A review of Cooked.inc a home-cooked meals to door service in Cape Town

Are you tired of take-out and convenience food? Worried about your waistline? Craving wholesome, balanced meals? Intolerant of gluten (not necessarily because of an allergy but because it is the current diet fad and everyone and their mother is banting, right?) Or just have very little time and no desire to cook. Maybe you can’t cook and don’t have any motivation to learn. Well, if you’ve answered yes or are nodding ferociously in agreement then I’ve discovered the best, most convenient solution…

I can’t cook. When I peel an onion besides the usual tear or two (which is normal) I bawl because I detest the exercise! Why do I hate cooking? Well it’s the creative, flexibility that I don’t like. Don’t get me wrong, I’m very creative and flexible but I also have an A-type personality. I’m a self-taught baker and can follow complex recipes to the ounce and pound and love the certainty that the result will resemble the picture. With cooking it is different – you need to have that elusive ‘feeling’… I can’t throw things together and taste as I go along to decipher what’s missing or whether it needs cumin or rosemary. Give me a recipe without any deviation and I’ve got this.

How did we get by for so long? Well Waleed can cook. Actually really, really well. I can grill most kinds of protein in the oven, am renowned for my roasted veggies and have a secret weapon, which is an extensive salad repertoire... You kinda realise when you are invited for pot-luck dinners and people limit their requests to things involving lettuce or dessert that they’ve cottoned onto what’s happening at home.

My husband (is an eternal optimist) who still believes that one day he will enjoy my home- cooked meals but it’s been almost closer to a decade (if I’m rounding up) and that hasn’t happened yet.

But I’ve found my get out of jail free card!

I discovered Cooked.inc while browsing through my Facebook feed, where multiple friends had liked or commented on their posts. Cooked.inc is a local, Cape Town-based service which is literally meals on wheels. Except they are lovingly prepared and use quality ingredients (free range and organic products are used where possible). The founder Mariam Harris, based in Goodwood, is a momtrepreneur from her social media profiles, who while raising two kids makes affordable meals that get delivered to your door at either work or home.

Cooked.inc's chicken & leek pasta bake

I’ve tried the service for the last three weeks and I’m absolutely impressed and recommend that you give it a try. We’ve never had the same meal twice over the last three weeks and I’ve already seen the menu for next week. The portions are generous, often including veggies or a side salad, with options if you are not eating carbs. It is definitely worth it (works out to around R50 a meal per person if you order the double delight – which caters for two) and the convenience is something that money can’t buy.

Cooked.inc's gluten-free cottage pie,
with greek salad and beetroot pickle

Cooked.inc observes meat-free Mondays so you can look forward to legume-based meals with a creative flair like Lentil and Winter Veg Stew or Veg Chili with sour cream and gauc.

Cooked.inc's beef tagine with mashed potato and broccoli

My most memorable meals over the last three weeks have definitely been the beef tagine with mashed potato and broccoli, the lamb curry and roti, the seafood paella and the Italian lasagna topped with three cheeses. Fridays you can also expect a traditional, Cape Malay meal.

Cooked.inc's delicious lamb curry
with tomato and onion sambal and
the chocolate and macadamian nut cookie

The meals are also accompanied by a delicious sweet treat made by literally the sister-company Cakies with love. You can look forward to things like delicious date balls, mini doughnuts, a chocolate and macadamian nut cookie or a small serving of fruit salad. The mini-morsels will quell any sweet craving.







The weekly menu is updated on their Facebook page every Wednesday (for the following week’s delivery) or ask Mariam to add you to the distribution list and get it sent straight to your inbox.

Once you’ve placed your order, proof of payment will ensure that from Monday to Friday your lunch or dinner arrives like clockwork.

Visit the Cooked.inc Facebook page for more information or to get in touch with Mariam. You can also follow her on Instagram to be enticed by the mouth-watering meals. She does cater for larger groups as well.

So go ahead and save yourself some time by not slaving away in the kitchen because it is guilt-free meals that are easy on the waistline and also jam-packed with flavour!