Frive vs Field Doctor: Fresh or Condition-Led Meals?
TL;DR: Field Doctor and Frive both say their meals are free from ultra-processed ingredients, so if that's your starting point, either clears the bar. What separates them: Field Doctor makes frozen meals designed with dietitians for health needs such as IBS and low FODMAP, from £7.49 a portion with a £50 minimum order. We make fresh, high-protein meals, with a 44g median, ready in about three minutes, from £7.80 (£7.90 for a meat meal). Choose Field Doctor for gut health or a stocked freezer; choose us for protein, speed and fresh food.
If you're looking at Field Doctor, what's in your food probably matters to you. On that, Field Doctor and Frive are on the same side: Field Doctor describes its range as "UPF free", and every meal we cook is made with no artificial ingredients or UPFs. So the choice isn't about processing. Field Doctor designs frozen meals with dietitians for specific health needs; we cook fresh, high-protein meals for everyday eating and training.
We checked Field Doctor's prices, nutrition and delivery on its own website, so the numbers below compare like with like. It comes down to fresh or frozen, protein, speed and what you need the food to do. Here's how they compare.
Frive vs Field Doctor: a quick comparison
| Frive vs Field Doctor at a glance | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Frive | Field Doctor |
| Format | Fresh and chilled; keeps up to seven days in the fridge | Frozen; best before within a year of production |
| Designed for | Everyday eating, training and weight goals | Health needs: low FODMAP, IBS, gut health, heart health, menopause, GLP-1 and weight management |
| Ingredients | 100% natural; no artificial ingredients or UPFs | "UPF free, whole food ingredients", in Field Doctor's words; no artificial flavours, additives or preservatives |
| Protein per main meal (median) | 44g across 43 main meals | 26g across its 54 single-portion meals |
| Price | £7.90 a meat meal; £7.80 vegetarian and vegan; £8.80 seafood. A week of six meals: £47.40 delivered (£7.90 a meal) | £7.49 to £8.99 a single portion; £11.29 to £14.49 a double; smaller Midi portions from £5.99. A week of six meals: from £56.50 delivered (£9.42 a meal) |
| Minimum order and delivery | £6 delivery; free on orders of £40 or more | £50 minimum order; delivery from £6.50, free over £67.50 |
| Order without subscribing | No; weekly subscription, skip or cancel any time | Yes; one-off or subscription |
| Heating | About three minutes in the microwave | About 8 to 9 minutes from frozen for a single portion (800W), or about 50 minutes in the oven |
| Delivery days | Four a week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; mainland UK | Tuesday to Saturday; not the Highlands, islands or Northern Ireland |
| Dietary | Vegetarian, vegan and halal plans; most meals halal-friendly, though some meals and add-ons are not | Low FODMAP certified by Monash University; gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options; not halal |
| Trustpilot | 4.4 from 13,133 reviews | 4.4 from 2,452 reviews |
| Best for | Fresh, high-protein meals, ready in about three minutes | IBS, low FODMAP and condition-led eating from the freezer |
Deep dive: head-to-head comparison
Here's how they compare where it matters.
Meal quality and ingredients
You can't judge ingredients from a photo, and it's where most ready meals cut corners.
Frive
We make every meal from 100% natural ingredients, with no artificial ingredients or UPFs, and we cook only with olive, avocado and sesame oils. Our beef, chicken and turkey are Red Tractor approved, and our fish is ASC assured.
Field Doctor
Field Doctor describes its range as "UPF free, whole food ingredients" and says it never uses artificial flavours, additives or preservatives, with freezing doing the job of a preservative (Field Doctor's own explanation). Its beef and chicken are Red Tractor standard.
On ingredients, we're closely matched. Both of us keep artificial additives out, and both of us care where the meat and fish come from.
Frive is best if you want that clean-ingredient standard in fresh food. Field Doctor suits you if you want the same approach in a meal you can keep in the freezer.
Nutrition and protein
Calories are the easy bit. Protein, salt and fibre decide whether a meal actually works for you.
Frive
Across the 43 main meals on this week's menu, the median carries 44g of protein, ranging from 16g to 56g, and 39 of them carry 30g or more. Taken meal by meal, the median meal carries 9g of protein for every 100 calories. Our median main is 548 calories.
Field Doctor
Across all 54 single-portion meals on its website, the median carries 26g of protein, from 9g to 33g, and 13 carry 30g or more. That's 5.9g of protein per 100 calories, with salt at 1.4g to 1.7g and a median 8g of fibre.
