I tried Field Doctor’s healthy frozen ready meals for a week — you can save 25% with our code

IF your busy schedule leaves little time for cooking, a meal delivery service could be the stress-free solution you’ve been searching for.

One top-rated choice is Field Doctor, which delivers meals designed by actual dietitians, frozen at peak freshness, straight to your door.

Save 25% on your first two Field Doctor orders with code THESUN25x2

Frozen ready meals get a pretty rough rep, don’t they?

Most of us picture cardboard-tasting disasters loaded with enough preservatives to survive a nuclear winter.

But what if I told you — as we’ll put to the test in this Field Doctor review — there’s a brand that’s completely flipping that script?

Plus, there are savings to be had with our exclusive code.

You can use the code THESUN25x2 to get 25% off your first two orders.

Pros:

• A brilliant range of personalisation options makes it a great choice for people managing health conditions or allergies
• Healthy and nutritionally complete
• Convenient

Cons

• I had to add seasoning to some of the meals to boost the flavour
• Small portions left me feeling hungry
• Not cheap

Rating: 7/10

Field Doctor UK review: The Nitty Gritty

First impressions

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The first thing you’ll have to do before your appointment with Field Doctor is — obviously — choose your meals.

Before you can do this, though, there’s the option to do a “personalise my menu” quiz, which will filter Field Doctor’s roster of meals depending on your health conditions, allergies, and health goals.

The quiz allows you to be nice and specific, which is important for peace of mind. If you’re a soy-allergic pescatarian going through menopause, you’ll still find a couple of meals that satisfy your needs (although for that specific combination of things, you’ll be choosing between fish pie and an assortment of porridge).

Having no allergies or other restrictions, I asked Field Doctor to send me an assortment of its most popular meals, so that I could make an informed decision on its quality.

You have to pick a minimum of seven meals for delivery, which might be a bit off-putting to people wanting to figure out whether the meals are right for them, but as these are all intended for the freezer, you don’t need to worry about them going off.

If you choose nine meals, you’ll be entitled to free delivery (otherwise, delivery starts at £5.99, so I’d recommend doing this).

The brand sent me a week’s worth of meals:

• Beef Shin Ragu
• Piri Piri Chicken
• Three-bean and Smoked Tofu Chilli
• Field Greens Risotto
• Teriyaki Salmon and Whole Grain Rice
• Chicken Korma
• Chicken Tagine

The meals arrived neatly packed in a cardboard box, and I was immediately taken with its branding; you can tell from the outset that these are healthy, nutritious meals, and the brand has adopted a pharmaceutical shade of bluey green for its branding, which is clever.

Each box has a nicely-designed label that neatly lays out the meal’s health benefits; for example, the risotto claimed to benefit my energy, eyes, muscles, bones, and “diversity”, which I think is something to do with gut health.

There’s also information on which nutrients the meals provide, as well as the obligatory list of calories and fat, which are both astonishingly low; as far as I can tell, all clock in at under 500 calories, and a handful even sneak in at under 400.

Does it deliver?

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Field Doctor provides detailed instructions about how to heat the meals, offering guides for both the microwave and oven, although the microwave is preferred.

I don’t own a microwave, so I heated most of mine in the oven, which took 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the meal.

I microwaved the others at work, following Field Doctor’s recommendation of eight minutes. However, I found this made them blisteringly hot, so I ended up heating them for slightly less time.

The meals themselves are hit-and-miss.

The first meal I tried, Piri Piri Chicken with some assorted veg and wholegrain rice, was a disappointment; the Piri Piri Chicken — which should have a smoky flavour, as well as some fire and tang — tasted just of tomato, requiring me to add some hot sauce and salt.

However, my partner reliably informed me that the Beef Ragu Penne she ate was tasty, and the addition of borlotti beans (which I’m sure would send an Italian nonna into a frenzy) was surprisingly well-received.

