ZOE_ Sweetcorn and Spinach Dhal with Curried Cashews_landscapehand

Source: Zoe

Recipe box brand Mindful Chef is partnering with health app and gut shot brand Zoe to launch a range of “great for your gut” meal options.

The six recipes have been created and approved by Zoe’s co-founder Professor Tim Spector, and will feature on the Mindful Chef website from 3-16 November.

The dishes “embody Zoe’s core nutritional principles” by incorporating 30 different plants per week and minimising ultra-processed foods.

“This approach aligns with both Zoe’s and Mindful Chef customers’ health motivations, encouraging them to transform their health, eating habits and overall wellbeing through food,” the companies said.

The recipes – among them Smoky Hake, Artichoke & Sundried Tomato Stew; Roasted Squash, Beetroot & Kale with Toasted Grains; and Gochujang Bean Bowl with Eggs & Kimchi – all come from Spector and Zoe’s gut health cookbook The Food for Life Cookbook, which was released this month.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Zoe and bring their science-first approach to healthy eating to our customers,” said Giles Humphries, co-founder of Mindful Chef. “We’re committed to making healthy eating easier, and these new recipes perfectly align with that mission. By incorporating a variety of plants and gut-friendly foods, we’re making it easier for our community to enjoy delicious meals that support overall wellbeing. It’s an exciting step forward in promoting healthier, more mindful eating.”

Zoe was launched in 2022 by Spector, data science expert Jonathan Wolf, and entrepreneur George Hadjigeorgiou. Last year the Zoe app’s nutrition programme attracted £2m in investment from Dragons’ Den’s Steven Bartlett and signed up celebrity ambassadors such as Davina McCall, and in January this year, the company collaborated with M&S to launch a Zoe-branded milk-based gut health shot. Called M&S Food x Zoe Gut Shot, and priced at £2 for 150ml, the drink contains over five billion live cultures from 14 strains of friendly bacteria, is high in fibre and a source of calcium, according to M&S.

Zoe provides at-home gut health test kits – involving a £299 at-home stool test – and personalised nutrition advice based on the results. Members can also apply for a continuous glucose monitor, which is worn on the arm, to “understand in real-time how your blood sugar responds to food, exercise, stress, and sleep”. Membership gives users access to an app to track their diet, get a “motivating day score” and advice, as well as “unlimited chat support” with Zoe coaches. Various membership plans are offered, from £24.99 per month for a 12-month membership, up to £59.99 per month on a rolling membership basis.

“This partnership with Mindful Chef makes it easier and quicker for people to eat the Zoe way, without compromising on quality,” Spector said.

Having grown its membership by 100,000 through 2023, in April this year Zoe announced it was reducing its headcount after having “over-expanded our team over the last six months”. The redundancies are part of an urgent economy drive at the company, which CEO and co-founder Wolf said needed to reduce costs by 20%.

Earlier this week The Sun reported the company had launched a second round of layoffs.