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Love yourself a meal kit? Us too. One of the many lessons lockdown taught us was that our love for restaurants is a true and real one. When found cruelly separated from our usual lives by factors outside of our control (looking at you, Coronavirus) we, along with the rest of the UK, of course missed our family and friends, but a close second factor pulling at our heart strings? Restaurants. We mourned the joy of eating food someone else has taken the time and care to consider, prepare and cook. We swore never to take them for granted again. And, finally, we began to look for ways to recreate our favourite dishes from the comfort of our own homes.
Thankfully we didn’t have to look far. The hospitality industry is made up of a pretty creative crowd, and one of the very few positive things to come out of the pandemic was the rise of the restaurant DIY delivery kit. These restaurant meal kits carefully distil down the essence of the eateries they’re born from to give punters like us, and your good selves, a signature dish or dishes from the chefs who run some of the best restaurants in the UK.
When it comes to restaurant meal kits we’re truly all spoiled for choice, with something for every mood. There are indulgent burgers made with top-class British beef, warming ramen bowls made with 24-hour broth, flash-in-a-pan pasta dishes and a three-course steak dinner for romantic date nights at home. Those looking for something a little more refined can enjoy paella kits from a Michelin starred chef, or a lobster thermidor feast from none other than Rick Stein. We think it’s safe to say you could never get bored of the restaurant delivery kits now on offer across the UK.
Each restaurant DIY kit is as unique as the place it comes from, but most include ready-made elements which are ready to cook and serve. We love them as a fun date night idea or a way to mark a celebration from home, but really no excuse is needed. Below are some of our favourite restaurant delivery kits, but we’d love to know if you have a favourite which is missing from the list. Let us know via Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
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Best Italian and pasta meal kits
Carbs are king, it’s a fact of life that just isn’t worth disputing. The only thing better than a big plate of pasta is a big plate of pasta that you haven’t had to make. Enter: The pasta meal kit. During various restrictions that previously forced restaurant closures, plenty of our favourite Italian chefs turned their hand to the DIY pasta kit. In our selection of the best pasta meal kits you’ll find beautifully made fresh pasta paired with moreish sauces for a simple solution to the midweek meal rut.
Scarpetta Pasta Meal Kits
Why: We love pasta meal kits because they’re the easiest things to assemble. Usually comprised of little more than fresh pasta and their accompanying sauce, dinner is a flash in the pan – literally. That’s exactly why we love Scarpetta’s reasonably-priced pasta portions, which you can easily knock up at home for a winning dinner. There are nine dishes to choose from starting from £7 a portion. Think a classic amatriciana bucatini, pici cacio e pepe, beef shin ragu pappardelle and burrata and basil paccheri. One portion is very generous, at about 170g of pasta and 180g of sauce per person, so you get plenty of bang for your buck!
How much: From £7
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Scarpetta Pasta Meal Kits
Lina Stores Fresh Pasta Meal Kit
Why: So, you’ve tried to master making fresh pasta, but it didn’t quite pan out? Us too. Instead, cut out the middle man and order direct from the famous Lina Stores, which can send its fresh pasta kits to pretty much anywhere in the UK. When we tried it out, we were most taken by the indulgent artichoke and truffle ravioli parcels, which take just a few minutes to cook in a pan. We also loved the added touches of organic salted butter and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to grate over our pasta plates as the perfect finish.
How much: £32 for 8-10 plates of pasta
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Lina Stores Fresh Pasta Meal Kit
Best burger meal kits
Burgers in the wrong hands can go easily wrong, which is why we like to leave them to the experts. These burger kits take the bother out of the buns and give you everything you need to make properly indulgent food from home with minimal washing up. With all the garnishes, you can whip up some juicy patties in no time and have them topped with everything from homemade pickles and burger sauce to crispy bacon and melted cheese.
Libertine Burgers DIY Burger Kit
Why: If you’ve been craving burgers lately, but don’t want to give your money to the multinational conglomerates like McDonalds, why not support the underdogs instead? Allow us to introduce Libertine Burgers, a small operation in the West Midlands with just two locations, which has launched its burger DIY kits for nationwide delivery. Astonishingly good value at £31.50 for four burgers (plus buns, condiments, cheese and bacon), Libertine offers US-style buns, with the variety rotating monthly. We tried the ‘No. 4′, which consisted of four strips of crispy smoky bacon, American cheese and lashings of ketchup and mustard, all underpinned by some very good quality meat. Instructions are super easy to follow and we loved the tip to cloche your burger by adding the top half of the bun onto the cooked patty, bacon and cheese for a few seconds to allow the bun to get nice and fluffy. This blows any Big Mac out of the water.
