The 7 Best Meal Prep Delivery Services in the UK: Ingredients, Nutrition and Cost Compared
TL;DR: Once delivery and minimum orders are counted, the smallest order that gets six meals to your door costs between £47.40 and £58.93 across the services we checked. For fresh, high-protein meals with no artificial ingredients or UPFs, we'd pick Frive (yes, that's us), and at £47.40 it's also the cheapest six meals delivered. Prep Kitchen has the lowest price per meal, and Simmer Eats offers bigger portions. COOK is the frozen all-rounder, Field Doctor is built for gut health and low FODMAP, HomeCooks is the pick for frozen variety, and Grubby is our vegan pick.
The price per meal on a meal prep website isn't what a week costs you. Delivery fees run from nothing to £7.99 a box, some services won't deliver below a minimum spend, and a few names on older lists have stopped delivering altogether.
So we checked every service on its own website and costed six meals delivered to your door at full price, before any first-order discount. We also looked at what each one says about ultra-processed food. Everything here arrives ready to heat; if you'd rather do the cooking yourself, recipe boxes are a different product.
The best meal prep delivery services at a glance
| Best meal prep delivery services UK at a glance | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Best for | Fresh or frozen | Price per meal | Six meals delivered | What it says about UPFs | Trustpilot |
| 1. Frive | Fresh, high-protein meals with no artificial ingredients or UPFs | Fresh | £7.90 (meat) | £47.40 | No UPFs | 4.4 (13,276) |
| 2. Prep Kitchen | Lowest price per meal on chilled meal prep | Fresh | £6.95 | £47.69 | No UPF claim | 4.5 (4,153) |
| 3. Simmer Eats | Bigger portions | Fresh | £7.96 on a six-meal plan | £55.75 | No UPF claim; says no artificial additives | 4.2 (14,448) |
| 4. COOK | Frozen meals and click and collect | Frozen | Mostly £6.50 | £52.45 (seven meals) | Says it doesn't ultra-process; about 4% of ingredients are UPFs | 4.8 (55,129) |
| 5. Field Doctor | Gut health and low FODMAP | Frozen | £7.49 to £8.79 | £58.93 (seven meals) | Says free from UPFs | 4.5 (2,519) |
| 6. HomeCooks | Frozen variety | Frozen | £7.95 in a box of six | £47.70 | Says no industrial additives | 4.6 (499) |
| 7. Grubby | Vegan | Frozen | £7.25 | £48.49 | No UPF claim | 4.6 (2,005) |
How we ranked them
We looked at each service the way you would: on its own website. Prices are full price, before any introductory discount. Then we judged all seven on five things.
What's in the food: the ingredients, and what each brand says about ultra-processed food.
Protein: the median per main meal, from each brand's published nutrition.
What a week really costs: six meals delivered, including delivery and any minimum order.
Flexibility: subscription or one-off, delivery days, and how long meals keep.
What customers say: the Trustpilot score and number of reviews.
We make Frive, so we've ranked it first on these criteria. Every other service is judged on exactly the same five, and where someone else does something better, we've said so.
The 7 best meal prep delivery services in the UK
1. Frive: best for fresh, high-protein meals with no artificial ingredients or UPFs
Fresh · £47.40 for six delivered · Trustpilot 4.4
Our meals are chef-crafted and nutritionist-approved, made from 100% natural, whole-food ingredients with no artificial ingredients or UPFs, cooked fresh and ready in about three minutes. They're built around protein, too: across the 43 main meals on this week's menu the median carries 44g, and 38 of them carry 30g or more.
Price: £7.90 a meat meal; £7.80 vegetarian and vegan; £8.80 seafood
Six meals delivered: £47.40 for six meat meals, with free delivery because it's over £40 (orders under £40 pay £6)
Format: fresh and chilled; keeps up to seven days in the fridge
UPFs: none; no artificial ingredients, and premium oils only (olive, avocado and sesame)
Delivery: four delivery days a week, Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; mainland UK
Trustpilot: 4.4 from 13,276 reviews
Why we rate it: We cover the whole day, not just dinner: 40+ main meals a week plus breakfasts, snacks, sides, protein smoothies, juices and shots, with plans for high protein, weight loss, low carb, balanced, vegetarian, vegan and halal. Neither of the other chilled services here says its meals are free from UPFs, and our beef, chicken and turkey are Red Tractor approved. Start with our high protein plan, or see all our meal prep delivery plans.
