I had the opportunity to check out Supperworks, a meal prep place with three locations in Ottawa (Kanata, Nepean and Orleans) plus other locations across Ontario. They invited me to try their service first hand with some other bloggers and I was happy to check it out!
I have known about Supperworks for sometime, but have never used the service. If you aren’t familiar, you basically go in to create multiple meals at one time that can be put in your freezer for quick week nights, delicious meals. I had always thought that because I am home, like to cook, and because I know that if I go to the grocery store and plan out my meals I can usually create them more inexpensively, that this service might not be for me. I think I was wrong. Read on to find out why:
Here’s a bit about Supperworks:
You book a meal planning time that works for you and decide how many meals you are going to create (they have packages starting at 6 meals to 24 meals).
TIP: Book with family, friends or your spouse for a fun night out!
When you arrive, you’ll find your apron, wash your hands and get started. You’ll head to each station where the raw, unprepared food is, and follow the directions which are handily laid out for you. The recipes are delicious, that’s the first thing I should say. The ingredients were super fresh and everything was very clean. Each recipe was easy to follow and all the ingredients and tools needed to piece everything together was readily available.
I made a lemon chicken with feta and orzo to start. It looked amazing and when we made the casserole at home, it was an instant hit. Andy and I loved it (no, the kids didn’t eat it because they don’t eat one dish meals. I know, I know!). The other dish I made was a really tasty baked ‘fried’ chicken that was very yummy. However, it didn’t come with any sides (a noodle, rice or orzo like my other one) so this was less complete to me. Although there was plenty of meat, and it was easy to add a salad at home, if you want a more one and done style dish, this was just missing something.
A few notes from my visit:
Every station was easy to follow and clean.
The recipes aren’t just a bland combination of a couple ingredients to leave in the freezer for the crock pot (which frankly, some of my crock pot recipes are like). These have a lot of flavour, fresh ingredients and there’s a lot of care put into them.
Most dishes are for four people, but we had leftovers because my kids typically don’t eat an adult portion. This stretched our meals even further. For a small cost, you can split each of your meals further right during preparation so if you have little kids, no kids, or kids or light eaters like we do, it’s an option.
When selecting your dishes, consider if you have to make anything to add on the side. For some dishes, just adding a simple side salad is more than enough. For our lemon chicken orzo dish, I added peas (which was a recommendation) to round out the meal.
Yes, the dish may cost more than if you went to the grocery store to prepare everything yourself, but that’s if you don’t take into account any waste, or your time that it takes. For busy families, working parents, and people who’s spring schedules are all over the place (which ours is about to be like thanks to baseball), there is a lot of value in having a fresh, home cooked meal ready to go (rather than grabbing take out all the time). I can definitely see how this would benefit me.
Plus, they have a limited time special offer happening right now!
One of the BEST things about Supperworks is their Gift Certificate options for new parents and those who are dealing with grief or illness. As a group baby shower gift, or if you have a loved one who needs a compassionate gift, this is exactly what I would point to. There is a service offered by Supperworks that they will prepare meals for customers and even deliver them if need be. I think that would be an amazing gift for so many people who just can’t think about cooking a meal whether it’s because a new baby is in their arms, they are over stressed, or experiencing a difficult time.
Overall, my experience with Supperworks was a really great one. I definitely would tell busy families or those who are bored with cooking the same thing over and over again to check it out. I’m already looking at going back sometime. Yes, I am at home during the day, but my days have been filled with deadlines lately, and with the kids in spring activities, our nights are running past us! The lack of stress knowing there is delicious food waiting for me in the freezer has a lot of value to me.
Thank you for inviting me to check you out Supperworks! I had a great time.
Disclosure: I was invited to attend and try out Supperworks in Ottawa. The blog post was my decision to share and all opinions are my own.