How much: £31.50 for four
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Libertine Burgers #004 DIY Kit
Best Sri Lankan and Indian meal kits
If you’re yet to master the art of balancing herbs and spices with the care and attention needed to make masterful curries, then why not call in a little help? Sure, it’s a shortcut, but there’s no need to be proud about this. Some of our favourite restaurant meal kits are these special Indian and Sri Lankan ones which allow you to get all the heady aromas of curries, naans and more at home, in just a few minutes.
Gymkhana Fine Foods Kits
Why: It seems too good to be true that one of London’s best Indian restaurants could appear in your living room, but that’s exactly what you’re getting with Gymkhana Fine Foods – the clever folks at Gymkhana have started bottling some of their best sauces, marinades and chutneys, so you can make their most iconic dishes in your own kitchen. All the recipes you need are on the site too, making the process oh so simple. The best-selling butter chicken, for example, is as simple as marinating and grilling your chicken, adding that rich, sultry sauce, then eating (preferably off a plate if you can wait that long).
How much: £49 for the Full Feast Bundle
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Gymkhana Fine Foods
Goila Butter Chicken Feast
Why: Claiming to be the ‘best butter chicken in the world’, we like Goila’s confidence. While we can’t confirm the award (we’d have to try a few more in order to be dishing out titles like that), we can attest to the fact that this meal kit makes a very tasty Friday night feast. Made with high-end ingredients like free-range chicken and rich French butter, Goila is more generously spiced than your average recipe, for a warming, fragrant curry. As well as the main event you’ll receive sourdough smoked-butter naan breads, cumin-scented jeera rice, black dal, coriander chutney and pickled onions. Everything is neatly packed in recyclable materials, and instructions are clear and easy to follow – meaning you’ll be tucking into your meal in just fifteen minutes.
How much? £50 for two people
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Goila Butter Chicken Feast
Kolamba Feasting Boxes
Why: London-based Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba specialises in comforting home-style cooking. The restaurant’s DIY kits follow a similar format to the dine-in offering, giving you a taste of lots of wonderfully spiced small plates. Each of the meat meal kits serve two (there are also vegan options if preferred) and include one main curry – choose from pork, mutton or chicken – and small complementary sides like fragrant basmati rice, dhal, beetroot curry, green bean curry and homemade mango chutney.
How much? From £45 for two people for the meat feasting menus
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Kolamba Feasting Boxes
Hoppers Sri Lankan Meal Kits
Why: As a result of the various lockdowns faced in 2020, Hoppers adapted by launching a ‘Cash & Kari’ enterprise, which sells all kinds of Sri Lankan goods – from spices and drinks to full-blown meal kits. With a choice between a lamb, a veggie and a chicken feast, there’s something for everyone should you fancy a DIY dinner delivered to your door. Our favourite is the Kalupol chicken kit for four, which includes snacks, starters, a whole marinated chicken and roti dough as well as various sambols on the side. Add to your feast line-up with one of the brand’s readymade cocktails, or by popping extra bread in your trolly (because, is there ever enough?).
How much? £32 for 2 people
And, delivery? Nationwide on Fridays
Buy it: Hoppers Meal Kits
Clay’s Hyderabadi Kitchen
Why: It can be hard to recreate the flavours of your favourite Indian recipes at home, but no longer do you have to struggle over the spice kit. Clay’s Hyderabadi Kitchen will diligently package you up a care parcel of wonderfully rich and warming Indian dishes – both familiar and some more adventurous – to heat at home at your leisure. Our favourite dish was the slow cooked venison Bhuna which was made indulgent thanks to generous spicing and plenty of ghee. Plant-based eaters are also catered for by way of a dedicated vegan menu, while if you like you can buy in bulk and freeze some of your favourites for a later date.
