As a busy mom juggling full-time work, kids, and household chores, I can’t find much time to cook for myself or my family.
Although I still try to cook for them on my free days, food delivery is our go-to most of the time, especially since we have a picky teenager who suddenly craves something specific at midday.
But even ordering can be really hard at times. After too many late, cold, or just plain wrong orders from London delivery services, I decided it was time to find out who was actually worth trusting with dinner.
So, I’ve enlisted the rest of the Wunderlust London writing team to test out top-rated options across the city.
After multiple deliveries (and a few more letdowns), we finally found the best food delivery services in London. Check them out here!
How we chose
- Restaurant Variety: We picked restaurants with a wide variety of dishes and cuisines to satisfy our cravings.
- Delivery Speed: We like our food to be delivered right away so we can taste it straight from the kitchen, without being too soggy or too cold.
- Pricing: Since we’re a family on a budget, we also consider reasonable pricing. We want well-priced food.
- Dietary Options: We also think it’s important to choose a food delivery service serving meals that can cater to dietary requirements, like gluten-free, vegan, or dairy-free.
1. Mindful Chef
Address: Unit D, Discovery House, Juniper Dr
Contact Details: +442039500455, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Mindful Chef is one of London’s top-rated food delivery services, famous for their healthy and ready-measured recipes in a box.
We appreciate the recipes that are full of protein and fibre. Plus points since most meals include whole foods, which are perfect for our diet. There are also gluten-free meals for those with strict dietary requirements.
The best part is the cooking instructions are easy to follow, so we don’t have a hard time preparing them.
Their menu also changes every week, letting us taste different meals like the yummy Korean fried chicken and pad Thai (cooking these is teamwork, but we enjoyed it)!
As for their subscription, it just fits us since it’s fully flexible. I remember ordering the first week of the month with five recipes a week. In the second week, we skipped it since we had a vacation and they didn’t charge us!
Oh, and speaking of money, they offer discounts! We remember applying a discount code on one of our orders, saving 20% off our four boxes. Those boxes were also delivered on time and safely, which we appreciate!
We just hope they can improve their service, especially the process for cancelling a subscription (it confused us a bit).
Delicious and healthy meals
“Honestly, probably one of the best decisions I’ve made when it comes to my lifestyle. I tried the meal prep plans, which were fantastic, but I needed something that was easy. Their ready-to-go meals are the best thing that’s ever happened to me. 8.5 mins and you have a nice, delicious, and healthy meal! Absolutely love it and would recommend it to everyone!”
-Mr. Ray Venkatesh, Google Review
Highly recommended for single people
“I get three meals a week and they’re probably my healthiest and tastiest meals of the week, too! I started by choosing my meals, but now I wait to be surprised! Never been disappointed and look forward to cooking them, which for me is unusual! Highly recommend specifically for single people like me.”
-Mr. Daniel Morris, Google Review
2. Scoff Meals
Address: 17 Queensway Units B & C
Contact Details: [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Sunday: Open 24 Hours
Scoff Meals is our go-to food delivery service if we want to eat right away – yes, their chefs handle all the prepping and cooking!
We honestly like how we can choose our goals before picking recipes. For instance, we can pick meals perfect for gaining muscle, losing weight, or even just having a balanced meal for a healthy lifestyle.
That reminds me of their diet-friendly meal plans. If you want to increase protein intake like me, you can choose their “meat only” meal plan. Not just that, there are also pescatarian and vegan options, which are popular with their customers.
We also find their plan selection very flexible. You can choose from 3 days with six main meals, 5 days with ten main meals, or 7 days with 14 main meals a week. That includes free cancellation of snacks if you don’t like the options.
The food is undeniably tasty, we won’t argue with that. We also think their serving portions are reasonable for the price (mind you, we also got a price cut, thanks to their discounts)!
Surprisingly, their packaging is recyclable. We’re happy seeing businesses like them care for the environment.
We do think the company can still improve its customer service, though. They are a bit slow when it comes to responding to email queries.
Aside from that, they should also implement immediate cancellation of the meal plan. There are instances where the subscription gets auto-deducted on the card (even though customers cancelled it).
On-time deliveries
“After placing a few orders with Scoff Meals, I can easily recommend them for prepared meals. The deliveries have been on time, and the packaging has been excellent. The food choice / meal plan choice is also excellent. Try them.”
-Mr. Humza Shah, Google Review
Best tasting meals
“Some of the best tasting meals and portion sizes out of all the companies I’ve tried. Personal favourite was the jerk chicken thighs!”
