Over 20 restaurants that will do the hard work for you this year
You might not be cooking for 25 members of your extended family this year. Perhaps it's just the two of you for the first time in a long time. Or maybe you're just bubbling up (to drink bubbly) with one or two other households. Nevertheless, you've probably cooked more at home this year than ever before, so why not take some of the pressure off with a meal kit delivered to your door. That way, you can sleigh Christmas dinner without having that nervous breakdown that you've been teetering on the edge of all year.
Below - with options for all budgets - is a list of Christmas meal packages, prepped by the experts and delivered to your door.
What: Simon Rogan at Home
How much: £95pp
Delivery: Nationwide from £10
If it’s not Christmas at your house without fermented berry jelly, truffle pudding and cured trout in coal oil then the team at L’Enclume have the Christmas meal kit for you. This Michelin star-spangled five course experience includes all of the above as well as the more traditional likes of roasted onion broth, Norfolk black turkey and an Xmas pudding whipped up by the Great British Menu finalist and L’Enclume head chef, Tom Barnes. With potatoes in smoked butter and dill-brined cabbage included in the sides, it’s safe to say this is not your average Christmas dinner - but it’s not been your average year, has it? There are veggie options and various luxurious add ons available too, including a wine flight and a cheese board.
What: The Eagle & Child
How much: £95pp £40 under 12s, £20 under 5s
Delivery: Local - various slots on Xmas Day
Much loved gastro pub - and one of our top 100 in the North - The Eagle and Child up in Ramsbottom has a similar menu to its usual lavish, eat-in offering available for local delivery. There are four courses including canapés (like bury black pudding bonbons) with starters including game terrine and gin & beetroot smoked salmon, mains a choice of turkey, halibut, roast sirloin or nut roast and desserts including traditional Xmas pud and a cheese board. You can also get a festive afternoon tea delivered if that's your thing.
What: Tom Kerridge
How much: £350 (serves 4-6)
Delivery: Nationwide (£30)
The man behind one of Manchester’s most talked about new restaurants of 2019: The Bull & Bear, Tom Kerridge and his team of chefs have prepped and par-cooked this four course festive menu. It’ll take around 90 mins to get everything on the table with the help of a cook along video from Mr Kerridge himself. The kits include ‘canapes’ (sausage rolls, gougères and salmon tarts), your choice of traditional Norfolk turkey, slow cooked shoulder of venison or beef wellington and sides like his ‘world famous’ carrots cooked in butter, sugar and star anise, pre-steamed, duck fat dipped spuds ready to roast, parsnips, sprouts with lardons and chestnuts, cauli cheese and pigs in blankets. There’s Xmas pud, mince pies and petits fours for dessert. Boxes are delivered on 22nd or 23rd December.
What: The Lowry @ HOME
How much: £195 for two
Delivery: Collection only on Xmas eve
We loved our Sunday roast box from the Lowry with lots of special little details so can only imagine this one will be everything you'd expect from a five star hotel. For a start, it includes a bottle of Ayala champagne to get proceedings off with a bang. Then there are five courses including cheese with a goat’s cheese, beetroot, fig & truffle starter, a fished course of potted Cornish crab, turkey with cranberry and sage stuffing, pigs in blankets, Lancashire Bomb cauliflower cheese, duck fat roasties and Christmas pud with iced redcurrants for dessert. The cheese is British with traditional accompaniments and there are crackers and 'festive novelties' included too.
What: Made in Oldstead by Tommy Banks
How Much: £160 (serves two)
Delivery: Collection only from Roots, York
Tommy Banks, of Great British Menu fame, is head chef at the Michelin starred Black Swan at Oldstead and has been smashing out fancy but really reasonably priced gourmet meal boxes all year. His Xmas box includes bread with Hafod Cheddar custard, oak-smoked salmon, stuffed turkey ballotine (with pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puds, brassica cheese, braised red cabbage, Pommes Anna, turkey gravy and sourdough bread sauce) and chocolate fondants with brandy cream for dessert. There are also some root vegetable mince pies and a bottle of, they say, Burgundy-rivalling Walker Bay Pinot Noir. You can also add on some of Tommy’s unique bottled cocktails, perhaps a marigold martini, a rhubarb negroni or a damson sazerac.
