Marley Spoon is famously the Martha Stewart meal kit. Though founded in Germany, Marley Spoon hit up America's high queen of home economics when it arrived on American shores a decade back. Stewart lent the meal kit brand her cooking techniques, her general style, and her good name.
Among the many meal kits I've tested, Marley Spoon became synonymous with that Martha vibe. It wasn't flashy. There were fewer pan-continental culinary experiments. But the cooking was excellent. It was a good thing.
Well, things change. Starting in December, Martha is absent from Marley Spoon's website, aside from her “Martha's Best” imprimatur on a few recipes here and there. (Marley Spoon didn't respond to repeated inquiries about this. Martha's PR agency also isn't talking.) Her vacancy is worth noting, because real changes are obviously afoot at Marley Spoon.
Marley Spoon's brand is the meal kit for people who love good cooking, and know what it tastes like—that's sorta what Martha Stewart was meant to represent. Meals I tested last year often took longer than some meal kits. But they also tasted better, and used better cooking techniques. This bucked the recent trend toward low-prep and no-prep meals.
As of this year, Marley seems to have stopped bucking, and also added a new wealth of international fare, from Moroccan tagine to Korean bibimbap. The meal kit has accentuated shorter prep times with 15-minute express meals that cut down on ingredients and cooking steps. It's also doubled down on ready-to-heat meals, plus market add-ons like salads.
Marley is, in short, veering away from its historic strengths, and aiming for easy. And as other meal kits have raised their prices, Marley Spoon has declined to do so. At $9 to $13 a portion, Marley Spoon is now among the lower-cost “premium” kits on mid-sized and larger orders. By contrast, competitor HelloFresh clocks in at $12 a portion across the board.
After testing a variety of international and fast-prep meals, alongside classics, it's impressive how much Marley Spoon has expanded the breadth of its options. But this did not come without a cost to technique and flavor.
Matters of Convenience
Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
First, the good news. Ordering meal kit delivery on Marley Spoon is easier and more varied in options than it ever was.