Field Doctor wins on fibre, with a median 8g against our 5.8g. Salt is similar: a 1.7g median against our 1.6g, though our highest meal reaches 2.7g.
| Nutrition per main meal | ||
|---|---|---|
| Measure | Frive (43 main meals) | Field Doctor (54 single portions) |
| Protein, median | 44g | 26g |
| Protein, range | 16g to 56g | 9g to 33g |
| Meals with 30g of protein or more | 39 of 43 | 13 of 54 |
| Protein per 100 calories, median | 9.0g | 5.9g |
| Calories | Median 548 | Median 451; 358 to 595 |
| Salt | Median 1.6g; highest 2.7g | Median 1.7g; 1.4g to 1.7g |
| Fibre | Median 5.8g | Median 8g; 6g to 16g |
Frive is best if you're training, tracking macros or trying to hit a protein target. Field Doctor suits you if more fibre and a steady salt level in every meal matter more.
Menu variety and specialisation
What you eat every day shapes how you feel, so the right menu depends on whether your goals are general or specific.
Frive
We put 40+ main meals on the menu each week, and it changes weekly. Alongside them you'll find breakfasts, snacks and desserts, sides, protein smoothies, juices and shots. Our plans follow how you eat: high protein, weight loss, low carb, balanced, vegetarian, vegan and halal.
Field Doctor
Field Doctor offers "60+ meals", in its own words, in ranges for gut health, low FODMAP (certified by Monash University), IBS, heart health, menopause and GLP-1, plus smaller Midi portions. If you're shopping for a specific health need, that's a specialism we don't try to match.
Frive is best if you want the whole day covered, from breakfast to snacks, with plans for how you eat. Field Doctor suits you if you're choosing meals for a specific health need.
Delivery, preparation and flexibility
A meal service only works if it fits your week: whether it arrives fresh or frozen, how long it keeps, how fast it's ready.
Frive
Our meals arrive fresh and chilled. They're ready in about three minutes in the microwave, or around 35 to 40 minutes in the oven, and they keep up to seven days in the fridge. We deliver four days a week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. It's a weekly subscription you can skip or cancel any time, managed on our website or in the Frive app.
Field Doctor
Field Doctor meals arrive frozen, with a best before within a year of production. A single portion takes about 8 to 9 minutes from frozen in the microwave, or about 50 in the oven. It delivers Tuesday to Saturday, but not to the Highlands, islands or Northern Ireland, and you can order one-off or subscribe.
Frive is best if you want dinner on the table in about three minutes. Field Doctor suits you if you'd rather stock the freezer and heat meals when you need them.
Pricing and value for money
Price per meal is only part of it. Minimum orders and delivery decide what you actually pay.
Frive
A meat meal from us is £7.90, vegetarian and vegan £7.80, and seafood £8.80. A week of six meat meals comes to £47.40 with free delivery, because that's over £40, where our delivery becomes free; orders under £40 pay £6. That's £7.90 a meal, delivered. New customer discount available.
Field Doctor
Single portions cost £7.49 to £8.99, and smaller Midi portions start at £5.99. There's a £50 minimum order, with delivery from £6.50, free over £67.50. Six single meals cost £44.94 to £53.94, so most weeks need topping up to the minimum, and a week of six costs at least £56.50 delivered, or £9.42 a meal.
Field Doctor's entry price and Midi portions are lower than ours, and it's cheaper per meal on an order of ten or more, at £7.49. Per gram of protein, we cost less: about 18p (£7.90, 44g) against 29p (£7.49, 26g). Here's how much meal prep delivery really saves you.
Frive is cheaper for a week of six meals and for every gram of protein. Field Doctor works out cheaper per meal once you order ten or more and pass its free-delivery threshold.
| What you pay, full price, delivery included | ||
|---|---|---|
| Order | Frive | Field Doctor |
| A week of six meals, delivered | £47.40 (£7.90 a meal) | From £56.50 (£9.42 a meal) |
| Delivery | £6, free over £40 | From £6.50, free over £67.50; £50 minimum order |
| Cost per gram of protein | About 18p | About 29p |
| Order without subscribing | No, skip or cancel any time | Yes |
Customer reviews and reputation
Reviews are the best check on whether a service delivers what it promises.
Frive
We score 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 13,133 reviews, more than five times as many as Field Doctor, and we've delivered more than 25 million meals.
Field Doctor
Field Doctor also scores 4.4, from 2,452 reviews. BBC Good Food's review gave it 4.5 out of 5, though Women's Health UK found the portions "a little small".
Both score 4.4 on Trustpilot, and Frive's score rests on more than five times as many reviews. Field Doctor has independent press reviews, including 4.5 out of 5 from BBC Good Food.
The pivot: why Frive is the fresher, higher-protein choice
Field Doctor is built for the freezer and for specific health needs, and it does that well. If your goal is eating well every day, training or hitting a protein target, you want something else from your food: fresh meals, more protein and dinner in minutes.
