IF there’s one thing that we’ve learned in the past year, it’s that nothing is to be taken for granted. The world saw a huge change, and this subsequently had a knock on effect onto smaller, independent businesses. Some survived, and others didn’t. The unpredicted circumstances forced businesses to introduce news ways of getting their products to customers.
We explored a selection of much-loved restaurants, brands and services in order to compile this guide to the essential delivery services you didn’t know you needed. Once you try them out, you’ll find yourself going back again and again with convenience.
The Christmas Box from Nature’s Choice
Nature’s Choice
Fruit and vegetable boxes aren’t a new concept, but when it comes to quality, Nature’s Choice takes the first prize. All of their produce is sourced from the New Covent Garden market, and customers can enjoy a selection of personalised boxes such as the Christmas Box or Family Box to cater to their needs.
Purple carrots, fresh celeriac and crisp apples are only some of the things you might expect to find in your box, and it all comes delivered to your front door minus all the access packaging you would normally find in the shops.
The fruit and veg boxes are available from the Nature’s Choice web shop here
Blue cheese
Colston Bassett Dairy
Cheese producers, Colston Bassett Dairy are famous for their stinking blue wheels of cheese. Their new cheese delivery service allows you to order their cheese online, meaning you no longer have to go to the shop to lug a big hunk of your favourite British wedge.
As Christmas fast approaches, the Colston Bassett Dairy delivery service is ideal if you want to directly support one of Britains finest blue cheese makers without having to purchase it at a higher price from the shops. The cheese arrives neatly wrapped, and travels well. Buy some cheese here.
Deep Dish At Home kit
Japes Deep Dish At Home
There was a huge deep-dish pizza-sized hole in London until Japes filled it in a few years ago. The deep dish masters opened their doors and invited masses to enjoy a slice of Chicago through pizza pies and cheese pulls. It’s so good that we even included it in our Glass Guide to Pizza article.
As their doors close again for lockdown, Japes’ DIY deep-dish pizza-kit is ideal for some lockdown eating. The ingredients come individually packed, and you can choose between their classic meat or vegetarian pizza.
The at home pizza-kit is ideal if you want to impress friends or family with some deep dish at home.
You can buy it here
Baked eggs
Caravan Brunch Box
Brunch lovers will have massively missed out this year, and that’s why Caravan have introduced their brunch box delivery service. The box includes a kit for baked eggs, cornbread muffins and kimchi pancakes, and comes fully equipped with all the ingredients (minus eggs and milk) along with a load of sourdough, some juice and coffee from Caravan Coffee Roasters.
With this box you can have a complete restaurant-style brunch on your table within 20 minutes.
You can buy it here for just £36
Gin-Dulgence box
Didsbury Gin
If you’re looking to discover some new gins, then Didsbury Gin’s ‘Gin-Dulgence’ box is a great way to try out a new mix of gins which are perfect on their own, with tonic or in a cocktail. The delivery box comes with mixers, snacks and even a handy cocktail recipe book to enjoy the bar experience at home.
The box includes four flavours of gin, 12 premixed gin and tonics, 12 mixers, a tote bag, four unique snacks and a cocktail recipe book.
The Gin-Dulgence box retails at £95 and can be purchased here
Pub in a Box
Signature Brew’s The Pub in a Box
If you can’t go to the pub, then you can always bring the pub to you. East London’s Signature Brew understands the need for good beer, so they decided to recreate the pub experience with their bespoke delivery box, which keeps the beer flowing.
It includes a mixture of their core beers along with additional treats such as a glass, some snacks, a music playlist and a pub quiz. The box is a great way to familiarise yourself to their beer selection, just in time for when things resume to normal. Our favourites include the Roadie IPA and the Studio Lager pilsner.
For more information on how to buy the box, please visit their website here
Blue Box Coffee
Blue Box Coffee
This ethically sourced coffee delivery service ensures you can enjoy top quality beans whilst supporting both coffee farmers. Blue Box Coffee uses the Direct Trade model, which means farmers are paid 30 per cent more than Fairtrade prices, and the beans are hand-roasted by the UK’s talented coffee roasters.