What: Northcote
How much: From £100 for two people
Delivery: Nationwide
Northcote's meal kits arrived on the scene much later than many this year but they were well worth the wait. Exec chef Lisa Goodwin Allen has been on our tellies all week cooking a Christmas feast for the Great British Menu so we're very excited to see what's in her - yet to be revealed - Xmas box. Rumour has it that at least some of her GBM courses will feature. The Winter box, which is currently sold out along with all the others, boasts juniper cured salmon, white onion soup with Lancashire Bomb cheese, salt aged beef and a Valrhona chocolate Yule log. If that's not even the official Xmas box then frankly we're on the edge of our seats and expecting it to sell out in nanoseconds.
What: Shibden Mill
How much: £100 (serves two)
Delivery: Collection only on Xmas eve
The Shibden Mill Inn in Halifax is - according to many - one of the best gastropubs in Yorkshire (read our review). Their Christmas Day box features sourdough with marmite butter and smoked haddock crumpet with rarebit, pickled onions to start, followed by a bacon wrapped North Yorkshire turkey ballotine stuffed with sausage meat farce, roasted piccolo parsnips, chantenay carrots, sauteed sprouts with pancetta and duck fat roast potatoes. For afters, there's Christmas pudding with brandy sauce, a local artisan cheeseboard, luxury chocolate truffles and a surprise bottle of one of their favourite red wines. They also do a boxing day box with the likes of roast ham, pork pies and cured salmon.
What: The Ottömen Festive Feast
How much: £49.50pp
Delivery: Free to M, SK and OL postcodes. Also WA14 and WA15 or collect from Bredbury
Gone are the days when vegetarians and vegans were the pariahs of the Xmas table, inducing blind panic in the host. There are plenty of more than just palatable alternatives to turkey in the supermarkets these days. But if you really want to treat yourself or a loved one to a vegetarian feast of epic proportions, the Ottömen have got you. This three course vegan and gluten free feast includes a sexy pie filo xmas cracker starter filled with sprouts and chestnuts amongst other things, a levelled-up nut roast main with a line up of spiced sides to rival any. There's thyme & rosemary roasties, celeriac and potato puree, caraway & cinnamon carrots, Demerara & black pepper parsnips, sticky red cabbage with apricot and Armagnac, cauliflower and smoked vegan cheese croquettes, stuffing roulade, Yorkies, spiced gravy AND figs in blankets. Dessert is a vegan bûche de Noel and if it's anything like the feast we ordered from the Ottomen earlier in the year, it'll feed you for a week.
What: Six By Nico
How Much: £40pp including delivery
Delivery: deliveries on 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th and 18th December
Billing itself as a Christmas party in a box (so not available on Xmas day itself), the newly launched souped up HOME-X meal box service from Six By Nico has introduced the Christmas by Nico: Festive Party Experience. The four course Christmas dinner kit includes celeriac and apple velouté, chicken liver parfait turkey ballotine with smoked steak, bacon, sage and onion stuffing, game chipolatas, carrots and hasselback potatoes. Dessert is a Christmas spiced sticky toffee pud with toffee sauce and eggnog creme anglaise. There is a full veggie alternative to the four-course meal and every box comes with a choice of red or white wine. In addition to the food, they've also provided the entertainment thanks to an exclusive Bongo's Bingo live quiz which will take place at 7pm on Friday 11th and Friday 18th December with prizes to give away. The restaurant has also teamed up with Trussel Trust to encourage people to donate what they would have spent on parties this year to vulnerable people via their fundraising pack.
What: Trof
How much: £35pp
Delivery: Collection only on Xmas eve
NQ stalwart Trof have a reputation for cooking up a stonking roast dinner, which, let's face it, is all Xmas dinner really is - just with added fiddly stress and relatives. So why not let them take care of your Xmas with a re-heatable festive feast to take away? The three course meal has two options for each course, celeriac soup or chicken liver pate is followed by roast turkey or mushroom & cranberry wellington with all the usual side dishes and Xmas pud or chocolate yule log for afters. They'll also throw in a bottle of Prosecco.
