The pandemic related lockdowns caused much introspection in the Rowan household, partly brought about by an unexpected sudden addiction to baked goods. You can imagine the resulting tightness of clothes, and the gloom. So steps had to be, and were,  taken.

Now that we have returned to a semblance of normality, hours in the day hasve become something of a precious commodity. and we have slipped into the habit of resorting at times to  slim-line ready meals. Some proved more successful than others, but nothing really convinced and generally left me feeling hungry not long afterwards.

So, I approached the Love Yourself range with a degree of scepticism, particularly as I am a vegetarian, and it often seems as though  we are a bit of an afterthought where ready meals are concerned.

Not only does Love Yourself provide a thoughtful menu for vegetarians, but a calorie controlled one at that.

If being a vegetarian wasn’t challenge enough, I ordered two of the 1500 calorie packages, (various other calorie and dietary options are available) prices start at £15.00.

The food is delivered daily and has a shelf life of a few days, so if you don’t eat it all, you could have it another day. Each box contains five packages, Breakfast; Snack; Lunch; Snack, Dinner

A gourmet chef uses fresh ingredients, cooks each day without additives. Furthermore advice from  a nutritionist ensures that the food is tasty (it really is). Thanks to the slow-release carbohydrates each dish keeps you feeling full for longer (it really does).

Every meal is scannable via MyFitness app to help keep track of calories and macro-nutrients though I confess that for me  this was a step too far, (stepping on the scales is exercise enough) so this aspect remains untested.

Obviously, as I only tried this for two days, I cannot vouch for exact weight loss but I can say that I never once felt hungry, and the food was uniformly delicious, therefore sustaining 1500 calories per day would not be difficult – and how could the weight not come off?

Each week Love Yourself provides an exciting combination of innovative dishes and a constantly changing menu.

My breakfast began with scrambled eggs and homemade country style bread, delicious and surprisingy filling, so much so that I barely needed my morning snack of a sweetcorn and feta cheese muffin. The muffin felt somewhat counter intuitive, but I forced myself for Frost Magazine, and was glad that I did.  A winning combination that took me through to lunch without a problem.

Lunch was a meatless mince Bolognaise with pasta, and the mince had real bite, not the sloppy stuff that I have had in the past.

I was so full, that I moved my afternoon snack of an apple and banana slice which was as filling and tasty as it sounds to a late night snack, allowing me to savour a dinner of Cumin spiced lentils and Brussel sprouts. Now I love brussel sprouts, so I should declare an interest, but these were taken to a whole new level.

So all in all possibly the tastiest diet day I have ever had and quite without feeling ravenous the next morning. when  I embarked on a breakfast of crunchy granola with sharp tasting berry yoghurt offering intense burst of flavour.

The morning snack was Butter bean and rosemary hummus with carrot, which felt worthy and the closest we came to a diet food, but tasty for all that. Lunch was Tempeh chasseur which was possibly my faourite of both days and my afternoon snack was energy chocolate,  prune and orange cookie.

Because the lunch and snack were filling, I was pleased to have a fresh, crisp and tasty Tofu and grape salad with a sesame dressing for dinner.

Love Yourself lets you enjoy a hot filling tasty meal on the table within 3 minutes, and one that will aid weight loss if that is your aim.

Meal plans with higher (and lower) daily calory allowances and of course containing meat are available and if the vegetarian option is anything to go by, you are in for a treat.

https://www.loveyourself.co.uk