-Mr. Dylan, Google Review
3. EatFirst
Address: 256-260 Old St
Contact Details: 020 3890 2200, [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Friday: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
EatFirst (which bought Feedr) is a famous food delivery service company serving office workers and employees.
We love this and it’s a lifesaver, especially for people stuck in offices like us. As employees, we can use our subsidies to buy meals depending on our diet. They also offer group orders packed in individual boxes with your name on them.
When it comes to their meals, the cuisines are also on a different level. From Vietnamese and South American to Mediterranean meals, they’ve got your tastebuds covered!
We also adore their Cloud Canteen, which is a weekly meal program for the whole team. We find it a convenient service for employees, as your account manager already sets a budget for the week.
After that, you only need to log in, place your order individually, and wait for the food. You don’t need to worry about the budget because your manager can dish out subsidies for your weekly meals.
Another highlight of EatFirst is its corporate catering. We once tried it at our event and it did not disappoint (mind you, complete with drinks and desserts)!
That said, we find some of their food expensive compared to other delivery services.
Great value
“Caterwings are great – I’ve used their services a few times for film shoots and they’re always great value and the food is amazing! Very reliable and easy to use. Highly recommend.”
-Ms. Philippa Crabb, Google Review
Excellent service
“Excellent service. They sent me the quote in 2 hours with all my requests, and the event went very well. I will definitely continue to use it!”
-Mr. Massimo Serra, Google Review
4. Grubby
Address: 145 City Rd
Contact Details: 03303201850, [email protected]
Operating Hours:
- Monday – Friday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
- Sunday: 9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Grubby is a food delivery service offering plant-based foods, with fresh ingredients to cook right to your doorstep.
We enjoy their loaded menu, and cooking is a breeze. We’re not totally vegan, but we also love the taste of plant-based meals, and Grubby is our one-stop for such recipes.
When we say fresh ingredients, we mean it, especially with their vegetables. We heard they partnered with local farms to source their products, and we’re happy with that (we like those veggies planted in British organic soil).
Although we’re required to cook the recipe on our own, at least we don’t have to go to supermarkets just to shop. We also appreciate their tips and tricks when cooking their recipes, so they won’t taste like cardboard (like their packaging).
Oh, and we can still remember receiving our order from the delivery guy using a bike – that’s a real pedal power right there, great for going green.
We’re happy with the food, but one thing we’d like them to pay attention to is the Grubby app. The interface can still be improved as we feel like it’s not yet user-friendly, especially when checking out for an advanced meal plan.
Easy-to-follow recipes
“I love the variety of dishes. I have an illness that depletes my energy, but these meals help me give balanced meals for my husband and I. Easy to follow recipe cards and tasty food. My only negative is that I do not always get a card for each dish.”
-Ms. P Redmore, Google Review
Super tasty meals
“LOVE these meals!!! I’m not vegan, but I will definitely convert because of these super tasty meals.”
-Ms. Bianca Matheson, Google Review
5. Planthood
Address: Unit 40, Bow Business Centre, 41 Bow Triangle, Eleanor St
Contact Details: [email protected]
Operating Hours: Monday – Sunday: Open 24 Hours
Planthood is a type of food delivery service that combines chef-made recipes with a little bit of cooking on your end.
At first, we were just curious to try how the Planthood meal kit works, so we ordered a vegetable garden risotto. We got cooked pearl barley, super green broth, and fresh peas. We also got courgette, and hazelnuts to finish cooking at home.
If you have time to cook for 3 minutes and want some nicely cooked veggies, this meal prep kit is for you. This way, you can enjoy crisp vegetables instead of arriving soggy and cold.
The seasonal menu every week is also a hit for us, letting us explore different foods. Last time we tried Dan Dan noodles with miso mushrooms, and it’s a tasty Sichuan dish. The next week, we had sweet and spicy jerk tofu, which has a nice Jamaican kick!
Their delivery speed is also commendable. It comes on time every Monday.
Their recipe instructions need some improvements, though. We think they can make it easier to digest (figuratively) since reading the full recipe can be too much for some.
Super tasty meals
“I recently signed up for Planthood, and I am very impressed. The meals are simple to put together and super tasty. I would highly recommend.”
-Ms. Suzy Elizabeth, Google Review
Recipes don’t take long.
“My partner and I have been using meal kits for a few years despite being avid cooks. We’re a few weeks into using Planthood now, and we can see it as something we’ll stick with long term. The recipes don’t take long at all because of the pre-made sauces, and we’re happy with the variety. I’m also very happy with the amount of protein and fibre in most of the meals.”
-Ms. Sophie Knowles, Google Review
