Whilst the website is slightly dated, all the images of the meals look delicious and inspire thoughts of classic home cooked meals. Adding meals to your cart is a simple one click process.
I received a selection of meals and sides including:
- Tuna Crepe (meal for 1)
- Cauliflower Gratin (serves 2)
- Pumpkin and Pecorino Tarts (12 pack)
- Tomato and Goats Cheese Tarts (4 pack)
- Sticky Date Pudding (serves 2)
- Vege Lasagne with Pesto (meal for 2)
- Eggplant Parmigiana (meal for 2)
- Sweet Potato Mash (serves 2)
My box was well packed with a large ice brick to keep the meals cold. All the meals were frozen upon delivery and were clearly labelled so I knew exactly what I received.
Along with the name of each meal, the labels contained clearly written information on macronutrients, total calories, heating instructions, an ingredient list, best by date and storage instructions. The ingredient list had all allergens written in capitals, so they were easy to identify. It is worth noting however that the Sticky Date Pudding, Sweet Potato Mash and Cauliflower Gratin did not have macronutrients or calories listed on their labels. Some more consistency in labelling would be great to improve transparency. The containers the meals are packaged in are made from renewable plant sources and are compostable, whilst the plastic lids for the containers are made from PET, which is a recyclable.
Whilst ingredient lists and macronutrients are provided on most labels, no nutritional information panels are displayed. To access this information, you need to head to GDS’s website, find your meal and click ‘nutrition per serve’. Understanding the nutritional breakdown of your meals allows you to make health-conscious choices. I would like to see a QR code system applied to the labels to make accessing this information easier as not everyone has time to search for this information.
All of the best by dates for the meals were for the first half of 2025, however the Pumpkin Pecorino Tarts had a best by date of August 14th 2024. Having received my delivery on September 5th, I was disappointed to see that these were sent past their best by dates. As a result, I did not consume these.
The process of heating all the meals was very simple. Most meals required an oven for heating however the Tuna Crepe and Sweet Potato Mash were heated in the microwave. The oven meals took 30 minutes or less once defrosted making them very time efficient. I liked that some of the meals had add on suggestions, for example the Sticky Date Pudding was recommended to be served with ice cream or double cream. I served mine with ice cream and it was absolutely delicious! Sticky Date Pudding is one of my all-time favourite desserts and this one tasted like it was homemade.
Other meals I loved included the Eggplant Parmigiana – the eggplant was super tender and packed with flavour. The sides were also excellent, and the tomato and goats cheese tarts were a great snack to have on hand. The Tuna Crepes did not appeal to me at first, however they were a tasty meal – I can see why these would be popular with seniors. Overall, the quality of GDS meals and sides are excellent. You can tell they use fresh ingredients and their process of cooking fresh and freezing allows them to capture the flavours so you can enjoy the food at its best.
The portion size of the Tuna Crepe was adequate however the meals for 2 were on the smaller side. As an active individual, one serving of the Eggplant Parmigiana and Vege Lasagne was not filling enough, even when paired with sides. If you are a highly active individual, I would recommend adding a secondary source of protein to your meal or choose a high fibre side to increase feelings of fullness. If you are less active, these portion sizes will be more suitable.
