The red cardboard box that lands on our doorstep every week is more than a parcel of meals. Most weeks, it ends up being hours of entertainment for the clan. Here are our top 5 uses for an old Gousto box.

Robot

The eco chill box that keeps all our fresh protein and dairy chilled is, as luck would have it, about the same volume as a child’s head. So instead of chucking it straight in the recycling, it usually becomes a robot helmet (we now have a family of them), sometimes the helmet of a medieval knight, and once a Ned Kelly mask, but the kids found that a bit scary.

Barkingham Palace

Our home has more fluffy toy dogs than a fairground shooting arcade, and these beloved mutts all need a place to lay their paws at night. Enter the cardboard kennel. The advantage here is that the kids then play a game where they’re owners, trying to teach their pretend canines all manner of tricks. They don’t usually respond well, so it quickly eats up hours.

Stage of Life

Cut off a side panels from the main box, and you have a tiny stage for theatrical stuffed toys to tread imaginary boards. Our tiny impresarios don’t respond well to direction or audience feedback, so we find it’s best to leave them to it.

Jewel School

To make sure not one off-cut of cardboard goes to waste, little flecks and shapes can be strung together for jewellery for toys or, occasionally, me. We have several crowns for dolls, a fake watch for my eldest, and more wonky necklaces and bracelets than I know what to do with. This piece is about as close as I’m likely to get to a ruby necklace.

Flights of Fancy

Reimagining a cardboard box is always a classic. It could be a plane, or a car, or even a tarted-up shopping trolley. It doesn’t really matter, because in their minds it’s in movement and so are they, speeding over hills or flying over mountains.

What is Gousto?

Dinner, but not as you know it. Our big red recipe boxes will help you whip up wholesome, impressive meals no matter your skill level, with all of the flavour and none of the fuss.

From everyday favourites and ten minute meals, to global cuisines and healthy choices, you’ll have over 75 recipes to choose from each week from our menu. We’ll send you step-by-step recipes and all the fresh ingredients you need too. Just pick what you fancy for dinner, and leave the planning to us.