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Date night dining to your door

Best things to eat with your date

Treat yourself and your loved one to a delicious meal for two.

To make your life a little easier we have created a perfect selection of restaurants and cuisines to kick start your lockdown date night.

From Tapas to Cornish classics, we are confident that there is something for everyone. 

Graze in style

  • From £32; Free local delivery (Kingston + five miles), other areas available; velvindron.uk

Kingston-based gourmet catering business Velvindron makes (and delivers) grazing boxes, which are brimming with charcuterie, cheeses, crudités, marinated olives, sundried tomatoes, crackers, and dried fruits, all beautifully arranged. Breakfast, afternoon tea boxes and cheese platters also available, as well as a rather tempting dessert box.

Street food feast

  • Most kits £12 for two. Local delivery only (within 12 miles of Guildford), except for pizza kits which can be sent nationwide; finestreetco.com

Based in Guildford, street food caterer Fine Street has turned its hand to DIY meal boxes, so you can cook freshly made pizza, fully loaded hotdogs, smashed burgers and smoked meats in your own home. You can even hire one of its portable pizza ovens and make a night of it. Round off your meal with a fabulous signature dessert. 

Burger night

I love these brilliant kits from popular burger joint Patty & Bun. Boxes come loaded with P&B’s signature HG Walter beef patties (or genuinely tasty vegan alternatives), soft brioche buns, house sauces, cheese slices and homemade pickled onions. Perfect date night fodder!

Pita perfection

Borough Market’s Tel Aviv street food spot Shuk makes terrific pita kits which are a regular treat in my house. Each box comes with four fresh, fluffy pitas and a flavour-packed filling. Choose from spiced lamb meatballs, fish tagine or the roast vegetable ‘Sabich’ (if you can’t choose, they do a combo kit too). Fresh salad, herbs and sauces also provided.

Breakfast in bed

Neighbourhood café Fego, which has several locations including Cobham, now offers meal kits, so you can treat yourself to one of its signature brunches at home. Mouthwatering DIY boxes include all the ingredients (and instructions) to make Fego’s ‘Full English’, its shakshuka or its indulgent ‘Crunch Nut French Toast’. Each also contains a mini continental spread that includes croissants, sourdough bread, Fego’s homemade granola and Greek yoghurt.

A taste of Cornwall

I am a big fan of Rick Stein’s well-designed ‘at Home’ boxes. There are several menus to choose from, including veggie, meat and fish options, all made using fresh, sustainable Cornish ingredients. Choose from some of Rick’s classic dishes, including Indonesian seafood curry and coq au Riesling, or go all out with lobster thermidor. Each box includes three courses for two people, and dishes simply need a few finishing touches at home.

Michelin star 

  • Min order £36 plus £7 local delivery. Collection available from Elystan Street, SW3 3NT or Church Road, SW13 0DQ; churchroadsw13.co.uk

From the kitchens of his mostly Michelin-starred London restaurants, chef Phil Howard offers a weekly changing menu of gourmet dishes that simply need finishing off at home. Choose three tasty courses per person. Each box comes with a loaf of good sourdough and butter – fine wines and cocktails can be added too. 

Nice buns

My husband and I recently tried one of BAO’s ‘Made by You’ kits and it was a big hit. Each box contains six pillowy soft BAO buns plus fillings such as panko daikon with coriander and hot sauce, and 12-hr braised pork with coriander, fermented mustard greens and peanut powder, as well as instructions on how to cook and assemble. Seriously delicious and good fun to make. 

Terrific tapas

Fans of chef José Pizzaro, who has several restaurants including Claygate pub The Swan Inn, can now rustle up some of his tasty Spanish dishes at home. Choose from ‘Finish at Home’ tapas, mains and desserts – don’t miss the Basque cheesecake with lavender honey. Each dish comes fully prepared and takes just minutes to complete at home. What’s more, dishes have a QR code that will take you to a video of José himself demonstrating how to prepare them.

Sorrel Suppers 

Steve Drake and the team at Surrey’s Michelin-starred Sorrel have launched an ‘at home’ menu. Available every fortnight, it’s three mouthwatering courses, featuring sophisticated dishes such as corn-fed chicken with piquillo pepper pesto, smoked broccoli puree and langoustine sauce, as well as veggie options. Each course simply needs finishing off at home.  

Perfect pasta

Based in Woking, The Little Pasta Company offers a range of fresh pasta meal kits handmade by the husband-and-wife team, Daniel and Anouska. The special ‘Date Night’ box also contains additional Italian goodies such as flavoured oils, salads, cheeses and antipasti so you can serve up a bowl of beautiful pasta and three sides in under 10 minutes! The tagliatelle with black truffle butter is a real treat.

Indian flavours

For a fun brunch, modern Indian restaurant Dishoom now offers two at-home kits, so you can create its signature bacon naan roll or vegan sausage naan roll in your own kitchen. The naans come as dough balls so they’re great fun to make, and each kit also contains all the ingredients you need to make a delicious chai tea.

Tea for two 

Woking’s popular café The Horsell Kitchen has several options for creating delicious dishes in your own kitchen. The ultimate Valentine’s Day treat is its Afternoon Tea to go, an indulgent box brimming with all the traditional treats, beautifully arranged. 

Mangia magic

In Richmond, new small business Mangia offers similarly delicious fresh pasta kits made by local resident and professional chef, Jessie Blanchard. Each contains freshly made pasta, a homemade sauce and either fresh Parmesan or a garnish. The menu changes weekly; recent choices have included chestnut tagliatelle with wild mushrooms, chestnuts and sage butter and pappardelle with slow-cooked beef shin and red wine.

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