How much: Curries from £11
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Clays Kitchen
The Cinnamon Club Feast at Home Four-Courses
Why: If you’re like us and like to leave cooking up to the experts, then the latest offering from The Cinnamon Club is perfect for you. Chef Vivek Singh has carefully curated a four-course feast to enjoy with your best friend or partner. For £60 a head you’ll be able to enjoy the likes of bhel papdi chaat, madras shrimp pepper fry, lamb shank rogan josh with rice, raita and a 24-hour black lentil dhal, and a garam masala pudding to finish. Each kit is carefully packaged in temperature-controlled boxes, and there’s the option to add a bottle of ‘Francoise Monay Brut’ Champagne to your order if you like. You’ll also receive instructions for how best to heat, plate and present.
How much? £120 for a four course menu for two people
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Cinnamon Club Feast at Home Four Courses
Dishoom’s Bacon Naan Roll Kit
Why: Dishoom’s bacon naan enjoys cult-like status at its restaurants, so we think it’s safe to say that this meal kit with all the elements you need to make them at home was a welcome surprise when it first launched. Included in the package you’ll find naan dough, bacon, chilli jam, cream cheese and a coriander garnish in quantities for two people. All you have to do is cook the included elements – which come with detailed instructions – and serve. An added bonus is the kit comes with chai tea for two, too.
How much: £20 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Dishoom Bacon Naan Kit
Best pizza restaurant meal kits
Hold the pizza oven, hold the sourdough lesson and hold the art of getting a tomato sauce just so. There’s no need to master the art of pizza yourself when there are chefs up and down the country who have spent years perfecting their craft, and who are willing to send part-cooked pizzas to your door ready for you to finish off in a flash. If that isn’t a really rather good deal, we don’t know what is.
Pizza Pilgrims Pizza Kits
Why: Pizza is a truly unifying food, with barely anyone (at least anyone worth knowing, we think) disliking it. In fact, it must be the most popularly cited ‘favourite food’, with enthusiasts of this bready food of the gods more often than not loyal lifelong fans. If you include yourself in the category of lifelong pizza fan then this one from Pizza Pilgrims is for you: homemade pizza dough proved over 48 hours made with flour from Naples, along with tomato sauce, fresh Fior di Latte cheese, extra virgin olive oil, basil and Parmesan – a combination for the perfect Margherita. You’ll be sent simple step-by-steps for how to assemble your pizzas at home and instructions for how cook them in a frying pan, with each kit containing enough ingredients to make two pizzas.
How much: £28 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Pizza Pilgrims Pizza Kit
Best noodle, ramen and dim sum restaurant meal kits
There’s something all our favourite restaurant meal kits have in common: giving you a shortcut to your next meal. While the idea of simmering a stock for hours might sound all well and good for a lazy weekend, the reality is there’ll always be Netflix to watch instead. So why not put your feet up and let the broth boil on someone else’s time? These incredible ramen and noodle kits include all those extra special touches that make each plate or bowl so rich and delicious. For the DIY ramen kits that means you’ll get broth, noodles, marinated eggs, meat and more.
DIY Shoryu Ganso Ramen Kit
Why: Ramen feels like it should be simple, but as soon as you start looking into it you realise that the signature deep, rich flavour comes from hours of simmering and countless topping techniques from the marinated eggs to the slowly cooked meat. This cheat from Shoryu allows you to skip past the hard work and enjoy all the spoils while hardly having to lift a finger. There are a few DIY ramen kits to choose from, including vegan and gluten free options. Our favourite is the Shoryu Ganso Ramen which includes the 12-hour tonkotsu stock, ramen noodles, char siu belly pork slices, pickled red ginger, spring onions and mushrooms. In your kit you’ll receive step-by-step instructions for how to assemble your bowl, and just like that you’ll feel like a ramen master.
How much? £23 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Shoryu DIY Kit Ganso Ramen
Matsudai Classic Tonkotsu Ramen Kit
Why: You can’t beat a classic, creamy tonkotsu ramen, made with a rich-flavoured, slow-cooked broth. The trouble is, it takes ages to achieve the depth of flavour of a proper one at home, which is why we prefer to leave it to the experts. Matsudai in Cardiff is a ramen restaurant, but also offers a whole range of inexpensive ramen kits so you can make your own incredible noodle bowls at home. The broth is simmered for 24-36 hours, and comes with thin handmade hakata-style noodles, pork belly chashu, kikurage mushrooms and spring onions. Matsudai delivers on Fridays and Saturdays, so you can look forward to a warming bowl of ramen come the weekend.
