Hello Fresh: Meal Two

Pan-Fried Duck with Pommes Mousselines and Pancetta Peas

The second meal we decided to try was the Pan-Fried Duck with Pommes Mousselines and Pancetta Peas.

Recipe card

I found this dish quicker to make than yesterday's meal. I think it was a slightly simpler recipe (less stages and only using the hob rather than hob and cooker) and maybe I'm just getting used to the style of cooking a bit more.

What first struck me was the richness of colour of the duck fillets and plumpness of the cuts. I don't think I've ever even cooked duck myself before but having seen the usual offerings in the supermarket, these looked considerably better.

Duck and pancetta

This might sound like a silly thing to say but the potatoes were in great condition too. Pre-washed with no ugly bits, they were better quality than most of the types you get at the supermarket. The peas were also really plump and fresh.

Fresh peas

On to the cooking. I found all the stage simple and Hello Fresh's method for frying the duck was full-proof. 6 mins skin side down followed by 5 mins on the other side followed by resting - crispy skin and pink inside perfection. I also really liked the idea of boiling potatoes in stock which I've never tried before, it definitely lifted the flavour. They also suggested a new (to me) way of mashing potatoes - pushing them through a sieve. Not only is this a great technique to get super smooth mash but it's handy for people with no masher ie. me.

Duck frying skin side down...

...Then fried on the other side

I really enjoyed the whole combination on the plate. I often find multiple-meat dishes a bit too heavy but this balanced really well. However, I am starting to notice a trend: portion sizes are too big, again I was unable to finish it (although the boyfriend didn't complain). Having said that though, I am a small eater when it comes to meals so I'm not sure I'd suggest for the portion sizes to be smaller, although for me it is a little too much.

The final plate

Missed the unboxing of this week's Hello Fresh box? Click here

Hello Fresh: Meal One

XO Chinese Chicken with Stir-Fried Sweetheart Cabbage

The first meal we chose was XO Chinese Chicken with Stir-Fried Sweetheart Cabbage. All the ingredients come in the exact amounts the recipe calls for so it's very easy to assemble with no counting or weighing (it feels like you're on a cooking programme!). You're supplied with a super easy to follow recipe card with step by step instructions and photos.

The recipe card

It took me quite a while to get all my ingredients prepared. I'm a fairly slow chopper and have been known to take my time in the kitchen. Once this was all done though, the meal was quick and easy to make (apart from my grill which annoyingly stopped working halfway through). The recipe card says that the meal can be made in 25 minutes and although the cooking part probably only took 15 minutes or so, the preparation took me a little longer. However, with practice I reckon I could get it down. It also doesn't help that my kitchen is only about 2 metres deep and 1 metre wide - with limited utensils - so I was juggling all the preparation over various plates and boards.

Food prepped (My only work surface space)

Although I chopped up the whole chilli (seen above), after trying a minuscule piece (and spending the next few minutes coughing and spluttering), I decided to only put in a pinch of it.

Chicken (butterflied) grilling with the XO sauce and marinade

Stir-frying the chopped ingredients

I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. The dish was certainly flavoursome and tasty. When I originally saw how many noodles the menu required I was dubious if it would actually feed two people but when I plated up, I couldn't finish mine. The chicken was fantastic quality and all the herbs and veg were super fresh.

The final plate

Check back for tomorrow's meal - Pan-Fried Salmon with Homemade Guacamole and New Potatoes!
Didn't catch yesterday's post? Click here

Hello Fresh: Unboxing

Hello!

This week we're trying out a new food subscription service called Hello Fresh and as a half review/talk with my readers I thought I'd feature our first 5-day experience with you all. I'll be blogging everyday this week with photos of our meals and cooking and let you know what I think about it.

So without further adieu, let's get started!

I thought about describing how the service works myself but Hello Fresh do it so well, I've pasted below what they say about it.

"Every week our chefs create amazing recipes for you that are easy to prepare. Our meals are interesting yet simple. And we ensure that your diet is balanced and varied...We source only the highest-quality and freshest produce. We'll also introduce you to ingredients that you won’t find in your local supermarket...We deliver your recipes and ingredients to your door every Tuesday...Recipes typically take only 30 minutes or less and don't require fancy equipment."

Sounds great, right?!

And what's even better is that the subscription is completely flexible so you can cancel, put on hold or change your order at any point - as long as they have 6 days notice before your next order. You can choose between the veggie box or the meat and fish box. 

The easy to follow recipe cards

This week we received the ingredients and recipe cards for:

- XO Chinese Chicken with Stir-Fried Sweetheart Cabbage
- Pan-Fried Duck with Pommes Mousselines Pancetta Peas
- Pan-Fried Salmon with Homemade Guacamole and New Potatoes
- Chicken Pilaff with an Air of Pistachio
- Stuffed Aubergine Gratin with Rocket and Herbed Bulgar Wheat

Fresh veg on top

The root veg and bags of rice/noodles, bag with the meat in (which is insulated with ice packs to keep them cold in transit) and a bag of "Little Bits" including spices, dried herbs, breadcrumbs and dried fruit and nuts.

The insulated packets of meat

"The Little Bits" bag contents

Prices vary but for 5 meals (meat and fish) for two people is £49. We actually had a gift voucher for Hello Fresh which gave us £25 off our first box. This brought the price down to £24 - a bargain for 5 days worth of food.

Check back tomorrow to see how our first meal turned out!

If you'd like to try Hello Fresh, you can use this code - CDK7WZ - which will give you £20 off your first box!

Reebok EasyTone - Week Two

WEEK TWO

I've been a bit lazy this week with regards to walking. And obviously less walking = less toning action. So I am still yet to see a difference, I'm hoping by kicking the exercise up a notch next week that I will see even a slight difference by the end of the week. However, although I don't notice a change in my body I am able to tell you about the actual trainers. I bought a white pair which may have been a bit risky considering the miserable English weather but I'm pretty pleased with how white they've remained. The plastic/leather fabric is very easy to clean with just warm water if they get muddy and there is minimal canvas.

Anyway, enough rambling for now, I'll keep you updated!







Maria