CCU Undercover: Your Fork

‘CCUUUUUUUU’ – her mother was screaming at her. Again. But could she really blame her? After all, she was sitting in her pyjamas not doing anything. Again. An empty carton of what used to be Chinese takeaway sat sadly on her bedside table. 

Guess it’s time to reorder that, CCU mused. Her parents were out for the night so looked like she was getting takeaway again. I mean, sure baking is all good, but what even IS savoury food?

Just as she was about to find the restaurant online, her laptop began to fizz. It began to bubble. Her internet sparked. Suddenly, she was transported to a whole other site than the Chinese restaurant she was virtually going to!

She read it out loud to herself, a little perplexed. “Delivery at home… mumble mumble… fresh ingredients… mumble… homemade easy dishes…’

She found herself grinning, as her interest was piqued, and she threw the Chinese takeaway into the bin!

That did not really happen. Not at all. And disclaimer alert: I am all for Chinese takeaway!

Let me admit now, I am a staunch lover of takeaway and dining out.

I love it when I am out with my friends, and we are sipping cocktails and waiting for our tapas. I love it when I am coming home from uni and take a quick swerve into a very greasy driveway (in more ways than one) for satisfying trans-fats.

What I don’t love is having to eat takeaway because there is no other option in the house, or if I don’t want to survive on crackers and cheese because all the meals I google up look way to complicated..

It is here that Your Fork enters the picture. A relatively new business, Your Fork focuses on bringing back the emphasis on healthier, home cooking. They reason that in today’s hectic world, people have very little time to shop.

I mean, isn’t it a lot easier to just get takeaway, or if you have a spare few seconds, grab some frozen meals from the freezer section? Yes, it is, but when regarding your health, it often means that you consistently miss out on a few main food groups, and forget the taste of fresh ingredients.

That’s why the folks at Your Fork created a system of where the ingredients you need can be delivered straight to your home! Not only does this provide incentive for you to cook at home since your fridge has more than a jar of pickles in it, it also teaches you easy recipes to boot!

As you can see here, the majority of recipes they have to show can be made from ingredients that are only $20 worth! You have a wide choice of categories, including a separate vegetarian one (I felt really special!), just so you can choose a dish you want as fast as possible!

Feel like some Indian tonight? Avoid that greasy Indian takeaway next door and order a meal kit for Indian Tikka Masala Curry that Your Fork provides! And that is just ONE, of the over 50 meal options they do provide – just like the suburbs that Your Fork is opening up all over Australia, their meal kits are also expanding!
But what about the process? Wouldn’t you think it is difficult to get everything you want exactly, brand names and all that? Well, let me tell you now, Your Fork has thought of it all (as you shall see!)

When you find the meal you want to make, you don’t necessarily even have to pay it’s full price. For example, if you have a tomato, or some cheese already lying around the house, then feel free to choose exactly which ingredients you need to make the dish!

Add or removing from the list of ingredients either decreases of increases the price, making it cost-effective and efficient! No worries about doubling up or anything!

Once you have decided what you want to order, it is a simple motion of putting in your ‘shipping address’, billing address and information before you are all set to go! Even on the last page, there is another chance to double check your order, and it can be easily changed if you want to add or remove anything!

Now, Your Fork prides itself on the fact that it can deliver the groceries you desire for a dish, within only one hour! I would have tried this myself, but for my meal, I wanted them two days after. So I put in my order, and in the comment box, just wrote the time and day I wanted.

What do you know, by 4:30 on Thursday (the time desired), I had gotten my delivery of goods!

Your Fork works with the major supermarkets in Australia, namely Coles & Woolworths, and their prices per dish are according to the standardised ingredients they use in them. If you want a specific brand due to health reasons, or just for personal preference, there is a 24 hour chat box just on the right side of the screen.