How much: £13 for one portion
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Matsudai Classic Tonkotsu Ramen Kit
Poon’s Wontons
Why: Poon’s Wontons are perfect for when you get that craving for dim sum on your doorstep. Poon’s has serious heritage too – this iconic restaurant once held a Michelin star in the 1980s, before owners Bill and Cecilia decided to retire in 2006. Now daughter Amy is reviving the business, and reviving us with gorgeous, springy pork wontons, and a range of cracking sauces and oils. Everything is neatly packaged and best of all, it only takes 10 minutes to throw together.
How much: Packets of 16 wontons from £20
And, delivery? Wednesday delivery (nationwide)
Buy it: Poon’s Wontons
Rainbo Frozen Gyoza Kits
Why: The best kind of meal kits are the ones which include dishes that you typically wouldn’t be able to make yourself at home and these frozen gyoza kits from Rainbo offer just that. You can choose as much or as little as you like from Rainbo’s online store, but we’d definitely recommend going the whole hog with a few bags of gyozas, a helping of the chilli-laced dipping oil and some of the tantalisingly sharp pickled daikon (don’t forget the Asahi beers either – best enjoyed straight out of the fridge!). Fillings include the likes of prawns or shitake mushroom, but we were most taken with the tender pork and crispy duck varieties. There’s no need to worry about fancy equipment either – all you need is a lidded pan, oil and a splash of water, and they’re ready in under 10 minutes (yes, combining oil and water might seem a little terrifying, but cooking these beauties is far simpler than it sounds). We found this to be a fun and effective way of spicing up a midweek dinner.
How much: Packets of gyoza from £9.50
And, delivery? Next day delivery (London) or Friday delivery (nationwide)
Buy it: Rainbo Frozen Gyoza Kit
Ding Dong Favourites
Why: Thanks to a joint lack of skill and laziness, it’s not often we’d be tempted to make our own dumplings. Leaving things to the experts is safest in our opinion, but what about when you just want to enjoy a few moreish parcels from the comfort of your couch rather than getting dressed up for dinner out? Well, Ding Dong Dim Sum have kindly thought of the answer and it lies in their delivery boxes stuffed with the most delicious bites. The collection of classics was our favourite, which came with char siu buns, pork and prawn sio mai, prawn har kau, spicy tofu and vegetable dumplings, chicken and vegetable gyoza, pork and chive gyoza plus a carrot slaw kit, sticky rice and a selection of dips. A super fresh, piping hot spread of heavenly little dim sum was the result, and this one went straight on our ‘to order again’ list.
How much: £35.90 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Ding Dong Favourites
Best Middle Eastern restaurant meal kits
If you’re sick of eating takeaway, but also can’t face making your own meal from scratch, why not meet in the middle with a Middle Eastern DIY kit? These healthy alternatives still taste delicious, but ensure you pack in at least one of your five a day by way of a salad or dip. From mezze and pita kits through to kebabs and shawarma, these are our favourite Middle Eastern meal kits.
Arabica Lebanese Feast Kits
Why: These colourful, healthy Middle Eastern meal kits by Arabica generously serve between 2-4 people depending on which size you pick, and include crunchy pickles, hummus Beiruti, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, grilled halloumi, pumpkin kibbeh, hand made pita bread, and all sorts of other goodies, as well as crispy, syrupy and buttery baklava selection for afters. We love the versatility of this one, perfect for date nights, dinner with friends or easy family cooking that everyone will enjoy. Included in the kit you’ll find full step-by-step instructions for putting your spread together.
How much? Starting at £45 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide every Tuesday and Friday
Buy it: Arabica Lebanese Feast Kits
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Preserved Lemon Chicken
Why: A pioneer of veg-forward, Middle Eastern-inspired cooking, Yotam Ottolenghi has made cooking with vegetables cool. He’s now the owner of five Ottolenghi delis and two restaurants (NOPI and ROVI) across London, making it easier than ever for guests to enjoy his flavour-packed food. And it’s about to get even easier! You can now order a chicken feast created by the man himself from restaurant delivery service Dishpatch, which features chicken legs in lemony garlic butter, with cheesy semolina gnocchi alla Romana, harissa-spiced carrots, and a herby French bean salad. There’s a fair bit of prep as you have to heat up the various dishes and sauces, but it’s utterly worth it. Apparently, it serves two people, but we think this one stretches to three easily.
