Tired of queuing for half an hour to get into your local supermarket or independent shop, only to find out that it’s out of everything you were planning on buying…again? We’ve got you covered.
We’ve compiled a list of our favourite food delivery boxes (including some incredible grassroots initiatives), that will help see you through Coronavirus quarantine. All listed companies take all precautions necessary to limited the possibility of contamination, from rigorous hygiene procedures implemented from sourcing to packing, to contactless, drop-off deliveries to your doorstep.
UK-Wide Deliveries
Wild and Game
Following on from the success of its Isolation Packs, Wild and Game – the not-for-profit company working to boost game consumption in the UK – has launched a series of new offerings, from day-to-day meal packs and fresh produce to BBQ (£30.99) and Family (£49.99) packs.
British game is affordable, lean, healthy and in plentiful supply, but much of it is currently shipped abroad due to a lack of a market for it in the UK. Wild and Game was founded with a mission to change that by offering a range of accessible, enjoyable game-based dishes based on popular British meals. It also sells packs of ready-to-cook game so that people can easily make their own dishes.
The aim of the latest packs is to make life easier for individuals and households in lockdown to eat well and within budget. For example, the Family Pack will feed a family of four with dinner for seven days at £1.79 per person per day. Whether you choose its isolation pack of frozen meals (think 1.4kg Lasagne, Premium Chicken, Mushroom & Pheasant Pies, and Steak & Pheasant Sausage Rolls, as opposed to your crappy microwave jobbies), or the fresh produce options (e.g. Pheasant & Venison Burgers, Grouse and Wild Boar Sausages, Marinated Chilli and Lemon Partridge Breasts), you won’t be disappointed by the quality or affordability.
Where does it deliver?
Wild and Game delivers throughout the UK.There is a minimum order of £30. A delivery fee of £3.99 applies to all orders.
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Simply Cook
If you’re anything like us, you’re stuck at home, twiddling your thumbs and staring longingly out of the window or wandering down to stare at the fridge every hour on the hour.
Whilst some of us are natural flavour-whizzes who can throw open their cupboards, rummage through the spice rack and cook up a storm, many aren’t. If you’re in the latter camp or just looking to mix up your usual meal repertoire, SimplyCook’s got you sorted.
SimplyCook’s chefs have sourced, measured and vacuum-sealed unique flavour blends in their own flavour kits. These aren’t just herbs and spices, they include chef-made pastes, infused oils, garnishes, rubs, specialist stocks, and powder blends. Each Box also comes with simple recipe cards featuring low numbers of produce items that will come together in 20 minutes to produce some damn tasty dishes for individuals, couples and households of more than four.
You can choose from a range of over 50 dishes from around the world and have all the necessary flavouring ingredients delivered through your post-box. Each delivered box contains four recipes for £9.99, with your first trial box offered at just £3. Recipes include favourites such as Thai Green Curry, Sichuan Dan Dan Noodles, Iranian Vegetable Stew, Mushroom & Pea Risotto and Chipotle Grilled Cauliflower Salad.
Where does it deliver?
SimplyCook delivers throughout the UK, free of charge
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London Deliveries
Pale Green Dot
UPDATE: Pale Green Dot has added a new range of meat from H G Walter, cheeses from The Cheese Merchant, and dairy boxes, to its offering.
Pale Green Dot supplies the finest quality fresh, seasonal and local produce to some of London and the South East’s finest restaurants year-round. In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, with so many restaurants sadly having to close for the foreseeable, it’s premium quality fruit and veg is now available for members of the public to order and get delivered straight to their doors.
With supermarkets running low on fresh produce as it is, this new offering gives people a fantastic opportunity to stay healthy and nourished with restaurant quality fruit and veg at a fair price, with minimal packaging. As well as this, the initiative also gives security to their farmers who at this time may feel incredibly anxious about supply and demand in the hospitality industry.
The Essential Fresh Produce Box (£12.50) includes traditional root veg (onions, swede, beetroot, carrots, potatoes), leaves and green veg (salad bag, Savoy/Tundra cabbage, leeks), coloured veg (peppers, vine tomatoes, aubergines) and local fruit (apples, pears). The Veg and Staples Box (£20) include all of the above as well as milk, bread and eggs (no more breakfast rationing)! Boxes can be delivered as a one-off or even weekly.
Where does it deliver?
London (within the M25), Brighton/Hove and Surrounds
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www.palegreendot.co.uk/veg-box
Neighbourgoods London
Not quite a delivery box but definitely something to be aware of! Neighbourgoods is a new platform set up to help the small businesses that make London’s streets into neighbourhood communities. It presents visitors with a map that lists the small restaurants, cafés and independent merchants in their area with information about what services they are offering and how locals can support them.
Searches are editable by a number of categories, such as “Bakery”, “Fishmonger” and “Alcohol”, as well as by dietary requirements. The initiative is a new one that has come about in response to COVID-19, and the team behind it is welcoming input from users:
“If you know of any small businesses nearby that you can’t imagine your streets without, please take a moment to add them to the map.”
