Best Meal Prep Services UK 2025 - An Honest Comparison

The UK meal prep market has exploded over the past few years. What started as a niche fitness industry offering has gone properly mainstream - and there are now dozens of companies competing for your fridge space.

But here's the problem: most "best meal prep" articles are either sponsored content, affiliate roundups, or written by people who've never actually used the services they're reviewing.

We've spent time looking at what's actually out there. Here's an honest breakdown of the UK meal prep landscape in 2025.

First, Let's Clear Something Up

There's often confusion between meal prep services and meal kit services. They're fundamentally different:

Meal Prep Services (like Frive, Prep Kitchen, Simmer Eats)

• Meals arrive fully cooked and ready to eat
• Just heat and serve - 3 minutes or less
• No cooking, chopping, or cleaning up
• Ideal for: Busy people who genuinely don't have time to cook

Meal Kit Services (like HelloFresh, Gousto, Mindful Chef)

• Ingredients arrive with recipe cards
• You still cook the meal yourself (20-45 minutes)
• Generates washing up
• Ideal for: People who enjoy cooking but hate meal planning and shopping

This article focuses on meal prep - actual ready-to-eat meals. If you still want to cook, meal kits might suit you better.

How We Evaluated

We looked at several factors:

• Actual food quality - Does it taste like real food or factory output?
• Nutritional value - Protein content, balanced macros, no hidden nasties
• Price per meal - What you're actually paying
• Flexibility - Can you skip weeks? Change quantities easily?
• Menu variety - How many options and how often do they rotate?

The Main Players

Frive (formerly Lions Prep)

Price: From £7.99 per meal
Menu: 27 mains (+ desserts/sides)
Calories: 400-650 kcal per meal

Frive has positioned itself as a premium option with nutritionist-approved, macro-balanced meals. They focus on natural ingredients with no artificial additives.

The good: Natural ingredients, macro-balanced, quick 3-minute prep, good for dietary requirements (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free).

The catch: Limited to 27 mains at a time, factory production not small batches, some customers report cancellation difficulties, short fridge life (around 3 days).

Prep Kitchen

Price: £6.95 - £7.75 per meal
Menu: 20-30 mains (rotating)
Focus: Macro-tracking and competitive pricing

Prep Kitchen has carved out a niche in the fitness market. They split their offering into fat loss and muscle gain goals, with balanced and low-carb macro options.

The good: Competitive pricing from £6.95, clear macro transparency, Regular or Large portion options.

The catch: Limited to 20-30 mains at a time, central kitchen production, some quality concerns reported, smaller vegetable portions.

Simmer Eats

Price: £7.49 - £7.96 per meal (+ £6.99 delivery)
Menu: 22 dishes (50+ rotating throughout year)
Protein: 30-50g per meal

Founded in 2017 by brothers Simmy and Jhai Dhillon, Simmer Eats focuses on flavour and convenience with meals ready in 3 minutes.

The good: Good protein content (30-50g), chilled delivery, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

The catch: Only 22 dishes at a time, £6.99 delivery fee on every order, factory production, some users report macro accuracy issues.

The Good Prep

Price: £11+ per meal
Menu: ~50 meals
Minimum: 2 meals per day required

The Good Prep positions itself at the premium end with quality ingredients and a structured meal plan approach.

The good: Quality ingredients, decent variety (~50 meals), health-focused.

The catch: Expensive at £11+ per meal, must order minimum 2 meals per day (can't just pick individual meals), less flexibility than other services.

Muscle Food Prepped Pots

Price: £3.50 - £6.99 per meal
Menu: 36 meals (fixed, no rotation)
Focus: Budget-friendly, high-protein

If you're watching the budget, Muscle Food's Prepped Pots are the cheapest option in the market.

The good: Best value in the market, decent protein content, no subscription required.

The catch: Quality trade-off for price, 36 fixed meals that never rotate, mass-produced not chef-made, taste reviews are mixed, £75 minimum for free delivery.

Calo

Price: £14-20 per day (daily plans)
Menu: ~30 mains
Origin: Middle East (Bahrain-based, expanded to UK)

Calo uses an app-based system for personalised daily meal plans including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

The good: Complete daily nutrition covered, app-based tracking, personalised plans.

The catch: Most expensive option (£14-20/day), newer to UK market, daily plan model with less flexibility, only ~30 main meal options.

Our Recommendation: HomeCooks

After comparing all the options, we think HomeCooks offers the best combination of quality, variety, and value in the UK meal prep market.

Here's why:

• 200+ dishes - More variety than any other service (vs 20-50 elsewhere)
• £7.50-£7.95 per meal - Competitive with premium services, much better quality than budget options
• 30-60g protein per meal - Higher than most competitors
• Independent chefs - Small batch quality from real chefs, not factory production
• No food boredom - Constantly changing menu means you won't get tired of the same meals
• Restaurant-quality - Because it's made by actual chefs, not a factory line

The main difference is the model: while most meal prep companies run centralised factories producing thousands of identical meals, HomeCooks works with independent chefs and small food businesses across the UK. You get the convenience of meal prep with the quality of restaurant food.

Quick Comparison Table

How to Choose

Ask yourself these questions:

What's your actual budget?
Be honest. If budget is the main priority, Muscle Food is cheapest but quality suffers. For quality without premium pricing, HomeCooks or Prep Kitchen offer good value.

How important is variety?
If you get bored easily, HomeCooks' 200+ dishes is unmatched. Most services have 20-50 options which can feel repetitive after a month.

Do you want meals or meal plans?
Services like Calo and The Good Prep push you towards daily meal plans. HomeCooks, Frive, and Prep Kitchen let you pick individual meals.

Does production method matter to you?
If you care about small-batch, chef-made quality over factory production, HomeCooks is the only option using independent chefs.

The Bottom Line

There's no single "best" meal prep service for everyone - but there's likely a best one for your specific needs.

For best overall value and variety: HomeCooks - 200+ dishes, independent chef quality, £7.50-£7.95/meal

For budget-conscious: Prep Kitchen (£6.95) or Muscle Food (£3.50+, but quality trade-off)

For complete daily meal plans: Calo (expensive) or The Good Prep (£11+)

The meal prep market is competitive enough now that you have genuine choice. Just remember: the best meal prep service is the one you'll actually use consistently.

At HomeCooks, we work with independent chefs who cook real food, not factory-produced meals. Every dish is made with ingredients you'd recognise, with 30-60g protein and balanced nutrition. See how it works and discover chef-prepared meals that actually taste homemade.