That's what we make. Frive is natural healthy eating made easy: chef-crafted, nutritionist-approved meals made from 100% natural, whole-food ingredients with no artificial ingredients or UPFs. We launched in 2016 as Lions Prep, rebranded as Frive in 2024, and have delivered more than 25 million meals since.
Why Frive is the brand to beat
No ultra-processed ingredients: every meal is made from 100% natural ingredients, with no artificial ingredients or UPFs and only olive, avocado and sesame oils.
Fresh, not frozen: meals arrive chilled, keep up to seven days in the fridge and are ready in about three minutes.
Built around protein: a median of 44g across the 43 main meals on this week's menu, against 26g for Field Doctor.
Cheaper for a small order: six meat meals delivered cost £47.40, £7.90 each, with no £50 minimum to reach.
Plans for how you eat: high protein, weight loss, low carb, balanced, vegetarian, vegan and a halal plan, with breakfasts, snacks and smoothies as well as mains.
If you're managing IBS or following a low FODMAP diet, Field Doctor is the specialist, and it's the one to choose if you want to order one-off or keep a freezer stocked. Where we win is protein, fresh food and time.
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Frive vs Field Doctor: the final verdict
Choose Frive if you want fresh meals, you're training or aiming for a protein target, you want dinner in about three minutes, or you need a halal plan.
Choose Field Doctor if you're managing IBS or following a low FODMAP diet, want meals built for a health need such as menopause or heart health, or want to stock the freezer and order one-off.
1. Both say their meals are free from ultra-processed ingredients; the choice is fresh against frozen.
2. Our median main carries 44g of protein; Field Doctor's carries 26g.
3. Field Doctor carries more fibre, and salt is similar.
4. Field Doctor starts at £7.49 a portion with a £50 minimum; we start at £7.80 (£7.90 for meat), and six meat meals delivered cost £47.40.
5. For IBS and low FODMAP, Field Doctor is the specialist.
If fresh food and protein are what you're after, we've built Frive for you. Every meal is chef-crafted and nutritionist-approved, made from 100% natural ingredients with no artificial ingredients or UPFs. The median main carries 44g of protein, it's ready in about three minutes, and it arrives fresh, with plans for high protein, weight loss, low carb, balanced, vegetarian, vegan and halal. New customer discount available: start your plan.
FAQs
What is Field Doctor?
Field Doctor is a UK company making frozen ready meals designed with dietitians, with ranges for low FODMAP, IBS, gut health, heart health, menopause, GLP-1 and weight management. Its low FODMAP meals are certified by Monash University. Meals start at £7.49 for a single portion, and there's a £50 minimum order.
How much does Field Doctor cost?
Field Doctor single portions cost £7.49 to £8.99, doubles £11.29 to £14.49, and smaller Midi portions start at £5.99. There's a £50 minimum order, and delivery costs from £6.50, free over £67.50. A week of six meals costs from £56.50 delivered. Prices checked October 2026.
Are Field Doctor meals ultra-processed?
Field Doctor says not. Its range pages describe the meals as "UPF free, whole food ingredients", and it says it never uses artificial flavours, additives or preservatives. It describes its meals as processed only in the sense of being cooked and frozen, with freezing doing the job of a preservative.
Is Field Doctor worth it?
If you need low FODMAP or a condition-specific range, Field Doctor is the specialist, rated 4.4 on Trustpilot and 4.5 out of 5 by BBC Good Food. The £50 minimum and £6.50 delivery make small orders dearer, and protein is moderate at a 26g median per single portion.
Which has more protein, Frive or Field Doctor?
Frive. The median across our 43 main meals is 44g of protein, and 39 of them carry 30g or more. Across all 54 Field Doctor single-portion meals, the median is 26g, from 9g to 33g, and 13 carry 30g or more. Per 100 calories, that's 9.0g against 5.9g.
Is Field Doctor halal?
No. Field Doctor says the meat it uses is not halal or kosher. Most Frive meals are halal-friendly, though some meals and add-ons aren't, so check each dish before you order. If you need halal food delivered fresh, start with us. See our halal plan.
Where does Frive deliver?
We deliver across mainland UK, except some areas of Scotland, on four delivery days a week: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. That includes cities such as Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol and Edinburgh. Enter your postcode at checkout to confirm we cover your address.
Field Doctor prices and nutrition were checked across all 54 single-portion meals on its website on 6 October 2026, and its minimum order and delivery terms on 28 September 2026. Frive figures are from our live menu on 28 September 2026. Trustpilot ratings were checked on 23 September 2026. Prices and menus change.
