‘I tried a week’s worth of PRESS healthy meal and juice deliveries – here’s my honest review’

So, with an armful of preconceived ideas about ‘healthy’ meal delivery services, I began my journey with PRESS.

PRESS is a food and drink brand focussing on plant-based nutrition. It offers stand-alone products like juices, smoothies, shots, soups, snacks and meals, as well as meal plans and subscription services delivering these goodies to your doorstep.

PRESS is probably best known for its cold-pressed juices, with its journey starting in LA, where founders Ed and Georgie were inspired by the myriad readily available healthy on-the-go juice options in the wellness mecca. Back in London, PRESS was born, bringing a little LA sunshine to shop shelves.

Since then PRESS has expanded into creating nutritionist-led cleanses and meal plans with a focus on great taste and function.

Everything PRESS sells is 100% plant-based with a focus on whole ingredients. There are options to shop for individual products by function (high protein, high fibre, gluten-free or low sugar), but its meal plans and signature cleanses are largely centred around weight loss and nutrition resets.

Choosing the right meal plan for you is pretty straightforward. PRESS offers several meal plans based on your nutritional needs and overall goals, ranging from the PRESS Power Week to a 2-Week Skin Glow Up focussing on nutrition that’ll promote brighter and more youthful-looking skin.

Each plan provides you with a daily schedule of what you’ll be eating and drinking, a suggested timeline and a calorie count. If you choose one of PRESS’ specially designed plans, you’re not able to choose which meals you’re getting, which might be a downside if you like to have the freedom to decide which meals you’re ordering. However, having your entire meal prep routine replaced by expert nutritionist picks ready-made for you is no bad thing in my eyes…

If you choose their Healthy Meals Delivered option, you can select which products you’d like, which is the most flexible plan available.

After ordering, your plan will arrive at your door for you to store in the fridge with clear instructions on how to heat any dishes that need to be served hot. Once you’re done sipping on your juice or digging into a soup or meal, you every part of the packaging is recyclable – yes, even the plastic film!

Here’s a quick breakdown of the nutritionist-designed meal plans you can get from PRESS:

• PRESS Power Week: £178, 2 days of a Signature Cleanse, followed by 5 days of a 1244 Calorie Meal Plan
• Transform in 2 Weeks: £157, all-day nutrition (1271 kcal per day) and juices for 14 days
• Fab in 4 Weeks: £119, all-day nutrition (1244 kcal per day) and juices for 4 weeks 5 days a week
• Pre-Wedding Detox: From £99 for 4 weeks, all-day nutrition (1200 kcal per day) and juices for 5 days a week for either 4 or 8 weeks
• 2-Week Skin Glow-Up: £328, all-day nutrition and juices for 14 days, including Feel Pro Collagen and Feel Smart Serum

For my review, I gave the PRESS Power Week a go. As a food writer, it’s no secret that I love to cook (and eat…), so I was initially a little concerned at the prospect of a plan that might not meet my appetite needs. However, overall I was impressed by the consistently decent portion sizes of the meals, snacks and soups in this plan. I also liked using the juices as as a snack or post-meal digestive aid rather than a meal replacement.

In terms of stand-out meals, the Super Berry Overnight Oats were fruitier and creamier than my usual homemade version (maybe PRESS will publish its overnight oats recipe someday…) and were my favourite breakfast of the week. The soups were far more filling than you’d expect a soup to be, owing to their high-fibre and high-protein focus. My favourite of the bunch was the Slow Roasted Tomato, Quinoa & Basil Protein Soup – the quinoa added some much-needed texture and a protein boost that kept my full until snack time.

Speaking of snacks, my most surprising standout product was the slight woo-ishly named Cacao, Oat & Raspberry Shroombar. It looks like something you’d force down with little joy, but this tasty bar has great chocolate and fruity flavours and works brilliantly at keeping you satiated until your next meal – full marks.

Now for dinner – I’m usually a home-cooked meal person through and through, so eating something with even a whiff of ‘ready meal’ about it makes me feel sad about life. The dinners from PRESS were pretty fresh and once out of the plastic container and into a bowl you could probably fool someone into thinking they were homemade. My standouts were the Spicy Orzo Arrabbiata (it was nice to have a dish with genuine heat) and the Keralan Coconut Curry made with meat substitute chicken-style pieces that were far juicier than some others I’ve tried. I was pleasantly surprised by the generous-feeling carb servings, which made the meals feel satisfying.

The juices were also excellent – I’m a huge fan of anything gingery so I glugged down the Clean Carrot, Super Ginger and Sweet Greens with glee. These juices also make a great post-breakfast brightener – especially the ginger shots. I found the Strawberry and Almond Shake to be a great drink to have first thing in the morning before light-moderate exercise if you need a little fuel but nothing too heavy. The Pomegranate & Raspberry Probiotic Water made a great post-workout drink – something hydrating and tangy that felt like it was doing good things to my insides.

If you’re already following a majority plant-based diet or are interested in finding out how including more plants into your nutrition plan might work, a meal plan PRESS is worth checking out.

The same goes for fans of its juices – a full day of PRESS-powered nutrition feels like a step up just enjoying a juice, shake or smoothie as part of your usual meal routine.

As its plans are generally on the lower calorie side, I’d proceed with caution if you’re doing high levels of intense exercise. On the days when I did my usual 19km cycling round trip commute as well as another form of exercise (a swim, run or some yoga) I did feel a little bit hungry on occasion. However, it’s worth saying that PRESS does have a caveat on its site that says if you feel hungry it’s totally OK to have an extra snack – the brand recommends a handful of nuts or something high in fibre.

The meals and juices were super convenient and felt packed with fresh ingredients, which is a total lifesaver for anyone prioritising whole foods with a busy lifestyle (or lack of enthusiasm) that means that home cooking is off the cards.

While I don’t think I’ll be permanently swapping my beloved recipe rota anytime soon, I appreciated the chance to have a nutrition reset, explore some new flavours and take time to prioritise properly good plant based food. And if you’re anything like me, you will too.

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