Ever-changing lockdown restrictions have forced chefs and restaurants to be creative and create different ways for you to enjoy their food outside outside of a dine-in service, meaning we’ve now got tons of takeaway options and an ever-expanding selection of DIY meal kits. Here are some of our fave new ones to get on order pronto.
Future Noodles
Carl Clarke, founder of Chick ‘n’ Sours, is now sending noods around the country. He’s launched new instant noodle brand Future Noodles, which are plant-based and nutritionally complete – each of the three flavours, Spicy Kmichi, Smoky Mushroom & Miso, and Yellow Curry are packed with the right amount of protein, fibre, carbs, fats, vitamins and minerals you need for a balanced meal, and they proper fill you up. Not only are they good for you, these noods come in plastic-free packaging so they’re good for the environment too.
Heritage
A slew of new Indian spots are popping up in London and Heritage is one of them. Delivering to South London postcodes, they put a contemporary spin on traditional recipes and champion unusual foods from lesser-known Indian regions and communities. The dedicated at home menu offers a varied choice of set dining sharing boxes that cater to all tastes including vegan and vegetarian options. The classic Heritage Rajputana menu for two features signature dishes including Mysore Bonda, Murge Makhani, Kasmiri Lamb, Masala Aloo and Dal Makhani. If you fancy delving into Indian food that you might not have tried before, get on to this pronto.
Roast by HOME-X
Top chef Joe Lazzerini, who recently opened Glasgow gastropub The Loveable Rogue, has teamed up with HOME-X for a new Sunday roast series. Together they’re offering a refined version of this classic, hearty British staple which promises all the best bits but a whole lot simpler to cook. The meal kit kicks off with a caramelised cauliflower and apple veloute, with two options to choose from for the main affair: Speyside Beef Sirloin with a red wine gravy or Roast Chicken with Garlic Butter. Both come with sides of cauliflower cheese with a cheddar and herb crumb; roast potatoes with beef fat, garlic and rosemary; honey glazed root vegetables; vegetable écrase with celeriac, carrot, chives and carrot crumb; and the best bit of it all, Yorkshire Puddings. And in case that still leaves you feeling hungry, there’s a pear and vanilla custard trifle for pud.
Wahala Burger
This new entry comes from Executive Chef of The Ned, Mussa Fati, and photographer and filmmaker, Julian George, so you can bet it’s a good’un. These guys are hoping to celebrate West African flavours whilst also change the way we view African dining by teaming up with head chef of Akoko to launch a very spesh burger. It features beef patties, Suya smoked brisket, Suya mayo, caramelised yassa onions and Kaanee sauce. And there’s even a vegan option too, so everyone can get a taste of the action.
Supa Ya Ramen x Restaurant Kits
Cult ramen supper-club (which found permanent residency last year in Hackney) Supa Ya Ramen, has joined forces with Restaurant Kits to bring their new-wave bowls straight to our doors. This meal kit features their signature SUPA-YA seasoning paste, roast tomato broth, nests of Tokyo style noodles, fudgy egg, hispi cabbage, fried garlic, spring onions and parmesan – yep, the full works. It’s the most traditionally inauthentic ramen you will ever have the pleasure of slurping.
Masala Emporium
Masala Emporium is a brand new, delivery-only curry house that cooks up quality classic Indian dishes like butter chicken, lamb rogan josh, palak paneer, tarka daal and basmati kheer and delivers them across London Friday – Sunday. It’s a concise menu so you could easily try the lot if you’re in a bigger household and dishes arrive ready to go, just needing a quick reheat to get them piping hot again. If you’re in the market for a weekend treat, DM them to order.
Bancone
One of London’s best handmade pasta restaurants, Bancone, has pimped their at-home menu. Expect some of our old-favourites like their bucatini cacio e pepe and spicy pork & n’duja mafalde, as well as some delicious new additions including a white veal ragù & black truffle rigatoni, kale pesto & gorgonzola casarecce AND a white chocolate mousse with amaretti and raspberries for desert. Londoners can get their pasta fix with delivery on Wednesdays and Fridays through Plateaway.
