I've just ordered four meal kits for £3 and I can't wait to try them

Gareth chose a mushroom pasta dish for one of his four meals | Simply Cook

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Consumer writer Gareth Butterfield tickles his tastebuds with an introductory offer from a food subscription service

So there I was, casually scrolling through social media, when one of those offers popped up that seemed too good to be true.

I was invited to have sets of ingredients sent to my door for £3, with free postage. Of course, I clicked on it.

The company is called Simply Cook, and they send out boxed sets of ingredients in little pots. You don't get anything fresh, it's just herbs, spices, sauces, that kind of thing. But it's really cheap, especially if you're a new customer.

How to get a £3 pack of four meal kits

Click on this link to visit the Simply Cook website

Choose four meals you like the look of

Fill in your details, including payment information, and pay your £3

The meal kits arrive in the post, with free delivery

Remember to cancel your subscription if you don’t want ongoing deliveries

The boxes are posted through your letterbox and include recipes for specific meals, and you choose those meals as you order the packs.

I picked a selection of recipes, from familiar favourites to continental dishes I've never tried before. Simply Cook asked me where I normally shop for food, what type of cooking I enjoy, whether I have any allergies or dietary requirements and so on, and I just paid my £3 and that was it.

I had to sign up to a subscription, and that can be weekly or monthly, but I can cancel any time, so that doesn't matter.

But I've got the flavour base for four meals, some of which give up to four servings, all for £3. I'll just need to pop to the shops when they arrive to hunt down the fresh ingredients I'll need.

The packs arrive in the post and you just top them up with the fresh ingredients | Simply Cook

There's an app, which I haven't tried yet, and a thriving community of fans on social media sharing tips and ideas.

It doesn't seem too good to be true any more, then. There's a box in the post to me, and all it's cost me is £3. I might even let the subscription carry on, as it'll work out at just over a tenner a month and that'll keep me topped up with regular meals I would probably never have bothered cooking without the inspiration and motivation of a regular recipe arriving at my house.

There are obviously a lot of these food subscription services around now. Some send you all the ingredients, including fresh vegetables and meats, while others send little more than a recipe.

But this one suits me as I can source my own ingredients much more cheaply, and it provides me with the complex part of the meal - the bit that gives it all the flavour.

One of the meals I chose is a mushroomy pasta dish. It'll be a Friday night treat for the wife and I. And I can't wait.

To find out more about the £3 introductory offer, click here.