Last updated: 2 October 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
The best Grubby recipes October 2026 has on offer are a pie, a stew, a chilli, a proper soup and a hotpot. I went through all five October menus and opened every recipe page. Then I took one dinner from each delivery week, so there is something to order whichever week you start.
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I pay full price for my weekly Grubby box, and CoolCuration has a referral partnership with Grubby. The picks below are mine either way. All five dish photographs are Grubby's own.
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The sign-up offer changes with each campaign. I keep the live figure and the steps to claim it on my Grubby referral page.
Section 01 / How to read this
Five October menus, one dinner from each
Grubby's menus run from a Thursday to the following Tuesday, and October has five of them.
Grubby puts up a new list of 24 to 29 dishes for each delivery week. Across October that adds up to 121 different dinners, and most of them stay for one week only. That is how I chose the best Grubby recipes October has to offer: rather than five favourites from one list, I took one dinner from each menu. The delivery dates sit next to each one below. I checked every figure on Grubby's live menu and recipe pages on 29 September 2026.
| Pick | Recipe | On the menu for delivery |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Roasted Portobello Pie, #475 | 1 to 6 Oct, 15 to 20 Oct and 22 to 27 Oct |
| 02 | Butter Bean Cacciatore, #563 | 8 to 13 Oct |
| 03 | Tempeh Bean Chilli, #495 | 15 to 20 Oct |
| 04 | Curried Lentil & Veg Soup, #389 | 22 to 27 Oct |
| 05 | Lancashire “Lamb” Hotpot, #616 | 29 Oct to 3 Nov |
Changes close at 11.59pm four nights before delivery. That means a Tuesday box locks on the Friday before, and a Thursday box locks on the Sunday. In practice, pick your week first and your dinner second. The pie's Tuesday 6 October slot, for example, closes at 11.59pm on Friday 2 October.
Section 02 / The picks
The best Grubby recipes October has, week by week
Prep times, 5 a day scores and allergens come from each dish's own recipe page rather than the menu listing.
Photograph by Grubby.
Roasted Portobello Pie With Potato & Pea Crush
Grubby customers rate recipe #475 at 4.5 out of 5. First, chopped portobello mushrooms roast with tamari for twenty minutes, while potatoes and shallot roast on a second tray with thyme. Next, the mushrooms go into a gravy of onion, garlic, Marmite and nutritional yeast, thickened with a little flour. Meanwhile the puff pastry lids bake on a third tray, and crushed peas go through the roast potatoes at the end.
for the night the clocks go back and only a pie will do
It is the only one of my five you can order in three different October weeks, which makes it the easiest to plan around. One of those is the week the clocks go back, on Sunday 25 October. It also scores four of your five a day with 15g of fibre a portion.
Where it falls down: it costs an extra 99p a serving, so £1.98 more on a box for two. Because the pastry bakes on its own tray, it is really a mushroom stew with a pastry lid rather than a sealed pie. It also takes three oven trays, and it carries 11g of saturated fat a portion.
45 mins · 4 of 5 a day · +99p a serving · contains celery, soya, wheat, rye and barley
Photograph by Grubby.
Warming Butter Bean Cacciatore with Olive Oil Mash
Recipe #563 is my healthy pick this month, and the numbers are the reason. Its recipe page scores it five of your five a day, and it carries the High Protein, High Fibre and Low Sat Fat tags. In fact, a portion comes to 607 calories with 25g of protein, 23g of fibre and just 1g of saturated fat, the lowest of my five.
for a weeknight that has to be quick and still count
Potatoes boil for fifteen minutes while red onion, carrot and mushrooms soften in a deep pan. Then butter beans, tomato polpa, green olives, oregano and tamari go in for five minutes more. The mash takes only olive oil and salt, with no plant-based butter, which keeps the saturated fat so low. It also carries Grubby's No Gluten tag.
Where it falls down: its 4.1 rating is the lowest of my five, and 4g of salt a portion is two thirds of the NHS limit of 6g a day for adults. It is also on one menu only, so it has to go in a box delivered between 8 and 13 October.
25 mins · 5 of 5 a day · contains soya
Photograph by Grubby.
Protein-packed Tempeh Bean Chilli
Recipe #495 is a Grubby star recipe, rated 4.5. First, grated carrot and red onion soften in the pan, and then crumbled tempeh fries with them for another four or five minutes. After that, lentils, black beans and two spice blends go in, followed by stock, chipotle paste and nutritional yeast. It simmers for twenty to twenty-five minutes, and plant-based ’nduja goes through at the end.
for the night you want dinner with a bit of a kick
For protein it leads my five by a distance, with 43g a portion alongside 28g of fibre. It also scores five of your five a day. Finally, raw red onion and a black pepper mayo go on top at the table.
Where it falls down: at 23g of sugar a portion, it is the sweetest of my five. There is also no rice or bread in the box, so unless you add your own it is a bowl of chilli and nothing else.
40 mins · 5 of 5 a day · contains soya
The Thai green curry on the 29 October menu scores six of your five a day and carries 41g of saturated fat a portion. Grubby's own nutrition figures, 29 September 2026
The 5 a day score tells you nothing about fat
Grubby publishes saturated fat for every dish, but it sits in the nutritional info on the recipe page rather than on the menu card. Across the five October menus, eight of the 121 dinners carry more than 20g of saturated fat a portion. Two of them carry more than 30g. For comparison, the NHS guidance on fats says women should eat no more than 20g of saturated fat a day, and men no more than 30g.