How much: From £55
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Ottolenghi Test Kitchen Preserved Lemon Chicken
Bubala Mixed Mezze
Why: When it comes to really good vegetarian restaurants in London, Bubala is generally considered ‘the one’. This all-veggie Middle Eastern has two restaurants in London, Spitalfields and Soho, where it’s earned a reputation for its awesome veg-based small plates. One of its most popular plates – halloumi with chamomile and fennel honey – will make you realise that one can survive quite happily without meat. And so, Bubala is bringing its vegetarian dishes to the public with this mixed mezze meal kit. It includes eight dishes between two people, a generous amount, such as labneh with confit garlic and za’atar, hummus with chilli oil and chickpeas, mushroom skewers, halloumi with black seed honey and its famous crisp potato latkes. For less than 30 quid a head, we think that’s a pretty good deal.
How much: £60
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Bubala Mixed Mezze
Shuk Beef Brisket DIY Pita Kit
Why: Shuk’s killer pitas are now available to make at home with the help of a host of handy meal kits. These guys have market stalls in a few locations across London, including Borough Market and Seven Dials Market, where they turn out soft, fluffy pitas crammed with the flavours and spices of Tel Aviv. One particularly popular filling is its 12-hour spiced beef brisket, which you can purchase in recipe box form, along with smoky mayo, pickled red onions, cheese, baby gem lettuce and its famous Shuks pita breads. This kit would feed two hungry people, or four perfectly normal appetites easily. There are more pita meal kits too, including lamb meatballs and DIY sabich!
How much: £35
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Shuk Beef Brisket DIY Pita Kit
Best fancy fine dining restaurant meal kits
We didn’t really know what to call this section, so we just went for ‘fancy’. Basically, these restaurant meal kits are made by some of the top chefs in the country and allow you to produce precise plates of foods without any faff. From fine dining menus to simple ingredient-led dishes, these are our favourite fine dining meal kits for when you want to seriously impress.
Stein’s at Home Lobster Thermidor Kit
Why: If you’re looking to pull out all the stops to impress someone special, what better way to go about it than with a tumble of luxury seafood? Rick Stein’s at home meal kits allow you to get your hands on the freshest fish, no matter how far from the sea you live. We tried the lobster menu which comes complete with sourdough bread to start, sweet scallops served in their shells and an incredible chocolate pave dessert with clotted cream. The main event itself gives each diner a full lobster plus potatoes and salad, and no detail is left up to chance with flavoured butters and dressings all included. We loved how quick and simple everything was to prepare while the results were restaurant-quality.
How much: £136 for two
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Stein’s at Home Lobster Thermidor Kit
Dishpatch Menu Collection
Why: Leave dinner to the likes of Nuno Mendes, Olia Hercules, Jose Pizarro and Michel Roux Jr, all of whom have created a sequence of cosy and comforting recipes for food delivery service Dishpatch, as part of its seasonal menu. Designed to deliver restaurant meals straight to your door, each bespoke menu is created and cooked by a line-up of top chefs and restaurants – think a Goan Portuguese feast by Lisboeta founder Nuno Mendes, and a Hungarian chicken porkolt by Ukrainian chef Olia Hercules.
How much: From £70 (prices vary per menu)
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Dishpatch seasonal menu
Cote at Home Steak Date Night Menu
Why: Planning a romantic night in? You can’t beat steak and chips when it comes to the ultimate date night meal, and this menu created by French brasserie Cote is a steal. Included is a starter, your preferred cut of steak, sauce, dessert and a bottle of wine, which works out at around £30 a head, give or take. Choose between French onion soup or scallops with garlic butter to start, followed by steak frite (you can choose between chateaubriand, fillet or rib eye). To finish, you have a choice between two classic French desserts: chocolate mousse or a crème caramel, plus a bottle of red to complete the meal, if you fancy. We like that Cote offers plenty of flexibility too, with the option to include added extras with your order, like a cheese collection or a bottle of Champagne.
How much: From £54.95
And, delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Cote at Home Steak Date Night Menu
Fancy something to wash that all down with? These are this year’s best rose wines.
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