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31 recipe boxes, DIY meal kits and finish-at-home dishes from top London restaurants

Pick your flavour: Mamma Dough’s Dough It Yourself pizza kits  (Mamma Dough)
Pick your flavour: Mamma Dough’s Dough It Yourself pizza kits (Mamma Dough)

Was it all a dream? That restaurants were open and bars were full? That the West End thronged with al fresco eaters and the local once again bustled with regulars?

With the omicron variant causing a very un-festive panic, restaurants are once again fighting against a wave of cancellations. And so, once again, the message is clear: if you love restaurants, it’s time to do what you can — spoil yourself in the name of helping out.

A DIY restaurant kit can help you do exactly that. Homebodies can mess about at the hob without much risk of a ruined dinner, and the food won’t have to be rescued after too long on the back of an UberEats bike, either. Crucially, though, aside from filling your stomach, it’ll help your favourite restaurants to keep on paying the bills over the winter. With government support so far nowhere to be seen, it’s an important part of helping an industry once again at the end of its tether.

Check delivery details carefully with each restaurant, as many don’t deliver throughout the week. Once that’s done, all that’s left is to ready, steady, cook.

Santo Remedio

The acclaimed Mexican’s Remedy Kits offer a soothing and generously portioned Mexican spread. They’re tied to tacos here, with fillings including confit duck legs, meant to be torn up and slathered in a salsa, a beef short rib slow-cooked over 12 hours and a warming lamb shank, ideal with limes, coriander and red onion.

From £35, serves two, santoremedio.co.uk

Hawksmoor

 (Hawksmoor)
(Hawksmoor)

Hawksmoor knows this is no time for high-minded abstinence. Its offering puts steak night in a box, with two 35-day pieces of meat — exactly those found in the restaurants — packed with everything from bone marrow gravy and beef dripping oven chips to sticky toffee pudding. Boozy versions include bottled sour-cherry Negronis, luxury bottles of red to pair, lager and more. It’s all the best bits without having to stumble to the Tube to get home, and the cook-along videos will aid any nervous steak chefs.

From £60, serves two to six, thehawksmoor.com

Restokit

This new(ish) venture is tailormade for these times. Restokit offers its own “best of” list, offering ready-to-cook recipe kits from a few select partners. These include Kolamba, Gymkhana, Shoryu, Bocca di Lupo, Farmacy, Chick’n’Sours and more — so whether you’re after the ramen from Shoryu or a chicken curry from Kolamba, there’s something there.

Prices and portions vary per restaurant, restokit.co.uk

Firezza

 (Firezza)
(Firezza)

Fresh ingredients on soft floury dough. Firezza’s stone-baked pizzas are now available for delivery from 17 locations across the capital, from Crouch End to Wimbledon, and Ealing to Stratford.

Choose from Sicilian-style Salsiccia mad with Italian sausage and wild broccoli, Fiorentina featurning home-made tomato sauce and oven-roasted tomatoes, or a Vegan Pollo BBQ made with plant-based cheese and chicken. The Rotolo Di Formaggi, a soft hand-stretched dough with Gorgonzola dolce and creamy Taleggio cheese, is a must-try.

From £13.95, firezza.com

Rainbo

 (Rainbo)
(Rainbo)

If you’re bored of crisps and dips, Tokyo-inspired street food kitchen Rainbo is now offering a new Gyoza-At-Home range, delivered on ice nationwide - perfect for kicking off date night or a garden dumpling party.

Options on the delivery menu include range from chicken, edamame, pork and prawn to duck and hoisin and vegetable and waterchestnut. Rainbo also offers Asahi beer as the perfect accompaniment, as well as Japanese pickles, dipping sauce and chili oil.

From £9.50 for 12 gyozas, rainbofood.com

Ping Pong

 (Ping Pong)
(Ping Pong)

Crispy spring rolls and spicy stuffed dumplings ready to steam at home. Ping Pong’s at-home dim sum kits come ready-made for steaming on the hob or in the microwave or oven so your Chinese feast will be ready in minutes.

There’s a minimum order of £30 and you can choose everything from spicky chicken dumplings to char sui buns, veggie spring rolls and honey-glazed spare ribs, with plenty of dipping sauces to complement it all.

From £30, shop.pingpongdimsum.com

Ottolenghi

Ready meals and Yotam Ottolenghi’s usual fare seem like too disparate things, but the famed chef has paired the two with his Ottolenghi Ready range. From a rich shakshuka with red peppers and tomatoes to chicken curry with coconut and pineapple, it’s ideal for when you’re feeling lazy, but don’t want to compromise on quality.

