The food itself comes in paper trays with plastic lids. The plastic is neither sustainable nor recyclable, but the trays can be recycled with soft plastic. The ice packs can also be reused – I stuffed mine in the freezer for a summer picnic – or emptied and recycled.

What are the recipes like?

I have to admit – I love cooking and sometimes feel weird about pre-cooked food, especially if it’s been sitting in my fridge for more than a day or so. So I was pleasantly surprised by the Frive meals, which all stayed perfectly fresh and tasted like they were freshly cooked when reheated.

As mentioned, to reheat some ingredients like potatoes and meat that wasn’t covered in sauce, I used my air fryer instead of the microwave to keep everything crispy (I just took them out of the Frive packaging and put them in an air fryer at around 180°C and kept a close eye on them until they were piping hot). But even the microwaved foods were delicious and, most importantly, not mushy.

I liked that the dishes were very varied and that all elements of the dish were thought of – most dishes were served with the perfect amount of sauce, for example. Everything is well seasoned and the flavours are superb: I am someone who always adds more salt and pepper, hot sauce or a squeeze of lemon to most dishes, but I didn’t feel the need to add extra seasoning to my Frive dishes.

Who is Frive best suited for?

Frive is suitable for anyone who wants to eat well without cooking. I shared one of the meals with my CrossFit friend who had a big appetite and for whom the portion sizes were not big enough (we cooked extra rice to serve with it), but for me, a small but very active woman, they worked well.

Frive is also a great option for anyone who simply wants to take care of their health but feels too busy to think about their diet.

Frive Burger, coleslaw and potatoes

Are there any disadvantages to Frive?

Personally, I love cooking so I don’t always want to eat Frive. I also imagine that some of the recipes are a little samey – many dishes consist of meat and rice, but with different sauces and vegetables – so keep that in mind if you’re someone who likes variety. But these are only minor complaints and I enjoyed all of the dishes.

The only other negative aspect is that my first package delivered to my apartment block was apparently lost. This may be because random neighbors took the package or the delivery driver got lost, but it’s something to keep in mind when living in an apartment.

Is Frive worth it?

Whether Frive is worth it or not depends on your income, how difficult it is for you to prepare fresh food and what health means to you. The meals are quite expensive per serving, but this price also includes the cost of having a chef prepare them and delivery, so the cost is quite justified.

If you’re on a low income, have a busy life and want to eat well without too much effort, ordering Frive as a long-term solution makes perfect sense. On the other hand, if you don’t have a lot of money to spare but want to have a few healthy meals ready to eat throughout the week, a smaller Frive order will do the trick.

Want more content like this? Read our honest review of HelloFresh and our honest review of Gousto.