It’s as simple as ordering online and getting your bespoke roasted coffee beans delivered through your letterbox. You’ll question why you ever allowed yourself to risk running out of beans when a regular subscription is so easy.
Prices start from £15.49 – you can purchase subscriptions, or a one-off box, here
Wine club delivery
Wanderlust Wine Club
Supporting small businesses is more important now than ever. Winemakers across the globe have struggled through the pandemic, and Wanderlust have decided to shine a light on the lesser-known regions which are producing brilliant bottles of wine. Their Wanderlust Wine Club service delivers organically farmed, sustainable wines from places like Lebanon and South Africa to ensure you get a taste of the wines topping the drinks scene.
The Kalogris Dialogues Rosé from Greece is a fantastic bottle if you want to discover rosé from out of France. Kalogris is an organic producer in the Peloponesse that produces this fantastic, citrusy rosé wine made from the Moscofilero grape.
All of the boxes delivered this month are specifically themed around Christmas, meaning you can easily pair wines with festive food. The wines come with information and tasting notes, and can be delivered straight to your door. The wine club has three different tiers. We recommend the Gold tier which starts at £58 per month (billed every 2 months).
To join, visit the Wanderlust Wine Club website here
Faith Hazy Pale Ale & Festive Tee Gift Pack
Northern Monk
Craft beer connoisseurs will already know of Northern Monk. If you’re not familiar with them, then you have the privilege of discovering one of the UK’s most exciting independent breweries through their nationwide delivery service. They have built a beer powerhouse from their core range of beer, and have since branched out to release an interesting rotation of limited edition releases.
Fans of IPA will adore their Hazy Pale Ale, Faith, but the more adventurous drinkers might steer towards their double dry hopped IPA, Transient (7.0% abv).
Unlike other breweries, Northern Monk doesn’t dismiss session beers. If you want something lighter and lower in strength, you’ll find yourself getting along with Striding Edge, which is light and citrusy 2.8% IPA. Drink it alongside fish dishes, spicy food and Mexican cuisine.
You can purchase drinks from Northern Monk here.
Lost Sheep coffee capsules
Lost Sheep Coffee
Coffee capsules are a luxury that every coffee drinker deserves to enjoy, but many well known brands still use materials which can’t easily be recycled. Luckily, Lost Sheep Coffee does a range of plastic-free, 100% compostable capsules which allow you to enjoy hand roasted coffee beans without feeling guilty about waste and pollution.
Their range of coffee includes a smooth daily coffee Smooth Journey, a more curious coffee named Get to the Hopper and a decaf blend called Living The Dream. From just £18.75 a month, customers can select either a box of 50 or a bulk package-less box of 100 compostable capsules to be delivered automatically as often.
Posh tacos
Benitos Posh Taco Kit
Mexican restaurant Benitos have recently introduced a brilliant delivery service called the Posh Taco Kit in partnership with the hot sauce brand Cholula. The kit comes with everything you need to make mouthwatering tacos at home, and you can choose from fish, beef, jackfruit or pork as a filling. What makes it posh you ask?
The fish tacos come with Attilus Royal Siberian caviar – an ingredient that instantly levels up a regular fish taco. Enjoy juicy haddock in a Modelo beer batter and topped high with winter slaw, guacamole and Pico de Gallo, finished off with a Cholula Chipotle Mayo fusion. Then top with caviar.
The kit costs £44.50 and you can purchase it here
The Christmas Majestic Gift Box.
Conscious Chocolate Christmas Majestic Gift Box
Ethically sourced chocolate is becoming more widely consumed after the horrors of the cocoa slave trade have come to light in the past few years. Conscious Chocolate have recently launched their new Majestic Chocolate Selection which is perfect for Christmas time.
The selection includes flavours such as Peppermint, Orange & Tangerine, dark and love potion No.9. All of the chocolate is organic and vegan, and each bar is made from the finest Puruvian cacao.
The box is retailed at £11.99 and you can buy it here
by Katrina Mirpuri