Once upon a time, you might have been scoffed at or called ‘lazy’ for getting food delivered. But in our pandemic-ruled reality, we are being actively encouraged to get food deliveries where possible rather than taking trips to the supermarket. As well as offering convenience -and reduced Covid risk- pre-packed food boxes can offer you the chance to enjoy restaurant quality food in the comfort of your own living room. Whether you want a box full of ingredients to cook a fresh meal, or a meal that’s been cooked and sent straight to you, we’ve rounded up some of the best options from across Scotland.
Home by Nico
£60 for two including delivery
If you haven’t yet heard of Six by Nico, you can barely call yourself a foodie. Glasgow-born chef Nico Simeone has been taking the country’s dining industry by storm with his unique brand of geographically inspired, regularly changing six-course menus. His Home By Nico venture, running successfully for several months now, offers the same kind of concept but delivered to your door. Each element of the meal comes packaged and prepared -with instructions on both cooking and presentation- as well as a bottle of wine.
Add in four courses and two sides and you’ve got exceptionally good value for money. It’s no wonder then, that the boxes sell out weeks in advance, with the February version already unavailable and the Valentine’s edition sold out. Fortunately you can book for March- although details of the menu haven’t yet been released. It all adds to the excitement...
Tonic at Home Cocktail Boxes
Packs start from £55
It’s not just eating out that we’ve been missing during the endless months of lockdown. The excitement of heading out to a bar, choosing a drink and then having it shaken up and poured in front of you certainly feels like a distant memory- pouring a glass of wine from the fridge doesn’t quite hold the same appeal. You might even have tried to shake up your own cocktails at home, but it probably won’t taste the same as one made by a professional.
Fortunately, Edinburgh-based cocktail firm ‘Tonic at Home’ have been busy making an array of fresh cocktails, packing them up and posting them out across Scotland. Options include an Espresso Martini, Strawberry Daiquiri, Cosmopolitan, Pornstar Martini and Pina Colada Daiquiri, with each cocktail hand-prepared and packaged up in a sealable pouch.
When you order one of their ‘Big Night In’ boxes you get to choose 17 cocktails of your choice, along with 15 garnishes, which should set you up for a memorable evening of dancing round the kitchen. And probably a headache the next day.
Hand Picked at Home from Norton House Hotel
Prices vary depending on menu chosen, take-home afternoon tea is £32 for two people
Almost all of us will, by now, have endured a lockdown birthday. If you have an upcoming birthday or celebration, but are concerned it won’t feel like much of an occasion, the ‘Hand Picked at Home’ range from Edinburgh’s Norton House Hotel could be worth investigating.
They are offering a range of pre-prepared menus catered to an Afternoon Tea, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, a Sunday Roast and even a Chateaubriand dinner. Simply call 0131 333 1275 to place your order, or do it online, and they will give you a dedicated time slot to come and pick up your goodies from the hotel (located in Ingliston, Newbridge).
Cooking instructions will be provided on arrival at the hotel, but as long as you can manage to put things in an oven there isn’t much skill involved.
www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/nortonhouse
Campbells Breakfast Box
Box costs £16.95, serves 12 portions
Sometimes, you can’t go wrong with comfort food. And that’s exactly what is on offer with the Campbells Breakfast Box, a mammoth pack of meat that should sort out your fry-ups for the foreseeable future. The Linlithgow-based butcher, first founded more than a century ago, has made its name as a meat supplier to some of the best hotels and restaurants across the country. But when the hospitality industry was left floored by Covid-19, Campbells began to focus on the e-commerce side of their business, offering high-end ingredients directly to customers at home.
The pack contains a black pudding, Campbells haggis, five sliced Lorne sausages, a Cumberland ring sausage, approximately six pork and herb sausages, eight pork sausages and 12 rashers of unsmoked back bacon.
Each individual order that’s placed is made up in-house by their master butchers and then delivered fresh across Scotland. And for ardent meat-eaters who order more than £60 worth, delivery is free.
Tea Chest from eteaket
£13.95 for a detox tea chest, or £23.95 for a version that comes with an infuser mug and tea timer
Despite being a nation of tea lovers, most of us are fairly unadventurous in the type of tea that we drink. But in recent years, sales of green or flavoured teas have steadily increased, as people start to branch out and look for healthier alternatives. Edinburgh-based loose leaf tea firm eteaket have been perfectly placed to take advantage of this tea curiosity, and their box of herbal loose-leaf teas could be a good starting point for anyone looking to try them out.
Their ‘7 Day Detox Tea Chest’ contains a selection of seven different 10g teas (enough to make 28 cups), including Blueberry Rooibos, Perfect Peppermint, Lemon & Ginger, Cranberry Apple Riot, a decaffeinated Breakfast Blend, Gyokuro and White Peony. Each of these herbal infusions is designed to boost your wellbeing and get you established in some healthier habits- the Blueberry Rooibos, for example, is said to be high in essential iron, calcium and magnesium. Delivery is offered across Scotland and is free for all orders over £15.
Côte At Home
Price varies depending on items chosen, £40 minimum spend
Côte Brasserie (roughly translating as ‘pub grub’) is usually a go-to venue choice for anyone looking for some top-quality French cuisine. And with travel to the continent not likely to be allowed for many months more, you might be craving French cooking even more. Enter Côte At Home, Côte Brasserie’s way of bringing French bistro cuisine directly to your door.
Rather than providing you with a set menu, or a pre-determined box of ingredients, you have the freedom to browse on the Côte At Home website and choose which starters, mains, sides, boucherie, fromagerie, desserts and, of course, wine, that appeals to you most.
Provided you spend £40 (which shouldn’t be difficult), you then choose a delivery day that is convenient, you’ll be provided with a two hour delivery slot and - voila! - your chilled food will arrive at the door.
There’s a huge selection of meals to choose from, more choice than you would get in a restaurant, even, but our food critic Ron Mackenna was particularly impressed with the fillet steak and the fougasse bread. He rated the menu an impressive four out of five.
www.coteathome.co.uk or 020 3900 1287
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