As much as we can’t wait for restaurants to reopen, DIY meal kits have been a happy by-product of national lockdowns.
A box full of ingredients and pre-prepared dishes, ready to assemble at home in your own kitchen. They are a great thing to tide us over until we can head back to restaurants and it’s a brilliant way to support independent businesses at this challenging time.
From grilled cheese to pizza, ramen to fine dining, here’s our round up of some of the best DIY meal kits money can buy in Greater Manchester right now.
Higher Ground
Higher Ground’s meal kits a.k.a. Joe’s 29 Minute Meals are now available for 14-15 and 28-29 November in very limited numbers.
The meal kits are £40 which comes with four dishes for two people, designed to be shared. It comes with a donut for dessert in collaboration with Gooey bakers and there’s a selection of natural wines which can be added to the order.
You can collect your kit from Ducie Street or have it delivered in an carbon-friendly electric van.
Order here.
Northern Soul Grilled Cheese
Arguably the best thing about the Manchester Christmas Markets, the Northern Soul Grilled Cheese ‘Crimbo Dinner’ sandwich, is back for 2020 in DIY kit form.
Loaded up with turkey, cranberry sauce, pink lady stuffing, gravy and topped with homemade pig in blanket lollypops.
As well as the Christmas special, there’s also; the ‘New Yorker’ with pastrami, house pickles and pretzels; ‘Get Your Goat’ with goat’s cheese , caramelised red onion and beetroot chutney; and a range of other classic flavours like Mac Attack.
All Grill it Yourself kits cost £30 and include a £10 voucher to spend once they’re open, plus goodies like stickers and postcards.
Order here.
Yaoyao noodles
Put away that Pot Noodle! You can now order restaurant-quality ramen and have it delivered to your door.
Yaoyao noodles make everything themselves, including the broths, garnishes like Tamago eggs and even the fresh ramen noodles.
Choices include Pork Tonkotsu with Shiro Miso, Shiitake mushroom & Kombu broth and Shoyu Tori Paitan with Sichuanese chilli oil. Plus, there’s a rotating limited special too.
Kits cost £18 which makes two generous servings. Plus, there’s free delivery if you order two kits or more and extra discounts for spending over £30.
Order here.
Blue Caribou Poutine Kits
So much more than chips, cheese and gravy, Blue Caribou has compiled a range of poutine kits for you to make this Quebec classic at home.
There’s the classic kit with cheese curds and gravy, the Reuben with pastrami and pickles, Buffalo poutine kit with crispy chicken and blue cheese, a Doner poutine kit, and more to choose from.
All of the kits can be made vegetarian and vegan too, as all gravy, meat and cheese can be swapped for plant-based alternatives.
Order here.
WOOD
You may need to dust off your chef’s hat for this one…
Wood’s five course tasting menu for two box is an extra special treat and includes all the pre-prepared ingredients and full cooking and plating instructions. They’ve even included some small plates which you can keep afterwards. Sommelier-recommended wines can also be ordered, as well as their popular cheese board.
The boxes cost £110 for the standard menu and £95 for the vegetarian and vegan versions.
Deliveries are on Fridays and Saturdays, and collection is available from the Manchester restaurant on Saturdays only between 9 and 11am.
Order here.
Adam Reid
Another fine dining experience to have a go at is from Adam Reid, chef at The French and former Great British menu winner.
His three course ‘Saturday night in dinner box’ is a changing selection of dishes each week. Designed as a generous meal for two people, the box is delivered as a package of pre-prepared food with simple instructions to be finished in your own kitchen.
Order here.
Elite Bistros
Elite at Home gives you the chance to enjoy favourite dishes from their restaurants Kala and Hispi in your own home.
Chef Gary Usher talks through how to do this via a series of videos on the Elite at Home Instagram feed.
Take your pick from their menu of dishes such as Braised featherblade of beef, a smoked and glazed ham hock sharer, and Sumac roasted half cauliflower. Drinks can also be arranged, and they’ve made some recommendations for wines that work well with particular dishes.
Order here.
Hawksmoor
Settle in for the ultimate steak night with a DIY kit from Hawksmoor.
The latest instalment of the Hawskmoor at Home kit is the Rib Eye box includes two British 35-Day dry-aged steaks from the same grass-fed traditional-breed cattle they use in the restaurants, along with bone marrow gravy, creamed spinach, Matt Brown’s Ultimate oven chips and their famous sticky toffee pudding.
It also includes drinks paired by drinks specialist Liam Davy who has chosen a Fuller Fat Old Fashioned, ready-mixed to enjoy at home, two Hawksmoor lagers and a bottle of red wine, Quinta da Boa Esperanca ‘Guilly’s Blend’.
The box serves two people and costs £125 (with alcohol) and £85 (without). Order by noon on Monday for delivery that Thursday or Friday.
Order here.
Home by Nico
This at-home experiences follows a similar format to the restaurants Six by Nico.
A rotating four-course tasting menu inspired by memories or places, Home by Nico provides two people with all the elements to create a fine dining experience at home. This month’s edition is inspired by Bangkok and is available from 25 to 28 November.
The team has also a vegan option called 24 Carrot, with no less than eight vegan dishes made for sharing.
Order Home by Nico here and 24 Carrot here.
Baratxuri
Much-loved Ramsbottom tapas restaurant has just launched it at-home offering, so you can create Baratxuri dishes in your own kitchen.
The menu features classic tapas like croquettas de jamon, gambas pil pil, anchovies, Serrano ham and lots more. Drinks can also be arranged and they’ve made some recommendations for wines that work well with particular dishes.
Local delivery is available on Fridays and Saturdays for £1 per order to Ramsbottom, Stubbins, Edenfield, Helmshore, Haslingden, Rawtenstall, Baxenden, Accrington, Holcombe Brook, Greenmount, Hawkshaw, Tottington, Walshaw, Bromley Cross, Edgworth, Bury, Whitefield and Prestwich. Collection is free from the restaurant.
Order here.
