Garden of Vegan was founded in 2018 by a group of Australians who have a passion for wholefood plant-based nutrition and aim to empower other Australians to achieve optimal health. Inspired by the work of world-leading nutrition experts including Dr Dean Ornish and Dr Caldwell Esselstyn, their menu is built around the science of nutrition.
Garden of Vegan is the only readymade meal provider who are organic, gluten free, oil and processed sugar-free, delivering nationwide in Australia. All meals are also preservative and additive-free – they even wash, prepare and cook their meals in pure filtered water. In contrast, vegan readymade meal service Herbidoor delivers nationwide, however, they are not exclusively organic or gluten-free.
Garden of Vegan offers a reasonably sized menu, categorised by ‘lite’, ‘regular’ and ‘family meals’ (the family meals only serve two people, so you need to order two portions to feed a family of four). They also offer a small variety of sides, desserts, breakfast items and fruit and vegetable produce boxes. Whilst the selection is good, readymade meal providers Dineamic and We Feed You offer a larger menu – up to 60 meals each week. All of Garden of Vegan’s meals are vegan and gluten-free, however, you can also filter by ‘soy free’, ‘nut free’, ‘onion free’, ‘chilli free’ ‘citrus free’, ‘sesame free’, ‘grain free’ and ‘garlic free’. This filter function is great and is similar to other services such as We Feed You.
Additionally, Garden of Vegan offers meal plans that are designed to support specific health goals such as ‘Cleanse and Detox’, ‘Weight Loss’ and ‘Increase Muscle Mass’. This is an excellent option for those who need the guesswork taken out of meal planning, however, the cost of these plans is considerable, ranging from approximately $300.00 – $500.00 for a 5-day plan.
Once you select your meals, they are cooked and packaged in the microwave and oven-safe containers. The trays do not release BPA or other harmful chemicals when heated and are made with a manufacturing process that is 30% cleaner than other plastic manufacturing. All of Garden of Vegan’s packaging is 100% recyclable, BPA free and they do not use any virgin plastic in the production of their meal trays. In terms of sustainability, Garden of Vegan is excellent and comparable to Dineamic.
Garden of Vegan do not use any additives or preservatives in their meals, so to ensure the meals stay fresh they use a special type of packaging with a modified atmosphere. The modification process lowers the amount of oxygen from 20.9% to 0% and slows the growth of aerobic organisms and oxidation reactions. This process allows food to last up to 200% longer! The meals are then delivered straight to your door. This process is similar to what readymade meal service Youfoodz uses to keep their meals fresh.
The readymade meals start from $14.95 (one serving) or $19.95 for their family meals (two servings). The sides range from $12.95-$19.95 (the Turmeric Coconut Rice side dish was $12.95 – just for rice!). The breakfast items ranged from $13.95-$26.95. I believe these items are quite expensive and are similar to what you would pay at a café. Whilst their produce is certified organic, the cost per serve may not be suited to everyone’s budget, particularly the breakfast options. Garden of Vegan is one of the more costly readymade meal options on the market and in my opinion, We Feed You and Dineamic offer better value.