The Salmon Teriyaki, which I took to work for lunch, was a hit, too, with plenty of salmon and the trademark sweetness of teriyaki sauce without insane levels of sugar.

And thanks to the inclusion of wholegrain rice and quinoa, which are both slow-release carbs, I managed to swerve the dreaded sleepy hour during the mid-afternoon.

I can stand by the brand’s claim that people feel better after eating a Field Doctor meal.

For me, these are actually the perfect office lunch; convenient, healthy, and no more expensive than buying lunch in central London, where I work.

Another reason I preferred them at lunch was the portion sizes; when I ate them for dinner, I did feel a little unsatisfied. And at over £7 per meal, I’d like to go to bed feeling full.

However, at between 350g and 400g, they’re roughly the same size as many supermarket ready meals (M&S start at around 350g, Tesco‘s are around 400g), and while they’re double the price, they probably contain double the nutrients.

Is Field Doctor healthy?

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Field Doctor’s big selling point is that its meals are designed by actual dietitians, not marketing teams.

Each meal comes with detailed nutritional breakdowns, and it’s genuinely transparent about ingredients, with no mysterious E-numbers or unpronounceable additives lurking in the small print.

What impressed me most was the macro balance. These aren’t just low-calorie diet meals masquerading as healthy food – they contain protein content and actual vegetables that haven’t been processed into oblivion.

That said, they’re still frozen ready meals. You’re not getting the same nutritional punch as cooking fresh ingredients from scratch.

But if you’re comparing them to standard supermarket options? Field Doctor wins hands down.

It’s processed food done properly, which, frankly, is refreshing in an industry that usually prioritises shelf life over your actual life.

How much does Field Doctor cost?

Put simply, it’s not cheap. Full-size meals start from £6.99.

There is a “smaller range”, whose prices start from £5.99, but serving sizes are under 300g, meaning you’ll need a small appetite.

I wish there were a wider range of pricing; £8.49 for the Teriyaki Salmon, with its generous portion of fish, feels quite reasonable, but £7.29 for the Field Green Risotto, whose primary ingredients are rice, peas, and broccoli? That feels steep.

However, it is cheaper than some other meal delivery services (including my personal favourite, Mindful Chef, whose meals go up to a tenner per person and require you to do the cooking).

And as a ready meal, you must factor in the cost of cooking, and the nutritionists who ensure your dinner is as healthy as possible.

To take the sting out of the price, you can save 25% on your first two orders with our discount code, THESUN25X2.

How I tested Field Doctor

As The Sun’s reviews manager, it’s my job to undertake the noble task of testing out all manner of products.

My favourite ones to review are food and drink-related, and as an exercise-averse person trying to get a bit healthier, I was very open-minded about trying out Field Doctor.

However, as a prolific home chef and hard-to-please eater, I was interested to see if Field Doctor adds a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down.

I tried five of its meals to form my opinion, and my partner also tried a couple, so I could get a second opinion.

Field Doctor alternatives

Healthy ready meals are readily available these days, meaning Field Doctor faces some tough competition.

If you’re a fan of healthy ready meals but don’t love the frozen aspect, I’d head over to Frive, which I’ve tried and was mightily impressed by.

Depending on the plan you opt for, it’s slightly more expensive than Field Doctor and perhaps not as science-focused, but it still has an emphasis on nutrition, and the food tastes great.

Another one I’ve tried and liked is Field Goods — similar to Field Doctor, its meals arrive frozen, and they’re a similar price point too. However, there’s a more limited menu, and the ethos of the brand is more about sustainability and comfort than nutrition and science.

A third healthy option — which I’ve not personally tried — is Detox Kitchen, which is slightly more expensive but has a wealth of tasty-looking options.

If you’re looking for an affordable option, then I’d head to your local supermarket; most chains have a line of healthy ready meals these days.

And if you’re willing to do some cooking, you might want to look into the vast number of recipe boxes available these days.

We have some articles you might find helpful, including our Mindful Chef review, Green Chef review, and Hello Fresh review.