Pickle & Squash recipe box review

Is Pickle & Squash healthy?

Co-founder Alice has a degree in Food and Nutrition and worked as a recipe developer for 15 years before starting the business, and she’s clearly applied her experience to this offering. The vegetarian recipes were noticeably high in protein, and there was a good range of organic, fresh and canned vegetables in each recipe. The stock cube in one of the recipes was a very low salt variety. However, a nutritional breakdown would be a great addition.

How many recipes do you get with Pickle & Squash?

Three recipes, delivered fortnightly on a set date.

What are your first impressions of the delivery?

First impressions of the box were great. There were lots of fresh ingredients and all were clearly sorted and labelled with coloured stickers.

What do you get in a Pickle & Squash box?

You receive three numbered recipe cards and corresponding paper bags of ingredients. Perishable items came in ice packs and overall there didn’t seem to be much packaging. Ingredients were high-quality, all in date and appeared to be fresh.

Does Pickle & Squash offer good value for money?

Both the meat/fish box and the vegetarian box cost £45, which at £15 per recipe (to serve a family), offers pretty good value for money.

How easy are the recipes?

The recipes were very easy to follow – great for a tired parent! The ingredients were helpfully capped up throughout the method, all required equipment was listed, and the prep and cook times felt accurate. There were also storing and reheating pointers on each recipe.

Is there any food waste?

None. Small packets of spices and fresh herbs meant everything was used.

Is there any excess packaging around the food?

No. For each recipe, most of the ingredients came in the same paper bag.

What are the finished recipes like?

Of the three recipes in the veggie box we tried, two were a big success with the children and one recipe needed a lot of extra parmesan. It felt good to be offering the children a change from the usual recipe repertoire and broadening their knowledge of foods from around the world.

How many people does it serve?

Each recipe is devised for two adults with four baby portions, or two adults with one toddler and two baby portions. We found it was enough for two adults and three primary-school-aged children.

What utensils did you need to make the recipes?

Chopping boards and standard utensils like knives, saucepans, wooden spoons/spatulas, box grater, measuring jug, frying pan and oven.

Who would Pickle & Squash be most useful for?

Parents keen to broaden their children’s exposure to different flavours and cuisines. This would also be brilliant for taking on self-catering holidays.

What’s your favourite thing about this product?

The Pickle & Squash recipes had us eating together as a family without anyone feeling they had the short straw. It was a bit of a treat and a talking point for us all.

What are the subscription terms?

At the moment you can only sign up to a box every fortnight, but as they point out, they’re a small, mum-run company, and it’s likely this offering will grow in time.

Overall star ratings

Ease of cooking 5/5
Quality of the finished recipes 4/5
Packaging 5/5
Quality of ingredients 4/5
Value for money 4/5