The Spicery is a recipe kit subscription service which, as the name suggests, is focused on meals based on spices. This is our comprehensive guide to the service.

Do I have to subscribe to use the service?

The Spicery is intended to be used as a subscription service. Rather than being a rolling monthly subscription, you have the option to buy a 3, 6 or 12 month subscription package.

There are currently 8 different Spicebox subscription options:

  • Friday Night Curry Explorer: A wide variety of curries from all over the world. The box we tried had a Malaysian theme and included Kristang Feng Curry with Acar Tumin and Sambal Belacan. That may mean nothing to you but believe us, it was all delicious!
  • World Kitchen Explorer: This kit introduces you to new cuisines and flavours from around the world. The course types can vary from month to month. One recent kit included Big Plate Chicken with Five Spiced Poached Pears.
  • Date Night: This kit provides a three-course meal for 2 people. Each kit is themed around a particular cuisine, again this can be quite unusual and interesting – for example the Date Night in Bali box included a Satay Pork starter, Opor Ayam with Jasmine Rice main and  Banana Pancakes with Salted Coconut Caramel dessert.
  • Indian Restaurant Favourites: A more conventional curry kit, including a main course and side dishes. For example, the recent Balti Night box included a classic Balti served with Bombay potatoes, a pilau rice flavoured with cumin and nigella seeds and a cucumber and mint raita.
  • Meat-Free Magic: Vegetarian meals from around the world. For example,  a recent kit included Sri Lankan Wattaka and Mustard Seed Rice with Pol Sambol and Lunu Miris
  • BBQ Around the World: Self-explanatory kit serving 6 people. As an example, the Vietnam kit from this series includes all the spices and recipes needed to make nem lui, chicken and prawn meatballs on a lemongrass skewer, with a bright and crunchy salad and chilli sauce; grilled chicken (ga roti) with Chinese five spice and turmeric with grilled spring onions and a pepper dipping sauce; and prawn skewers served with noodle salad, crunchy caramelised peanuts and crispy onions.
  • Spicery Highlights for 2: This kit provides two meals each month, for 2 people. Recipes are taken from the other kits. For example, the March 2016 box included Hungarian Paprikas and Jamaican Curry Fish
  • DIY Man Food: The newest kit which has been launched in time for Father’s Day and has apparently been designed for men who want to learn new cooking techniques. One of the boxes includes the instructions and spices to create a large homemade pork pie, with fresh piccalilli, apple chutney and homemade wholegrain mustard.

It is also possible to buy kits without a subscription, but the choices are much more limited. Selected individual kits are available as one-off purchases for £2.95. These kits tend to just contain a main course rather than the fuller experience contained in the subscription kits.

How many people do the kits serve?

The Friday Night Curry, Indian Restaurant Favourites, Meat-Free Magic and World Kitchen kits are all designed to serve 4 people. The BBQ Around the World kits serve 6. The Date Night and Spicery Highlights for Two kits both serve 2.

What do you get in a kit?

Each kit contains packets of spices (usually blends of different spices) all measured out for each stage of the cooking process. Step-by-step instructions are provided telling you when to add each packet.

Most subscriptions provide the spices for one meal each month, except for the Spicery Highlights for Two, which provides two meals.

Because the kits only contain spices, you’ll need to buy the fresh ingredients, such as meat and vegetables yourself. A shopping list is provided to make this simple but it will of course significantly add to the cost of the meal. It does mean that the kits will keep well for a while, so that you can enjoy them at your leisure.

Do you get more than one course?

Usually, but it varies between spice boxes. There is always a main and usually one or more side dishes, but some kits contain starters and/or desserts too. The Date Night range, for example, is a three-course meal.

Does it take long to prepare each meal?

In our experience, yes. This isn’t a service aimed at quick after-work meals, in the main these are special meals to have when entertaining friends or for the family to enjoy on a Saturday night. There are often a few side dishes and/or starters, dips and chutneys to prepare and it can take time. How much time varies from kit to kit, but you may need to put aside an hour or two. But it’s worth it – these meals are special and are well worth the extra effort.

Once I’ve subscribed, do I get any choice about which recipes I receive?

Yes and no. There’s only one kit available each month within each subscription type, so you’ll get what you’re given in that sense. But as all of the subscriptions have the same monthly fee, you’re allowed to switch between these from one month to another.

You are sent an email a few days before each box is despatched telling you what recipes are coming up and telling you how to switch to a different box if you wish. So if you’re on the Indian Favourites subscription but you prefer the sound of the Date Night box next month, you’ll be given the option to switch to it, which does then give you some choice and flexibility.

How much does it cost?

A 3-month subscription costs just under £20. The 6 and 12 month subscriptions are just under £40 and £80 respectively, so there’s no discount for longer-term loyalty and therefore no incentive to subscribe for a longer period, which seems a strange decision.

Is it good value for money?

Each kit works out at roughly £6.67 per meal, at the standard subscription price. With most kits feeding 4 people, this is about £1.66/portion. Don’t forget that for this you are “only” getting the spices and recipes – you’ll still need to buy the majority of the ingredients from the supermarket. But for this, you are usually getting more than one course, and that’s a small price to pay for what can be a very special meal – one which is usually not something easily available in the supermarket. We’d go so far as to say that the curries we’ve tried have been some of the most delicious we’ve had at home, and just as tasty and often more interesting than eating out.

What do its customers think of it?

According to over 1,700 reviews on feefo, 99% of customers give The Spicery good ratings.

The Recipe Resources Verdict:

We loved our Spicery boxes and we’re continuing to enjoy exploring the wide variety of boxes available. It’s definitely a service for the more adventurous cook, but whilst we’ve learned new skills and techniques (which is a fun aspect of the service) there hasn’t been anything particularly difficult – it can just take a bit of time and use a lot of pans! The meals available are very different to anything else on the market and are truly delicious. It’s probably not something for everyday use, but it’s great for special occasions.