You can easily ask questions, for instance, if you want to get a specific brand for a specific recipe, and don’t know how to convey that message to the ultimate personal shopper-to-be. Having this kind of immediate support, it really helps as if I had to email someone when I was hungry, I wouldn’t bother waiting, except in the line to get a patty-less burger at McDonalds…

And during the checkout process, having the comments box there is also a bonus – that’s where I put in the exact time I wanted the ingredients delivered to my doorstop! 🙂

The prices for Your Fork I think are quite reasonable – most of their recipes serve 4 people, and cost a total of $20 to make, making it $5 per person  for a whole, well-balanced and simple meal. There is a $5 ‘shipping’ fee part of the process, but in the scheme of things, this just makes everyone’s meal cost $6.25 each – not too shabby at all.

And if I be honest, because this is Australia, the takeaway often costs more than that anyway!

Besides this service, you can also easily create your own meal, write down the ingredients and submit it to Your Fork to be checked over (within an hour or two) and BAM! You can order the ingredients you forgot to pick up, or didn’t want to go get in the pouring rain, but still eat exactly what you wanted for dinner!

It is a very fast and easy process to make your own meal, and what’s more, if you are an Australian blogger, you can join their Partnership Program – every time you make a meal, and someone else orders it, you earn $1.50! It’s a pretty sweet deal if you ask me! 😀

For my experience of Your Fork, I definitely went with the ‘Make Your Own Meal Kit’ option – I added in the main ingredients, and what I really liked was that Your Fork automatically adds in the necessities that you assume everyone owns, such as oil, salt and pepper themselves! Of course you can remove it if you want.

Overall, Your Fork is an easy to work with service. There is no need for registration unless you want it, their is an receipt emailed directly to you with a tracking number for your order.

 Your Fork also follows these simple principles, that differentiate them even more than their innovative new business already has:

1. 20 minute meals for $20 serving 4 people (all Your Fork Meals)
2. Freshly picked vegetables and a returns policy if you are not satisfied
3. Delivery within an hour

You also get an email a few hours later, asking you to review the recipe, ingredients etc. – feedback = fabulous!

Now I know you are dying to try out the idea of sitting all day at home and having your shopping delivered to you! So why not give Your Fork the chance it deserves right? 🙂

Your Fork Links:

• Facebook Page
• Homepage
• Partnership Program
• Customer-Meals (divided into ingredients and ones with the recipe)
• York Fork Meals

As part of their new Your Fork has very generously provided three different types of discounts for all Go Bake Yourself readers out there in Australia!!

1. Applicable to all, for your first meal ordered (be it self-made meal kit or chosen one already made), you get $10 off your groceries automatically
2. If you make your own meal you get $15 store credit automatically
3. Use this codeword GOBAKEYOURSELF in the coupon code section as well to get a further $10 off your meal! (This is valid until the 31st of August 2014)

Effectively, you could get a whopping $35 off your first ever groceries purchase – $30 worth of free groceries goes a long way no?

Now, as my photos are pretty obvious in showing, for my ‘make my own meal’ I decided to go full blown Mexican 😀 Without any effort at all, you too, can be enjoying these crispy and delicious Tostada Bowls ! (yes, you can order the ingredients right now, and by the time you finish reading this post, they will be here!)

 – click the link!

Now, I know it may seem more expensive at $32.12 but my recipe actually feeds 5-6 people (makes 10 tostadas), and features ingredients of which majority, people already have! Like lettuce, tomato, mozzarella cheese, the absolute staples! 🙂

When my ingredients were brought to my place, they were all exactly the same brands I had written when I was making the meal, which was great! The only issue maybe was the avocado, which was very hard and not ripe enough to eat yet, but luckily we had another soft one in the fridge! 😀

These tostadas are really… cool. I mean, serving miniature burritos looks a bit naff in the place when you have basically burrito ‘cups’ right!?

Crunchy shells, soft interiors, these are really the only way to spice up… or party up the delicious Mexican filling inside! 😀

Enjoy mes cheris!

RECIPE 😀 – PDF format

Disclaimer: Go Bake Yourself was sponsored by Your Fork to try their service. However, all opinions and thoughts expressed are all her own and honest.