At this point, in what feels like the longest year of all-time, we've all worn out our favourite go-to recipes and could likely use a dose of inspiration in the kitchen. Luckily, subscription-based recipe box service Simply Cook is here to help spice things up this winter. We recently tried out four of their flavour kit recipes and were more than pleased with the easy and delicious results.

Simply Cook arrived in a small box of ingredients which easily fit through the letterbox. Curated by the team's expert chefs, each recipe kit includes a selection of hand-picked and blended ingredients – a mix of seasonings, pastes, sauces and stocks. All ingredients are non-perishable so I was able to use them whenever it was convenient for me. At just £3 for a trial box with four recipes, Simply Cook is affordable and requires no commitment. You can select subscription intervals that suit your lifestyle and have the option to change, pause or cancel the subscription at any time.

Selecting only four recipes was the hardest bit – Simply Cook has over 100 different recipes from all over the world to choose from! After much deliberation, I opted for the Cuban Prawn Pasta, Vietnamese Pork, Jambalaya and Teriyaki Salmon Donburi.

The recipe cards were easy to follow and the Simply Cook app also lists ingredients for every recipe, which came in handy to reference when I was stocking up on ingredients at the shop.

First up, the Cuban Prawn Pasta recipe box included a special mojo seasoning made with citrus, garlic and chilli, as well as a garlic paste and white wine reduction. This recipe only required me to purchase a few basic ingredients (linguine, raw prawns, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and single cream). The recipe card also included suggestions for extra ingredients to buy (lemon) or easy swaps that you can make (instead of asparagus, try tenderstem broccoli or peppers), plus how to make the spicy dish milder (go easy on the mojo seasoning or add more cream). The Cuban Prawn pasta was creamy and flavourful and it only took 15 minutes to make in four straightforward steps.

Perhaps my favourite dish out of the four, the Vietnamese Pork only took 20 minutes to cook. The recipe box included beef and ginger stock, chilli garlic sauce and thit kho paste and I only needed to buy five simple ingredients (pork tenderloin/fillet, shallots, brown sugar, spring onions and jasmine rice). In an attempt to make the dish healthier, I also decided to buy the suggested extra ingredients – pak choi, mangetout and lime. It seemed like the recipe called for a lot of brown sugar, but the recipe card had a handy note to clarify that the sugar creates the caramel sauce which is authentic to the dish. The results were mouth-watering.

At 30 minutes, the Jambalaya took the longest amount of time of all four recipes, but the prep time was quick and easy and the rest was simply spent simmering the dish on the hob. The recipe provided plenty of different options for protein – chicken thigh fillets, prawns, chorizo, pork fillet or sausage – so it was easy to choose what I thought my taste buds would like best. I decided to make the Jambalaya with both chicken and prawns and was not disappointed by the wonderful Cajun flavours.

Last was the Teriyaki Salmon Donburi which was easily whipped up in 20 minutes using the rice stock, yasai seasoning and teriyaki sauce provided. The salmon and rice were accompanied by fried baby corn and mangetout with the Japanese yasai seasoning, which really added something unique to the dish. This great combo made for a quick, healthy dinner, but Simply Cook also suggests trying to follow the same instructions using chicken breasts and other stir-fry vegetables of your choice.

As someone who struggles to meal plan and stay disciplined while grocery shopping, Simply Cook has been an absolute lifesaver. The wide range of recipes on offer are a great way to try flavourful cuisines from around the world without breaking the bank. With so many different ingredient options for each recipe, the possibilities with Simply Cook are endless.

Get your first Simply Cook flavour kit now for £3.