The clearest example is the Fragrant Thai Green Curry with Tofu and Brainy Grains. It has the second-highest 5 a day score on any October menu. Even so, it carries 41g of saturated fat a portion, and the recipe uses creamed coconut. Nothing about that shows in the score. So if the box is doing your vegetable shopping, read the 5 a day figure. If you are watching fat as well, open the nutritional info on the recipe page before you order.
Photograph by Grubby.
Chunky Curried Lentil & Veg Soup, Toasted Almonds
Recipe #389 is the highest-rated of my five, at 4.7 out of 5, and another Grubby star recipe. Tomatoes, potato and carrot cook for a minute with curry powder and turmeric. Then red lentils, chilli, mango chutney, stock and a tin of coconut milk go in. After that the whole pan goes into the oven, covered, for thirty minutes, and coriander and lime go through it at the end.
for the week the heating goes on and stays on
In fact, it is filling enough to be dinner on its own, at 697 calories with 27g of protein and 21g of fibre a portion. It also scores four of your five a day, and flaked almonds and nigella seeds go on top.
Where it falls down: the coconut milk takes it to 20g of saturated fat a portion, which is the whole daily limit the NHS gives for women. It needs an oven-proof pan with a lid, or a dish and foil. Nut allergies rule it out, because Grubby lists no swap for the almonds.
40 mins · 4 of 5 a day · contains nuts
Photograph by Grubby.
Lancashire “Lamb” Hotpot with Mint & Greens
Recipe #616 is one of Grubby's new dishes, and it lands on the last menu of the month. Sliced potatoes roast on their own for twenty minutes first. Meanwhile shredded meaty mushrooms crisp in a pan, then go into a gravy of onion, carrot, garlic, oregano, mint and Henderson's Relish. Finally the potatoes go on top and the dish bakes for fifteen to twenty minutes, with garlicky greens on the side.
for a Saturday night in on 31 October
It also carries the Low Calorie, High Fibre and No Gluten tags, at 587 calories and 22g of fibre a portion. Because the potatoes start crisping before they go on, the top comes out golden rather than soft.
Where it falls down: it scores three of your five a day, the lowest of my five, and carries 9g of saturated fat. It is too new to have a customer rating. It is also on the 29 October menu only, so it is the one to plan ahead for.
45 mins · 3 of 5 a day · contains soya
Section 03 / The money
What an October Grubby box costs
Box prices have not moved since September, but one of my picks carries a surcharge.
A two-recipe box for two people is £29.00 and a five-recipe box is £57.50, which works out at £7.25 and £5.75 a portion. Similarly, family boxes serve four and run from £48.50 to £89.99. On top of that, between four and seven dishes on each October menu carry a surcharge. This month the portobello pie adds 99p a serving, and the Thai green curry adds £1.49.
Delivery is £4.99 a box, although the first box ships free. If you order most weeks, Grubby Plus covers delivery for £5.99 a month or £49.99 a year. The monthly pass pays for itself with a second box in the same month, and the annual one from the eleventh box.
For the full breakdown, including ready meals and how the sign-up discount changes the first few boxes, see my guide to how much Grubby costs. Meanwhile my roundup of the best UK meal kits compares it with the other recipe boxes on price. Every past edition of this series, from May onwards, lives on the Grubby recipes hub.
Who October's list suits
October's list suits anyone cooking for two who wants something warm most nights and can spare forty minutes. If you want the quickest dinner, the cacciatore is done in twenty-five. For protein, the chilli leads with 43g a portion, while the cacciatore is the one to choose if you are watching fat. Anyone with a nut allergy loses only the soup this month. Anyone avoiding gluten should skip the pie. The other four all carry Grubby's No Gluten tag.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Grubby recipes in October 2026?
My five are the Roasted Portobello Pie, the Butter Bean Cacciatore and the Tempeh Bean Chilli. The other two are the Curried Lentil and Veg Soup and the Lancashire “Lamb” Hotpot. There is one from each October menu, so check the table above for the week each one lands.
How many dishes are on Grubby's October menus?
There are five menus, each carrying 24 to 29 meal-kit dishes, which makes 121 different dinners across the month. Each menu covers deliveries from a Thursday to the following Tuesday, alongside frozen ready meals.
How much does a Grubby box cost in October 2026?
On 29 September 2026, meal-kit boxes ran from £29.00 for two recipes to £89.99 for a five-recipe family box. That is £7.25 down to about £4.50 a portion. Delivery adds £4.99 unless it is your first box or you pay for Grubby Plus. Some dishes also carry a surcharge of 49p to £1.49 a serving.
When do I need to choose my Grubby dishes?
By 11.59pm four nights before delivery. That is the Thursday before a Monday box, the Friday before a Tuesday box, the Sunday before a Thursday box and the Monday before a Friday box.
Which Grubby recipe is the healthiest this month?
Of my five, the Butter Bean Cacciatore. It scores five of your five a day and carries 25g of protein, 23g of fibre and 1g of saturated fat a portion. Some dishes with a higher 5 a day score carry far more saturated fat, so check the nutritional info as well as the score.
Is Grubby suitable for nut allergies?
Some dishes are, but not all. Grubby marks allergens on each recipe page and says whether a dish can be made nut free. Of my five, only the lentil soup contains nuts, and Grubby lists no swap for its almonds.
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