Ready meals from £7.95, ottolenghi.co.uk

Cinnamon Club

The Cinnamon Club’s executive chef Vivek Singh has designed two indulgent meal kits. Serving two people, the four-course feast brings together bhel papdi chaat, madras shrimp pepper fry, lamb shank Roganjosh, garam masala pudding and more, while the vegan meal kits packs in South Indian spiced lentils, grilled aubergine with sesame tamarind crumble; chargrilled cauliflower with spinach nutmeg sauce, curry leaf lime crumble and more.

From £100 for two, thecinnamoncollection.com

Pizza Pilgrims

 (Pizza Pilgrims)
(Pizza Pilgrims)

No pizza oven, no problem. These pizza kits, either the classic margherita or double pepperoni and spicy honey, can be made with just a regular oven and a frying pan, with all the instructions needed to get the perfect slice. If you want to commit to a longer-term pizza relationship, try one of the subscription services and get your doughy goodness delivered either weekly, fortnightly or monthly.

From £23 for two, pizzainthepost.co.uk

Adam Handling Restaurants

Named for the Scottish word for home, Adam Handling’s Hame sees the chef prepare his fine-dining dishes to be finished at home. While the first lockdown saw a simpler offering in place, Handling has doubled down on the style of food that’s made him famous; whether that’s lobster wagyu, the truffle-stuffed roast dishes or the chef’s much-loved chicken butter and cheese doughnuts.

Dishes from £12, adamhandling.co.uk

Shoryu

 (Shoryu)
(Shoryu)

The idea of cooking a 12-hour pork ramen in your own kitchen might normally inspire fear, but fortunately, this Japanese spot has done 11 hours and 50 minutes of the work already; this kit requires a little putting together, some attention paid to the noodles, mushrooms and various toppings, but the broth simply needs heating up.

From £23 for two, japancentre.com

Gaucho

Truly a top quality meal kit, although definitely more of a “finish at home” job than one taking much actual cooking. The beef wellington for two comes with a choice of cured salmon, empanadas or provoleta to start, with either a chocolate torte or dulche de leche baked cookie to finish, with the same options either side of the option for beef short ribs served with a selection of baked ratte potatoes and Argentine creamed corn humita. A choice of pies - beef and malbec or chicken, chorizo, tomato and white bean - also appeal.

From £57.50, serves two, gauchofuse.wpengine.com/meal-kits

Gauthier

Alexis Gauthier is one of the OVs — original vegans — having served his first plant-focused menu way back in 1997. Like his eponymous Soho restaurant, these recipe boxes are completely meat-free. Things change through the seasons, but its Veganuary selection for 2022 offers menus with international inspiration, named for Phuket, Bahia, Hong Kong and Madagascar.

From £75 for four, gauthierhome.co.uk

Gymkhana, Trishna and Brigadiers

 (JKS Restaurants)
(JKS Restaurants)

JKS Restaurants weathered the pandemic by launching a delivery platform for its trio of top Indian restaurants, sending out ready-to-cook feasts. Like much JKS do, it proved a hit and is still going strong. You can either build your own box - choose from the likes of tandoori masala lamb chops, achari paneer tikka and chicken butter masala — or opt for a pre-picked feast, based around either lamb, chicken or vegetables.

Ready-picked boxes from £100 for two to four, ambassadorgeneralstore.com

La Mia Mamma

La Mia Mamma has created nine kits that contain ingredients to whip up a number of Italian-inspired dishes. There are the so-called Mamma’s Survival Packs, which include pantry basics, make-your-own bits and meals ready to be warmed up, while the Sunday In... boxes give a good dose of escapism, with meals inspired by afternoon feasts in a number of Italian cities.

From £35, delivery within London via lamiamamma.co.uk

Dirty Bones

Fulfil your dirty burger craving with this kit to make juicy burgers, vegan chilli cheeseburgers or lamb fries.

From £28 for two, dirty-bones.com

Home by Nico

Nico Simeone has adapted his multi-course menus into an at-home format. Just like in his restaurant, Six by Nico, the themes of the box will change regularly: the current selection ranges from bao to boeuf bourguignon.

From £45, home-x.com

The Real Greek

 (The Real Greek)
(The Real Greek)

For a taste of that Mykonos minibreak that never was, call in some DIY souvlaki. The Real Greek chain has collaborated with Great Food 2 U so you can now make your own at home, complete with tomatoes, red onion and homemade tzatziki. Choose from chicken or halloumi as the filling.

The kits come with all the instructions and ingredients you need, from sweet paprika to the restaurant’s original wrapping paper. Pair with some Greek wine for ultimate holiday vibes.