Where does it deliver?
Your local London Borough
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Oddbox
Over a third of all the food we produce gets wasted. If food waste was a country, it’d be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. That’s insane! Oddbox is a fantastic, London-based initiative that works closely with farmers across the UK and abroad to rescue seasonal surplus fruit and veg, which are at risk of becoming food waste.
It offers minimum packaging Fruit, Veg, and Fruit & Veg boxes in three sizes (ranging from £9.45 to £18.49), delivered weekly or fortnightly to your home (or office, post-lockdown). The content changes each time, depending what is rescued (you can opt out of receiving products you are allergic to or don’t eat) and is delivered in a cardboard box that will be collected and reused. What’s more, 10% of all its rescued produce is donated to charities such as City Harvest, fighting food poverty in London.
The Coronavirus lockdown has skyrocketed demand for this small company’s boxes, resulting in them having to temporarily put a hold on accepting new accounts. So why are we bothering to tell you about Oddbox? Three reasons: firstly, it’s amazing and could do with your support; next, you can sign up to its waiting list and receive your first box shortly; and finally, it is working to support NHS workers, elderly and vulnerable people during this pandemic. If you are amongst these groups, you can select the relevant option here and the team will do its best to help you.
Oddbox’s online team states,
“Supporting our community, especially those most at risk and those dedicating their time to help others, is a priority to us and we want to help however we can.”
Where does it deliver?
London, Zones 1-3
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Liverpool Deliveries
Deliverpool
Deliverpool is a brilliant directory, described by founder David Phillip Martin as a “grassroots version of the Yellow Pages”. It was created as a response to the quarantine lockdown to support independent businesses that are offering takeaways during the pandemic.
A lot of the bars and restaurants are looking for ways to set themselves up on online delivery platforms but most of those require start-up fees and then take a large percentage of sales off the top. David thought that surely local businesses could come together, advertise each other, support the local venues and most importantly, ensure that they could keep their staff employed by setting them up as delivery drivers.
David says,
“We’re not looking to make money ourselves; we’re just looking to make sure there’s some positivity out there right now. Stay safe. Stay local.”
If you want to get involved, you can do so on social media (@deliver_pool). For those looking to do something similar in their local area, get in touch with David directly @davidphillipmartin.
Where does it deliver?
Liverpool
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Leicestershire Deliveries
Backing the Community
Kal Ruparell of Leicester’s 100&Six, recently came up with a plan to use his skillset and business to help his local community. Based out of his venue, with ideas and support from the team at bar 33 CankStreet, Kal decided to produce large tray bakes of “favourite comfort foods done really well with a couple of interesting twists,” These were then made available for delivery around the neighbouring area or pick-up from 100&Six.
Each tray contains four to six portions and comes ready to eat, stick in the oven, or as a kit. Leftovers can then be eaten next day, frozen, our shared with neighbours. Dishes on offer will change daily, with some examples including Beef, Wild Mushroom & Potato Stroganoff; Banana Blossom Goats Curry with Coconut Rice; and Rhubarb and Apple Crumble. The best part about Kal’s initiative is that the bakes are priced on a “pay as you feel” basis, with a guide price given per recipe.
Kal states,
“We’ll be giving up to 20% of what we produce away for free to those who are really struggling, so if you can contribute more than the guide price, that will help fund us and allow us to support those in need.”
NHS workers will also receive a 20% discount as a thank you.
As well as tray bakes, bottled cocktails are available, with all profits going to The Drinks Trust, to support bartenders who have lost their jobs or are most in need of assistance.
Where does it deliver?
Leicestershire
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To pre-order, call 0116 274 5223; leave a voicemail; or email hello@100andsix.com
Dorset Deliveries
Jurassic Coast Farm Shop
UPDATE: Jurassic Coast Farm Shop now deliveries nationwide
Jurassic Coast Farm Shop is a family-run business that delivers the finest and freshest produce at affordable prices, from local farmers and growers, straight to your door.
Supplied by its family farm, you can expect grass-fed, free-range Aberdeen Angus beef (prices starting from £2.89 for a 6oz Flat Iron Steak) and English rose veal (£3.35 for 400g Veal Mince), as well as other free-range meats, sustainably sourced fish, local cheeses, fruit and vegetables. Meat Hampers are available from £29.50, as well as all you need to fill up the pantry and fridge without needing to leave home.
The Sealey family not only proudly support neighbouring farmers and growers, it is passionate about sustaining the environment, working hard to conserve the local wildlife, protect natural resources and the historic south coastal landscape. One of its primary focuses is protecting and feeding the wild. It also plants pollen and nectar-rich flowers to create a habitable environment for the local bees, butterflies and hoverflies. To date, the family has planted 1.2 hectares of trees across the farm in the hopes of cutting down its carbon footprint and giving back to the countryside.
Where does it deliver?
Along the South Coast, covering Dorset, as well as parts of Hampshire, Somerset and Wiltshire. Check out their delivery map to see if you are covered
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