Best Ready Meals UK 2025: Supermarket vs Delivered

The ready meal market in the UK has changed dramatically. What used to mean a sad lasagne from the supermarket chiller aisle now includes everything from chef creations to macro-counted fitness meals delivered to your door.

But with so many options, how do you find the best ready meals in the UK? We've broken it down - covering supermarket options, delivered meal prep, and everything in between.

What Actually Counts as a Ready Meal?

Before we start, let's be clear about what we're comparing. A ready meal is fully cooked and just needs reheating - 3 minutes in the microwave and you're eating.

This is different from meal kits (like HelloFresh, Gousto, or Mindful Chef) where you receive ingredients and recipes but still need to cook for 20-45 minutes. Meal kits are great if you enjoy cooking - but they're not ready meals.

This guide focuses on actual ready meals only.

Supermarket Ready Meals

The most accessible option. Available in Tesco, Sainsbury's, M&S, Waitrose and most supermarkets.

What the Research Shows

A 2025 study by Action on Salt analysed 1,511 supermarket ready meals and found:

• 56% are high in salt - some containing more than an adult's entire daily limit in one meal
• 42% are high in saturated fat
• 71% are low in fibre
• One in five ready meals would trigger three red warning labels under UK front-of-pack labelling

Iceland performed worst (84% of meals high in salt), while some premium ranges performed better.

The Better Options

If you're buying from supermarkets, the healthier ranges include:

• Tesco Calorie Controlled - Their chicken roast dinner scored highest in Chemist4U's Ready Meal Index
• Sainsbury's My Goodness / Be Good To Yourself - 300-400kcal per pack with decent protein
• M&S Balanced For You - Higher protein, moderate carbs

The Problem

Even the "healthier" ranges have issues:

• Designed for 5-7 day shelf life, requiring preservatives or processing
• Low protein content compared to dedicated meal prep (typically 15-25g vs 30-60g)
• Limited variety - same rotation week after week
• Research shows only 6% of supermarket ready meals are rated "green" for all nutritional criteria

Verdict: Fine occasionally if you choose carefully from the healthier ranges. Not ideal as a regular solution for anyone focused on nutrition or fitness.

Delivered Ready Meals (Meal Prep Services)

These are ready-to-eat meals delivered to your door. No cooking required - just heat and eat. Here's how the main UK options compare:

Frive

• Price: From £7.99 per meal
• Menu: 27 mains
• Calories: 400-650 kcal per meal
• Production: Factory

Nutritionist-approved, macro-balanced meals with no artificial additives. Good for specific diets (vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free) but limited variety with only 27 mains at a time.

Simmer Eats

• Price: £7.49-£7.96 per meal + £6.99 delivery
• Menu: 22 dishes
• Protein: 30-50g per meal
• Production: Factory

Founded in 2017, Simmer Eats focuses on flavour and convenience. Meals arrive chilled and are ready in 3 minutes. Good protein content but small menu and delivery fee on every order.

Prep Kitchen

• Price: £6.95-£7.75 per meal
• Menu: 20-30 mains
• Focus: Macro-tracking for fitness
• Production: Factory

Competitive pricing and clear macro transparency. Options split into fat loss and muscle gain goals. Limited variety though - 20-30 mains at a time.

Muscle Food

• Price: £3.50-£6.99 per meal
• Menu: 36 meals (fixed, no rotation)
• Production: Mass-produced

The budget option. Started as an online butcher and expanded into ready meals. Cheapest in the market but quality reflects the price - mass-produced for volume and value, not chef-made. £75 minimum for free delivery.

The Good Prep

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

Premium positioning with quality ingredients. But at £11+ per meal with minimum order requirements, costs add up quickly.

Calo

• Price: £14-20 per day
• Menu: ~30 mains
• Model: Daily meal plans (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks)

App-based system with personalised daily plans. Originally from Bahrain, now in UK. Most expensive option - the daily plan model means less flexibility to pick individual meals.

HomeCooks

• Price: £7.50-£7.95 per meal
• Menu: 200+ dishes
• Protein: 30-60g per meal
• Delivery: Nationwide, free delivery included
• Production: Small batches by independent chefs

HomeCooks works with independent chefs and small food businesses across the UK rather than running a central factory. This means restaurant-quality food with genuine variety - you won't get bored eating the same 20 meals on rotation.

Frozen Ready Meals

COOK is a well-established frozen ready meal brand (since 1997). They focus on traditional British comfort food - pies, stews, lasagnes, roasts.

• Price: £6-£12 per meal
• Delivery: Free over £50

Quality is good and they're B-Corp certified, but they're frozen and focused on comfort rather than nutrition or high protein.

Quick Comparison Table

Our Recommendation

For the best combination of quality, variety, nutrition and value, we recommend HomeCooks.

Here's why:

• 200+ dishes - More variety than any other service (most have 20-50)
• 30-60g protein per meal - Significantly higher than supermarkets (15-25g) and most competitors
• £7.50-£7.95 per meal - Competitive pricing with free nationwide delivery
• Independent chefs - Small batch quality, not factory production
• No food boredom - Constantly changing menu from different chefs across the UK

The key difference is the model. When an independent chef cooks 50 portions vs a factory producing 5,000, the quality difference is noticeable. You get ready meal convenience with restaurant-quality food.

How to Choose

Choose supermarket ready meals if:

• You need something tonight
• Budget is the main constraint
• You'll stick to healthier ranges and check labels

Choose budget meal prep (Muscle Food) if:

• Price is the priority over quality
• You're fine with the same 36 meals
• You can meet the £75 free delivery threshold

Choose factory meal prep (Frive, Simmer, Prep Kitchen) if:

• You want better nutrition than supermarkets
• A smaller rotating menu (20-30 options) works for you
• You prioritise macros and tracking

Choose HomeCooks if:

• Variety matters - you get bored easily
• You want restaurant-quality, not factory food
• High protein (30-60g) is a priority
• You want to support independent chefs

The Bottom Line

The best ready meals in the UK depend on your priorities. Supermarkets work occasionally - but research shows most options are high in salt and low in fibre. Factory meal prep offers better nutrition. Budget options like Muscle Food trade quality for price.

But if you want ready meals that taste like someone actually cooked them - because they did - chef-prepared services like HomeCooks are in a different category entirely.

At HomeCooks, every meal is prepared by independent chefs using restaurant-quality ingredients. 200+ dishes, 30-60g protein per meal, free nationwide delivery, and genuine variety that means you'll never get bored. See how it works and discover ready meals that actually taste homemade.