Worth knowing: It's a weekly subscription (skip or cancel any time, but there's no one-off order), orders under £40 pay £6 delivery, and fresh food means up to seven days in the fridge rather than months in the freezer. Prep Kitchen's price per meal is also lower than ours, at £6.95.
2. Prep Kitchen: best for the lowest price per meal on chilled meal prep
Fresh · £47.69 for six delivered · Trustpilot 4.5
Prep Kitchen makes chilled, high-protein meal prep, with regular or large portions and balanced or lower-carb plans. At £6.95 it has the lowest price per meal of the chilled services we checked, though its £5.99 delivery puts six meals at £47.69, 29p more than ours.
Price: £6.95 a meal for regular balanced
Six meals delivered: £41.70 plus £5.99 delivery, so £47.69 (£7.95 a meal)
Format: fresh, never frozen
UPFs: no UPF-free claim on its website
Delivery: weekly, to almost all of mainland UK except the Highlands; £5.99 on a single box, free if you commit to four boxes
Trustpilot: 4.5 from 4,153 reviews
Why we rate it: You get price and protein together: a median of 40g of protein across the regular balanced meals on its current menu, at £6.95 a meal. Most come in at around 480 to 560 calories.
Worth knowing: Delivery is £5.99 on a single box, and the way round it is committing to four boxes up front. We found no claim on its website about ultra-processed food or additives, and it's a subscription (pause or cancel any time).
See our full Frive vs Prep Kitchen comparison.
3. Simmer Eats: best for bigger portions
Fresh · £55.75 for six delivered · Trustpilot 4.2
Simmer Eats makes chilled heat-and-eat meals, with the option of a larger portion for £1.49 extra per meal. If a standard meal prep portion leaves you hungry, that upgrade is the reason to look here.
Price: £7.96 a meal on a six-meal plan; larger portions £1.49 extra per meal
Six meals delivered: £47.76 plus £7.99 delivery, so £55.75 (£9.29 a meal)
Format: fresh and chilled; up to five days in the fridge
UPFs: no UPF-free claim; Simmer Eats says its meals are “100% free from artificial preservatives, additives, and processed fillers”
Delivery: Mondays, by DPD; £7.99 on every order
Trustpilot: 4.2 from 14,448 reviews
Why we rate it: The larger-portion upgrade, for when a standard portion isn't enough. Simmer Eats puts its standard portions at 30 to 40g of protein and its large ones at 50 to 65g.
Worth knowing: Every order carries a £7.99 delivery fee, the highest of the services here, and the smallest plan is six meals. Deliveries currently come on Mondays only.
See our full Frive vs Simmer Eats comparison.
4. COOK: best for frozen meals and click and collect
Frozen · £52.45 for seven delivered · Trustpilot 4.8
COOK is a long-established brand selling frozen, home-style meals, online and from its own shops. It has the highest Trustpilot score of any service here, at 4.8 from 55,129 reviews.
Price: mostly £6.50 for a single-portion main, from £5.25 to £7.50
Six meals delivered: home delivery has a £45 minimum, so six meals don't qualify on their own. Seven meals are £45.50 plus £6.95 courier, so £52.45 (£7.49 a meal)
Format: frozen; most meals best before two to nine months
UPFs: COOK says “we COOK, we don't ultra-process”, and that “about 4%” of its ingredients “would be considered ultra-processed”
Delivery: courier from £6.95, free over £95 for most postcodes; £3.95 from a local shop or COOK van. COOK subscriptions have no delivery charge; we've costed a one-off first order
Trustpilot: 4.8 from 55,129 reviews
Why we rate it: Free click and collect from over 100 COOK shops, with no minimum spend outside seasonal peaks, which makes six meals around £39 if you live near one. It's also open about processing: its store-cupboard ingredients, like stock and Worcester sauce, are where the ultra-processed 4% comes from.
