UCook partners with Suzelle for delish DIY dinner kits

The collaboration follows the 2018 release of her first cookbook, Recipes by SuzelleDIY, which was packed with meal ideas as South African as Suzelle herself. Think Papterts and Baklava Braai Pies.

It’s to be expected then that the Suzelle x UCook menu includes sure-fire crowd-pleasers like Bobotie Balls, Hake Flake Bake, Veg Cottage Pie, Lamb and Corn Salsa and Halloumi Burgers.

“The harmony between UCook and Suzelle is perfect,” explains Christopher Verster-Cohen, co-founder at UCook. “Suzelle’s DIY approach brings South Africans convenient, easy hacks for everything – and our mission is to bring simple and delicious dinners to tables around the country.”

Gourmet meals made easy

Lucky enough to be sent a UCook box of my own to try one of Suzelle’s creations, Tuesday night saw me attempting her Ostrich Fillet with Biltong Butter, Roasted Butternut, Brussels Sprouts and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds.

This was my first time using UCook after eyeing the service online for a while. It’s not difficult to see its appeal. A twice-weekly trip to the supermarket is a challenge for time-starved consumers. That, coupled with the ingenuity required to avoid eating the same rotation of dishes every two weeks, means that cooking during the work week can lack enthusiasm.

What’s great about UCook is that there’s an ever-evolving menu of interesting, gourmet meals to choose from created in collaboration with celebrity cooks like Suzelle and other culinary professionals. And whether you’re keen on having something quick and easy, low carb or vegetarian there’s always a meal on offer that fits into either of those categories.

The service offers 12 recipe options per week. You simply choose how many people you want to cook for (1,2 or 4) and how many meals you'd like for the week (2, 3 or 4), which are then delivered to a home or office delivery address every Monday.

When we opened our UCook box, we found perfectly portioned ingredients, neatly packaged, and a recipe card with step-by-step instructions that were easy to follow. Veggies were crisp, meat was tender, and the flavours ended up working well together.

Our particular meal required us to make a compound butter by mixing biltong, garlic, butter, chives, brandy and Worcestershire sauce, which was then reformed using parchment paper, and chilled until firm enough to be sliced.

As simple as it sounds, I may never have tried to make compound butter before hadn’t all the exact ingredients and instructions been directly in front of me. So another plus for meal kits: they encourage one to explore new preparation and cooking techniques.

Conscious approach

Some other reasons why I’m an instant fan of UCook:

Minimising food waste: While we should all strive to limit the amount of food we throw away, especially in a country where so many go hungry, some fresh produce can go bad surprisingly quickly. Having ingredients delivered in the correct quantities for a specific meal helps to ensure this doesn’t happen.

Trusted, ethical suppliers: UCook recipes are focused on the use of wholesome ingredients. That means seasonal, sustainable fruit and veg and free-range, ethically-sourced meat from small-scale farmers. Organic ingredients are used wherever possible.

Sustainable packaging: Almost all UCook packaging is reusable and recyclable, including the specific type of polystyrene used. As for the rest, the company is actively looking into biodegradable and eco-friendly materials that won’t compromise the quality of fresh ingredients. Handy info on packaging recycling can be found on their website.

In typical SuzelleDIY fashion, she shares fun and creative ways to upcycle your UCook box at the end of the video below.

Get 30% off your first UCook box

UCook is giving Bizcommunity readers 30% of their orders in May. Simply apply the code #BIZCOMMUNITY30 in the Order Details tab when checking out. This discount is valid until 10am, 29 May 2019 and is valid for first-time customers only.

For more info, visit www.ucook.co.za.