Burro e Salvia x Wildfarmed Grain
Shoreditch pasta joint Burro e Salvia has teamed up with grain growers Wildfarmed Grain for a limited edition meal kit, featuring fresh handmade pasta rolled in-house by the team at Burro e Salvia using the regenerative farm’s wholemeal flour. There’s a range of dishes to choose from including tagliatelle with braised leeks & parmigiano, strozzapreti with sausage & saffron ragu, and artichoke & pecorino tortelli with butter & sage. Each kit also comes with its own sauce, as well as step-by-step cooking instructions meaning you really can’t go wrong. Londoners can take advantage of local pick-up from Thursday to Sunday, otherwise nationwide delivery is available through the Big Night app.
Rainbo
You just can’t beat a good gyoza and now thanks to street food trader Rainbo, you can fill your freezer with them as they’ve just launched their Gyoza-At-Home delivery. Five varieties of gyoza – chicken, pork & Chinese chive, prawn, hoisin duck and shiitake mushroom – are available in freezer packs, alongside Rainbo’s own dipping sauce, chilli oil and excellent Japanese pickles. You cook the gyozas straight from frozen so it only takes a few minutes to have a plate of freshly steamed, crispy bottomed dumplings ready to eat. Londoners can get these on next-day delivery otherwise there’s a weekly nationwide delivery option, so order up a stash to make sure you’re ready for when the gyoza cravings strike.
Antona At Home
With both his restaurants closed (The Cross in Kenilworth and Simpsons in Birmingham) chef restaurateur Andreas Antona set up meal box brand Antona At Home, which delivers Michelin-starred meals inspired by the venues, nationwide. There are three set menus every week – one meat, one veggie, and one beef wellington – with dishes like pickled beetroot with sheep’s curd, roast duck with potato gnocchi & celeriac, miso roasted cauliflower with curried cauliflower puree & puffed rice, and buttermilk panna cotta with rhubarb. The three courses are really easy to prepare, we’re talking a one pan and one tray kinda job, so it’s ideal if you want to keep the faffing around to a minimum. There are always a batch of menus live at a time too so you can order well in advance if there’s a particular week you like the sound of.
Pataka
Pataka is a new Indian concept serving up seriously flavourful dishes, working from a ‘bright’ kitchen in Victoria (with new sites planned Bermondsey, Bayswater, Richmond, and Highgate). This isn’t your standard takeaway food though, back in India Arjun Baljee and his fam run numerous restaurants, all of which hold prestigious awards. While familiar faves can be found on the menu, there are some interesting seasonal dishes like wild mushroom rice with morels, tandoor spiced baby chicken with Pataka’s authentic tandoori masala, and truffle pecorino kulcha with black truffle oil, shiitake, pecorino and cheddar. YES, truffle and pecorino you read that right.
Soul Ride by Riding House Café
Bring the sunshine home with Riding House Café’s new Caribbean-inspired at-home offering Soul Ride. They’ve got all angles covered with kits for brunch, dinner, cocktails, roasts, and if you’re feeling extra chill, a weekender box. You can expect tropical flavours with dishes like salt cod fritters with Bajan pepper sauce; island stew (braised mutton, yam, pumpkin, okra, scotch bonnet & dumplings); the Soul Burger with ackee & callaloo; and tiger shrimp triple cheese mac. The pina colada even comes with paper umbrellas, so whack on Bob Marley and get your sunnies at the ready.
Thomas Frake x Beyond Food Foundation
MasterChef 2020 winner Thomas Frake has teamed up with Beyond Food Foundation and meal kit platform Finish & Feast for this DIY box. Thomas became known for his take on British classics on MasterChef and that’s exactly what you get here with a menu of Burland Bloom cheese doughnuts, pea soup with mint dressing, rump steak with bernaise & beef fat potato, and St Clement’s tart with blood orange. Not only are the flavours big and bold, assembly is really simple – even the steak has been pre-cooked so you can be sure of a perfect medium rare finish. And £2 from each kit is being donated Beyond Food Foundation so you’re supporting a good cause.
The Tramshed Project
The Tramshed Project is where you’d usually find some of London’s most exciting chef residencies, but with lockdown restrictions in place they’ve had to switch things up by launching a whole load of menus for us tuck into from home. We dived straight into their Swaledale Lamb Feast featuring a slow-roasted shoulder of lamb, hispi cabbage tossed in ancho chilli butter, pink fir potatoes topped with capers & crème fraîche, and a salted caramel tart for something sweet. If that’s not your vibe, there’s plenty of other menus on offer too (including some for the veggies and vegans). PLUS, there’s the option to add on extra small plates and cocktails from their bottle shop.