Worth knowing: Home delivery needs a £45 minimum spend, so a first order of six becomes seven. The eight single-portion mains we checked carried a median of 33.5g of protein, and some come without rice or potatoes, so check what's in the pack.
See our full Frive vs COOK comparison.
5. Field Doctor: best for gut health and low FODMAP
Frozen · £58.93 for seven delivered · Trustpilot 4.5
Field Doctor makes frozen meals designed with dietitians and built around health needs. Its low FODMAP meals are certified by Monash University, and it runs ranges for IBS, heart health, menopause, GLP-1 and weight management.
Price: £7.49 to £8.79 a single portion; smaller “Midi” portions from £5.99
Six meals delivered: the minimum order is £50, so six entry-price meals (£44.94) don't qualify. Seven are £52.43 plus delivery from £6.50, so £58.93 (£8.42 a meal)
Format: frozen; best before within a year of production
UPFs: Field Doctor says its ingredients are “free from artificial additives and ultra-processed foods”
Delivery: Tuesday to Saturday; from £6.50, free over £67.50
Trustpilot: 4.5 from 2,519 reviews
Why we rate it: It's the specialist choice if you're following low FODMAP: Monash-certified meals, and you can buy one-off without a subscription. Like us, it says its ingredients are free from UPFs.
Worth knowing: The £50 minimum and delivery from £6.50 make a small order the most expensive here. Protein is moderate, with a median of 26g across the eleven single portions we checked.
See our full Frive vs Field Doctor comparison.
6. HomeCooks: best for frozen variety
Frozen · £47.70 for six delivered · Trustpilot 4.6
HomeCooks is a marketplace of independent chefs cooking in small batches, and its meals arrive frozen, so they're built for the freezer rather than the fridge. Its range changes monthly, and its meals are also sold as bento boxes in Sainsbury's.
Price: £7.95 a meal in a box of six, falling to £7.50 in a box of twelve or fourteen
Six meals delivered: £47.70, with delivery included in the price (£7.95 a meal)
Format: frozen; HomeCooks recommends keeping meals in the freezer, and eating them within three days once defrosted
UPFs: no UPF-free claim; HomeCooks says its meals use “ingredients you'd recognise”, with “no industrial additives or mystery substances”
Delivery: Tuesday, Thursday or Friday, by DPD; HomeCooks says delivery “is included in the price”
Trustpilot: 4.6 from 499 reviews
Why we rate it: Range, if you want a freezer full of different dinners. In HomeCooks' words, there are “250+ meals per month and counting”, and the eight mains we checked carried a median of 37.2g of protein.
Worth knowing: These aren't fresh meals: they arrive frozen, and once defrosted they need eating within three days, so it pays to plan which nights you'll have them.
7. Grubby: best vegan ready meals
Frozen · £48.49 for six delivered · Trustpilot 4.6
Grubby is a fully plant-based service selling frozen ready meals alongside meal kits. It has the widest vegan ready meal choice we found, and the most protein of the vegan options, which is why it's our vegan pick.
Price: £7.25 a meal for up to six meals, falling to £6.40 for sixteen
Six meals delivered: £43.50 plus £4.99 delivery, so £48.49 (£8.08 a meal)
Format: frozen; up to six months in the freezer
UPFs: no UPF-free claim on its website
Delivery: weekly; £4.99 a box (the first box ships free as part of its new customer offer, which we don't count)
Trustpilot: 4.6 from 2,005 reviews
Why we rate it: In Grubby's words, there are “150+ a month across meal kits and ready meals”. The ready meals we checked carried a median of 26.2g of protein, which is high for a vegan range.
Worth knowing: It's a subscription first, though you can skip or cancel any time. If you'd rather have fresh vegan meals, take a look at our vegan meal plans.
Also worth a look
A few more worth knowing about:
Fuel Hub: chilled, high-protein, calorie-controlled meals with a menu that changes monthly, at £8.00 a meal on subscription plus £6.95 delivery on every order, which puts six meals at £54.95; we found no UPF-free claim on its website. There's more on it in our guide to high-protein meal prep services compared.
