Best of health: Detox Kitchen

“Whether you’re going on a detox or making healthy changes to your diet, it shouldn’t be about deprivation”, says Lily Simpson, the brains behind Detox Kitchen.

A healthy, wholesome meal delivery service based in London, Detox Kitchen sends customers boxes of ready prepared meals to fuel them through a virtuous (and energetic) day, from morning juices to hearty plant-rich lunches and gut-soothing dinners.

The beauty of it? You don’t need to cook a thing.

We test drove a week of living like Lily.

What’s the story?

Founder Lily Simpson launched Detox Kitchen in 2012 out of a desire to encourage people to eat fresh, “real” food - and get people enjoying healthy, plant-rich meals free from wheat, dairy, chemicals, and refined sugar. In fact, the notion of enjoyment is central to what they do; with an obvious amount of care and creativity put into recipes that have punchy flavors, much-needed variety, and look like a rainbow of goodness on a plate.

All the food is prepared every morning in their London kitchens and then shipped out to your door, with a <1% food waste policy at their kitchens and delis. Their home delivery containers are made of Kraft paper (so they’re recyclable) and they even removed avocado, mango, and pineapple from our menu to reduce food miles.

The Cleanse

Think of this cleanse as nourishment rather than hunger. Every few hours of the day you’ll be consuming something; cravings shouldn’t be an issue, from the early morning juices right to the luxurious end of day dessert. We test drove the Vegan Cleanse. The menu is 1300kcal a day and incredibly filling.

In your box is a ginger shot to start the day with an immunity boost. Then move on to a juice, like the Green Machine, and then a hearty breakfast; our favourite of the week was Apple bircher muesli.

Lunches are light salads like a Peking sweet potato salad and a divine Winter squash with roasted cherry tomatoes. Then snack on some seeds or nuts in the afternoon and finish the day with a hearty dinner like Beet Bourguignon or Swede Tikka Masala.

And there’s dessert, truly delicious dessert, from lemon cheesecake to cacao slices and coconut truffles. Quick Pukka tea before bed and that’s you.

The Effects

You’ll feel full of beans (perhaps, literally). With so much goodness being mainlined into your body, you may find you get a lot more done and have a bit more of a lust for life. Like most detoxes, your skin will perk up, but the more notable effect is the weight off your mind from thinking about what to eat – or using recipe boxes where you still have to cook everything.

The luxury of having everything you need delivered each day, while knowing its good for you, means that you actually just think about food less, and your goals for the week more. This diet is perfect for people looking for a break from junk but also a break from having to think about meal prep. Think of it as a holistic holiday from the kitchen.

How much?

Meal plans start from £23 a day (for the Flexi half-day options), with our Vegan Cleanse costing £37 a day.

What comes next?

This is the best bit. They actually have delis in London, one on Kingly Street in Soho and one on Mortimer Street in Fitzrovia. We found ourselves gravitating there for the occasional pick me up lunch box, enjoying things like fennel salads with satay chicken and shredded salads. They also have a cookbook and recipes on the site, so you need not wean yourself completely off the Lily magic.

For more info, see Detox Kitchen