Show You Care – Deliver a Meal

When someone is navigating a tough season, be it a new baby, illness, surgery, or grief, a warm meal can feel like a hug in a dish. But here’s the golden rule of a great care meal: make it delicious, make it thoughtful, and make it easy.

Mrs Gusto has been busy again pulling together tips and tricks for reducing stress for the recipient of your care meal. That means no dishes to return, no cleanup, and no confusion. Just comfort, care, and convenience.

Let’s dive into the top tips and tricks that make your meal delivery a true act of kindness.

Make It Easy to Enjoy (and Clean Up!)

Use disposable containers: Foil trays & platters, bamboo or compostable bowls, or cardboard boxes lined with baking paper are ideal. You can even pick up free cardboard trays from the supermarket or fruit market discard pile and line them with paper.

Skip the fancy dishes: As lovely as they are, they create stress. The recipient doesn’t want to track down who owns what.

Foil trays fit perfectly in cooler bags: This keeps food hot and tidy during transport.

Deliver raw or ready-to-bake meals: Let them choose when to eat. It’s less pressure for everyone.

Cook both meals at once: Prep theirs and yours in foil trays, heat theirs before delivery, and pop yours in the oven while you’re out.

Include a bag for returns (if needed, otherwise go disposable!): Label it with your name to make it easy.

Smart Delivery Tips

Message your recipient before you arrive. A heads-up is always appreciated.

Drop off early in the day – Avoid traffic and dinner-time chaos.

Use an insulated bag – Keeps food hot or cold and saves you from leaving it behind.

Menu Suggestions

As always, El Gusto has hundreds of recipes that suit all types of meals. See our Meal Train Collections below.

Meal Train Collection 1: Collection Meal Train

Meal Train Collection 2: Collection Meal Train #2

Personalised Meal Train Menu Card Templates

Adding a menu card is not just helpful for your recipient to know what they are eating, it can include allergy information and reheating/cooking instructions too. Download a couple of El Gusto templates below. You can either edit in Canva, or print the PDF and hand write you menu.

Template 1: Canva Template: Elgusto Menu Card #1

Template 2: Canva Template: Elgusto Menu Card #2 

PDF Menu Card #1

PDF Menu Card #2

Extra Tips

Make it look appealing: Adding cherry tomatoes, fresh herbs, or a folded napkin goes a long way.

Use foil platters with compartments: Keeps food neat and separated.

Add a cheerful note or card: A kind word can brighten their day.

Include a drink: Juice, sparkling water, or even a bottle of wine.

Send a breakfast for the next day – Muffins, bagels, or fruit salad.

Add a snack pack: Granola bars, energy bites, or something sweet.

Include condiments and dressings – Don’t assume they have them.

Label everything you can so they know what it is, e.g. all sauces

Leave Onion/Garlic/Cabbage out of your menu for mothers with new babies.

Consider kid-friendly extras – Bread rolls, plain corn, nuggets, or ice cream sticks.

Offer to pick up groceries – If you’re already heading that way.

Coordinate with others – Avoid meal duplication and overload. Noone wants to eat Shepards pie 3 days in a row!

We hope these tips are useful next time someone in your locality needs a little extra love.