From £13.50 for two people, greatfood2u.co.uk

Dishoom

 (Dishoom)
(Dishoom)

It needn’t be all about dinner: Dishoom is delivering its cult breakfast favourite to your doorstep. Recreate the famous bacon naan with a package of fresh dough balls, top-quality meat, cream cheese and chilli sauce, and a Bloody Mary to wash it down. For dinner, try one of the feasts: the Home Feast comes with house black daal, mattar paneer, lamb sheekh kababs, mango lassi, sparkling wine and more, or opt for the biryani iteration.

From £17 for two, dishoomathome.com

Berenjak

With Persian dishes inspired by the hole-in-the-wall spots dotted throughout Tehran, Berenjak quickly found critical acclaim when it opened in 2018, and now is inviting guests to wander through its online bazaar. It offers spices and snacks, cocktails and wine and DIY kabab kits of lamb koobideh and chicken jujeh; at home, skewer the meat alongside plump tomatoes and red onions, put them on the grill and serve with fresh, clay-baked Lavash bread.

From £40 for two, berenjakbazaar.com

Shuk

 (Shuk)
(Shuk)

The Borough Market stall is delivering everything it does best for those willing to have a go at home: try wrapping their signature pitas oozing with beef brisket, lamb and fish, or lamb and sabich, or for something sweeter, try the chocolate, hazelnut and cookie crumb babka kit.

From £20, serves up to four, nationwide delivery via shuklondon.com

Bao

Bao have updated their offering, now offering six bao buns to finish at home, either filled with their famous 12-hour braised pork; panko daikon, coriander, and hot man sauce; beefshort rib, sliced gherkin, crispy shallot, and Sichuan mayonnaise; or prawn shia song mix, garlic mayonnaise and clarified butter.

From £22 for six pieces, baolondon.com

Bocca di Lupo

 (Steven Joyce)
(Steven Joyce)

The West End favourite is all about feasting, but its DIY kits offer a little geography too, with each month dedicated to cuisine from a different Italian region. If you want curate your own meals, then there are plenty of dishes to choose from: pasta, grilled meats and fish, desserts and gelato, and plenty of wine and cocktails.

From £50 for two, boccadilupo.com

The Sea, The Sea

 (The Sea, The Sea)
(The Sea, The Sea)

Chelsea seafood bar and fishmonger The Sea, The Sea is offering light, ready-to-eat offerings, with likes of a prawn tartare finished with a pine nut miso, but the finish-at-home dishes look to be the pick of the bunch. These come with instructions and video demonstrations, with dishes including whole grilled turbot in seaweed butter with spring greens, and sea bass on the bone with spicy chilli sour sauce and cabbage.

Prices and portions vary, theseathesea.net

Passo

Your choice of fresh pizza or pasta to make at home. There’s a variety of pizza kits on offer — from three-cheese margherita to smoked speck and portobello mushroom — and they come in two sizes, to serve either two or four. Follow the video instructions to pull it all together; they say preparation takes around 20 minutes. Fresh pasta is even easier, needing just five minutes to pull together.

From £10.50 for two, passotogo.com

Bancone

The West End favourites have packed up their pastas and sauces, with the option to add antipasti and sides to your order.

From £18 for pasta, serves from two to four, London delivery within five miles of Soho restaurant (W1F 9EL) via bancone.co.uk

The Cheese Bar

The London fromage master is delivering all you need to make classic fondue.

£45 for two, nationwide delivery via the-cheese-bar-london.myshopify.com

Lahpet

The excellent Burmese restaurant has opened up its pantry to customers, offering staples including a including tea leaf salad and coconut noodles. They offer full recipes to follow online.

Various prices, collection or delivery up to 10 miles from restaurant (E1 6JW), lahpet.co.uk

Rick Stein

 (Rick Stein restaurants)
(Rick Stein restaurants)

Though Rick Stein has an outpost in Barnes, the food coming from his relaunched Stein’s at Home range will all be prepped down at his Padstow base. Covering steak, seafood, curry, fry-up breakfasts and more, the instructions are extremely clear and not a lot of effort is needed to get things looking ship shape.

From £35 for two, rickstein.com

Burger & Beyond

Get your dirty burger kicks with a kit to make the Shoreditch favourite’s bacon butter buns and more.

From £25, serves four, nationwide delivery via burgerandbeyondshop.co.uk

Nonna Tonda

Fresh pasta through your letterbox via subscription, along with accompanying sauces, garnish and parmesan cheese. Recipes change weekly, and can be ordered for two, four or six.

From £14.50 for two, nonnatonda.co.uk