Allplants: frozen, fully plant-based meals, “starting from £4.50 per meal” on bigger boxes in Allplants' words, with free delivery and one-off orders; it's the cheapest vegan option, but light on protein, with a median of 10g in the meals we checked.
The Good Prep: chilled meals with free delivery, rated 4.7 on Trustpilot from 389 reviews.
Eat Ping: chilled Indian, Chinese and Korean menus, by subscription or as a one-off order.
Gousto Heat & Eat: Gousto's chilled ready meals, a small range bought through a Gousto box, where every dish arrives as two single portions, so five dishes means ten meals, each eaten twice. See how they compare in our Frive vs Gousto guide.
What does a week of meal prep actually cost?
The smallest order that gets six meals to your door costs £47.40 to £58.93 across the seven services (at COOK and Field Doctor that means seven meals, because of their minimum orders), and delivery fees plus minimum orders decide most of the gap.
| What six meals cost delivered, at full price | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service | Meals | Delivery | Total | Per meal delivered | Notes |
| Frive | £47.40 | Free | £47.40 | £7.90 | Six meat meals; free delivery over £40 |
| Prep Kitchen | £41.70 | £5.99 | £47.69 | £7.95 | Regular balanced; single box |
| HomeCooks | £47.70 | Included | £47.70 | £7.95 | Box of six; frozen |
| Grubby | £43.50 | £4.99 | £48.49 | £8.08 | Vegan, frozen; first-box free delivery is a new customer offer and not counted |
| COOK | £45.50 | £6.95 | £52.45 | £7.49 | Seven meals, to reach the £45 minimum; free click and collect for six, around £39 |
| Simmer Eats | £47.76 | £7.99 | £55.75 | £9.29 | Six-meal plan |
| Field Doctor | £52.43 | £6.50 | £58.93 | £8.42 | Seven meals, to reach the £50 minimum |
The cheapest order delivered is ours, at £47.40. Prep Kitchen is 29p behind at £47.69: its price per meal is lower than ours, but its £5.99 delivery charge closes the gap. HomeCooks, which includes delivery in its price, is 30p behind at £47.70.
Delivery fees change the order. Simmer Eats charges £7.99 on every order, the most of any service here, which takes six meals to £55.75.
Minimum orders matter most on the frozen services. At COOK and Field Doctor, six meals can't be delivered on their own, so your real first order is seven. If you're weighing all of this against cooking or takeaways, here's how much meal prep delivery really saves you.
Fresh or frozen: which should you choose?
Fresh suits eating through the week; frozen suits stocking up. Here's how that plays out:
How long it keeps: our meals keep up to seven days in the fridge, while frozen services give you months (Field Doctor within a year, COOK two to nine months).
How fast it's ready: about three minutes in the microwave for ours; Field Doctor quotes eight to nine minutes from frozen for a single portion.
What goes in it: neither of the other chilled services, Prep Kitchen and Simmer Eats, says its meals are free from UPFs; on the frozen side, Field Doctor does, and COOK says about 4% of its ingredients count as ultra-processed.
Which is right: if you eat the same number of meals every week, go fresh; if your week is unpredictable, go frozen.
There's more on choosing between fresh and frozen meals in our full comparison.
Which meal prep service is right for you?
You're training or want high protein: Frive, with a 44g median across 43 mains and 38 carrying 30g or more; Prep Kitchen's regular balanced meals come close, at a 40g median.
You want to avoid ultra-processed food: Frive for fresh meals; Field Doctor if you'd rather have frozen.
You're losing weight: Frive's weight loss plan; Prep Kitchen's regular portions (mostly around 480 to 560 calories) are the budget option.
You want the lowest price: Frive for six meals delivered (£47.40), Prep Kitchen for the lowest price per meal (£6.95), or COOK click and collect if you live near a shop.
You want to stock the freezer: COOK.
You're managing IBS or following low FODMAP: Field Doctor.
You're vegan: Grubby for range and protein, Allplants for price.
