There’s a new meal delivery service in Oxfordshire, and they’re on a mission. V-Giyan have plans to share the Giyan (wisdom) of Punjabi cooking with the world, but with a plant-based twist. V-Giyan combine a focus on healthy, natural ingredients with authentic cooking methods, all with a planet-friendly mindset. Having a look through their website and their passion for building and growing an ethical business, I was looking forward to the opportunity to try their food.
The idea behind V-Giyan is a meal box delivery service, Oxford’s answer to other brands you may have come across such as Allplants. Everything is freshly cooked and delivered chilled to your door, for you to simply heat at your convenience. You can mix and match your meals and the V-Giyan website was very easy to navigate, with the food front and centre, but a wealth of information around delivery information, allergens, and the organisation’s ethos also at your fingertips on the homepage. If you know me, you know I struggle when faced with a lot of choice, so it took me a while to decide which of their dishes to land on for my order.
After eventually selecting a handful of tasty sounding mains and sides, it was really easy to move through the checkout process. The great thing about V-Giyan as a meal delivery service is how quickly you can order and have your meals with you – they can deliver same day if you place your order by 12pm, or next day otherwise. I got given a two hour delivery slot for in the evening, which made it a lot more convenient for my lifestyle than other meal box service I’ve looked into. I added my number to get text updates, and I could even track my order on a map on their website. Handy when I was at the gym that evening and wanted to know how quickly I’d need to get home!
The first impression I had when my order arrived was one of quality. All the details of the packaging have been thought through, in keeping with V-Giyan’s sustainable ethos. They come in a nice sturdy chilled cardboard box, recyclable, although it’s so nice I’m going to keep and find another use for mine. All of the meals come in fully biodegradable round pots, perfectly sized for one. The mini naan bread came in a clear compostable bag, and even the labelling is made with eco-friendly paper and adhesive. It felt like I was treating myself to a luxurious evening in, even though the price tag was pretty affordable.
I’d ordered a selection of four main meals, which me and my boyfriend shared so we could try a bit of everything, some rice, and a few classic sides as treats. If I was ordering a meal box as a regular occurrence, I’d probably forgo the samosa and bhajis, which although they were absolutely delicious, would’ve definitely made it a bit less healthy. As I was feeling particularly peckish, I nibbled on a couple of the sides while waiting for my meal. The bhajis were really tasty and full of flavour both cold and hot. We made the mistake of microwaving a couple and they went quite soggy, but the ones we heated up in the oven were just right. We didn’t make the same mistake with the homemade samosas, which crisped up in the oven nicely. Absolutely packed with their potato and veg filling, they set the scene for things to come.
I was looking forward to trying some Punjabi mains, and the first we tucked into was the dal makhani, a protein-packed curry made with lentils and mixed beans, and mildly spiced with cumin. It tasted hearty and healthy, definitely not full of oil like you might get if you ordered from a standard local takeaway. It didn’t take long at all to heat on the hob, and the legumes still retained some of their texture which made for a really pleasant eating experience. While the pots of curry serve one, we managed to make the rice go between two of us served alongside this. The rice was perfectly cooked and retained its quality after microwaving, which I was happy about. We also halved the ‘super greens’ saag aloo and served that as a side. We both added a crack of salt to it as we felt it could’ve had a bit more seasoning (perhaps that’s our taste for processed food sneaking through…) but it had a nice subtle spice to it and was tasty. ‘Super greens’ is accurate, as this dish was packed with healthy greens and really earned its name. I couldn’t find the full ingredients for this dish listed on the website so I couldn’t tell you exactly what was in it but the kale, spinach, and chunks of potato topped off our warming bowl of comfort food just right.
We’d ordered a couple more of the main meals to try, so enjoyed these the next evening with the three mini garlic and coriander naan. I still find it such a treat to have vegan naan bread, as they so often contain cow’s yoghurt. We used the naan to scoop up the Punjabi Kadhi curry, a potato and onion curry with a thick sauce made with gram flour. The tangy flavour profile was quite different to the curries we’d eaten the previous night, though still with lots of aromatic herbs and spices. The potatoes were nicely cooked and again didn’t seem to suffer from being microwaved. Alongside this, we tucked into the matar (pea) and tofu ‘paneer’ curry, which was the one I was looking forward to most. The dish was a bit spicier than the others, and the tofu had absorbed lots of flavour from the time marinating in that delicious sauce. I felt the peas could’ve been cooked slightly less, but they added an element of sweetness and overall I would be very happy to eat bowls and bowls of this.
V-Giyan deliver around Oxfordshire (check their FAQs for details) and as we head into winter, I feel like their service is ideal. A home cooked meal, without the effort of actually having to cook it – if you find yourself back in the office and looking for a healthy but speedy mid-week meal, these would be perfect. Compared to many meal delivery services on the market, they are reasonably priced, and it’s great to have the option to support a truly local, independent vegan business.
Want to try V-Giyan’s meal delivery service for yourself? Use code ‘veganeatsoxford‘ at checkout for 10% off your order. Please do message me here or on Instagram to let me know what you think if you try it!
This post was sponsored by V-Giyan. I work on sponsored content for brands I feel confident recommending to you all, and this review is an honest reflection of the ordering process and food.
Vegan Eats Oxford 
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