon. Abel and Cole recipe boxes are slightly different to some of the others; they have veggie, simple, foodie and light to choose from with the recipes in each box predetermined. I like this as it means I don’t have to make too many decisions! Abel and Cole were very kind too as I was able to review two of their boxes over consecutive weeks.

The first week I tried the simple recipe box which contained the first three recipes below (all with meat). The simple box appealed to me because during the week I want something quick, easy and tasty that doesn’t generate too much washing up and that’s exactly what these recipes delivered.

Indian Chicken Salad was the first recipe I tried. Not something I would choose to cook myself this was really tasty. I really liked the acidic, juicy mango with all the salad, spiced chicken and warm potatoes. This was a treat enjoyed outside in the sunshine.

Beef and Mushroom Noodles were the next recipe from the box. The beef came ready sliced so that was one less job for me to do! This was a really quick recipe to make and was very generous but I think cooking the noodles then leaving them in hot water as the recipe suggests means they’re overcooked by the time you come to eat them. I liked this recipe but I did need to add a little extra soy sauce for added flavour.

Sunshine Meatballs and Rice was the last recipe I tried from the simple recipe. The sausages used to make the meatballs were really tasty, a little bit more of a challenge to cook than the recipe suggested as I found they broke down on frying. I’m not usually a fan of making a tinned tomato sauce (I find it too acidic) but this sauce was one of the best I’ve tried; the carrots gave it a nice sweetness. I hadn’t had meatballs with rice before either so I was really pleasantly surprised with this recipe and think it was actually my favourite from this box.

The second week I tried out the recipes below from their veggie recipe box. I’m always on the lookout for new vegetarian recipes so I was really looking forward to trying these recipes out.

Simple Singapore Noodles was the first recipe I tried, I was really interested to try this as I’ve rarely cooked tofu. It was really successful and I liked how heavy the dish was with veg (peppers, sprouted seeds and broccoli). It felt really healthy and was really filling but as before I felt the noodles were a bit overcooked.

Next I tried out the recipe for Jerk Aubergines with Rice and Peas. I loved this. The aubergines were so tasty with the jerk seasoning (even if it was a little difficult to spread) and the rice and beans worked really well. This was so filling, I’ll definitely be making this when I next get an aubergine; especially as I have some of the jerk seasoning left over.

Pearl Barley Tabbouleh with Herby Sheep’s Cheese was the last recipe I tried. This was the biggest surprise and certainly my favourite of all the recipes. Barley, watercress, herbs, radishes, figs and sheep’s cheese turns into something so much more than its ingredients. Light, filling and so full of flavour and freshness. And you can use the cooking water for the barley to make your own barley water!

I liked both the recipe boxes I tried and I thought the quality of the ingredients was really good, they came with a really good life on them too so there was no pressure to get everything cooked within a few days of it arriving. The simple recipe box is £36 for three meals for two people, and the veggie recipe box is £33 for three meals for two people. The first box came with a bottle of free organic olive oil which was a lovely surprise. I liked that the recipes came with ideas for what to do with any leftover ingredients and top tips (like the barley water above or using up the jerk seasoning). The recipe cards themselves were easy to follow and every recipe had a decent amount of vegetables in. I found the portion sizes in this box just right for me.

To see how this recipe box compares to the others, take a look at my Recipe Box Comparison post here.

Thank you to Abel and Cole for the recipe boxes. All opinions expressed are my own.