You want as much variety as possible in the freezer: HomeCooks.
You need halal: Frive's halal plan; most of our meals are halal-friendly, though some meals and add-ons aren't, so check each dish. Simmer Eats says all of its meals are halal.
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Our verdict
There's no single best meal prep service for everyone, and the numbers show why. The gap between the cheapest and dearest smallest order that gets six meals to your door is just over £11, so price alone rarely settles it. What decides it is what you need most from your week: protein, what goes into the food, freezer space or a specific diet.
1. Compare what a week of meals costs delivered, not the price per meal: £47.40 to £58.93 for the smallest order that gets six meals to your door.
2. Frive is the cheapest six meals delivered at £47.40; Prep Kitchen has the lowest price per meal at £6.95.
3. Check what each brand says about ultra-processed food: Frive (fresh) and Field Doctor (frozen) say no UPFs, while Prep Kitchen and Simmer Eats make no such claim.
4. Frozen services (COOK, Field Doctor, HomeCooks, Grubby) suit stocking up, but check the minimum order.
5. For gut health and low FODMAP, Field Doctor is the specialist.
If you want fresh meals that cover the whole day, start with Frive. Every meal is chef-crafted and nutritionist-approved, made from 100% natural ingredients with no artificial ingredients or UPFs, with a median of 44g of protein, and it's ready in about three minutes. Choose from high protein, weight loss, low carb, balanced, vegetarian, vegan and halal plans, then pick your meals from this week's menu. New customer discount available.
FAQs
What is the best meal prep delivery service in the UK?
It depends what you need. We'd pick Frive for fresh, high-protein meals with no artificial ingredients or UPFs, at £7.90 a meal with free delivery over £40. For the lowest price per meal on chilled meals, choose Prep Kitchen; for frozen, COOK; for frozen variety, HomeCooks; for low FODMAP, Field Doctor.
What is the cheapest meal prep service in the UK?
For six chilled meals delivered at full price, Frive is cheapest at £47.40 (£7.90 a meal), then Prep Kitchen at £47.69, which has the lowest price per meal at £6.95. COOK is cheaper if you collect from one of its shops, at around £39 for six. Allplants is the cheapest vegan option.
Is meal prep delivery worth the money?
The smallest order that gets six meals to your door costs £47.40 to £58.93 across the services we checked, or £7.49 to £9.29 a meal delivered. It's worth it if it replaces takeaways or bought lunches and saves you cooking time. If you enjoy cooking and have the evenings free, it's a harder case.
Which meal prep services are free from ultra-processed food?
Of the seven services here, Frive (fresh) and Field Doctor (frozen) say their meals are free from UPFs. COOK says about 4% of its ingredients count as ultra-processed, and HomeCooks says it uses no industrial additives. Prep Kitchen, Simmer Eats and Grubby make no UPF-free claim on their websites.
Are meal prep delivery services fresh or frozen?
Both exist. Frive, Prep Kitchen and Simmer Eats deliver fresh chilled meals that keep for days in the fridge (up to seven for Frive, up to five for Simmer Eats). COOK, Field Doctor, HomeCooks and Grubby deliver frozen, and COOK and Field Doctor meals keep for months in the freezer.
Which meal prep service is best for the gym?
Frive's 43 mains have a median of 44g of protein and 38 of them carry 30g or more, with breakfasts, snacks and protein smoothies to cover the whole day. Prep Kitchen's regular balanced meals have a 40g median, and Simmer Eats quotes 30 to 40g for a standard portion.
Do I need a subscription for meal prep delivery?
Not always. Most chilled services are subscriptions you can skip or cancel, including Frive, Prep Kitchen and Simmer Eats. Field Doctor, COOK and Allplants let you place a one-off order, though COOK and Field Doctor set minimum orders for delivery, £45 and £50 respectively.
Prices, delivery charges and minimum orders come from each service's own website and are full price, before any introductory discount. What each brand says about UPFs and additives is taken from its own website, and ratings from its Trustpilot page. Protein figures are medians from each brand's published nutrition for the meals we sampled. Menus and prices change, so check before you order.