What: The Devonshire Arms
How much: From £35pp
Delivery: Nationwide but free within 10 miles
Another one of our top 100 restaurants in the North, The Burlington at The Devonshire Arms Hotel in Skipton is presided over by the award winning chef, Peter Howarth. These virtual Xmas parties in a box include a choice of three three-course menus with the classic featuring cured salmon, roasted turkey escalope (with sides like stuffing, braised red cabbage, duck fat spuds and cauliflower cheese) and Christmas pud. Alternative courses include braised pork cheeks, beef sirloin and veggie options but all members of the party must have the same menu. All boxes include fully-prepped recipe kits, instructions, a Christmas cracker, quick-fire party games and a quiz. Optional add ons include cheese selections, gin tasting sets, wreath making kits and cocktails.
What: The Ultimate Chop House Christmas
How much: £34.95pp
Delivery: Nationwide in advance from £2.50
Sam’s has been a firm favourite this year with its transition to delivery of everything from cook at home kits to family feeding tray bakes and hot pub grub on Deliveroo in an emergency - not to mention online wine tastings. If it’s anything like its real life equivalent, the Sam’s Xmas dinner at home will be a real people pleaser. The three course meal includes Cheshire game terrine, turkey ballotine with apricot stuffing, Yorkshire pigs in blankets, roasties, sprouts, carrots, parsnips & bread sauce and a choice of either sherry trifle or Xmas pud for dessert. There are mince pies, chocolate truffles and crackers included too. If you fancy something else, there are a range of individual dishes available to order including a festive turkey tray bake perfect for boxing day. You can also get a Xmas dinner hot and ready to eat from Sam's on Deliveroo.
What: Thyme Out
How much: From £25pp (£15 for kids)
Delivery: Yes, nationwide for £9.95 or collect for free
Didsbury caterers Thyme Out have been solving the region's cooking problems like local heroes since the first lockdown. Now they're donning a fur trimmed cape and delivering Xmas dinner too. A two course meal kit (with Xmas pud) will set you back £25 or add a spiced parsnip soup starter or mini bottle of Prosecco for an extra fiver. Main course is roast turkey, roasties, cauliflower cheese, roast carrots, tender stem broccoli, sprouts, pigs in blankets, mash potato, braised red cabbage, pork, sage and onion stuffing, roast turkey gravy or a veggie alternative of beetroot, squash, wild mushroom, lentil, spinach & truffle oil wellington with veggie sides and gravy.
What: Malmaison
How much: £149 (serves six)
Delivering: collection from your nearest Malmaison
The luxury hotel chain is using the brand’s own BonAppi app to distribute its Christmas boxes. These boxes serve six people and include a chicken liver parfait with brioche and caramelised onions, turkey ballotine wrapped in Serrano ham (or carrot and beetroot tartin, for veggies), with stuffing, chipolatas wrapped in pancetta, roast potatoes, honey glazed carrots & parsnips, brussels sprouts, braised red cabbage, turkey gravy & cranberry sauce, Christmas pudding with brandy sauce and a cheeseboard . It all comes ready to cook with some simple instructions to follow. Orders must be placed by 18th December for collection from your nearest Malmaison on the 23rd or 24th December.
What: Zouk
How much: £100 (serves 6)
Delivery: From £8 - must be placed before Dec 14th for delivery on 23rd.
Spices are a big part of everyone’s Xmas dinner: cinnamon in the mulled wine, nutmeg in the Xmas pud, bay in the bread sauce, cloves in the gravy… but if you want even more spice this year, you could go for Zouk’s Xmas box. Their Christmas turkey is marinated in a blend of Indian herbs & spices, or choose a whole marinaded leg of lamb if you fancy a change. Along with the meat, there’s potatoes with coriander & chilli butter, carrots & tenderstem broccoli with honey cumin & chilli glaze, sprouts & cranberries with chilli infused oil and Indian spiced gravy granules.
What: Côte
How much: £79.95 (serves 4-6)
Delivery: Mainland Britain only - £4.95 or free over £80
Like many, the Côte group of French style brasseries have adapted to an at home service this year and have been sending out some exciting luxury food boîtes filled with everything from croissants to lobster frites. Their Christmas offering is extensive with a range of individual items like rabbit terrine, gravadlax, chestnut stuffing and buche de noel in the online shop. The festive box features turkey with bacon lattice, parsnips & carrots, chestnut stuffing, spiced red cabbage, potato gratin, French beans, pigs in blankets, veal jus and cranberry sauce. Nip to their cellar section for some reasonably priced French wines to add to the fun.
What: Miracle on 2020 Street from Almost Famous
How much: £35 for two plus postage
Delivery: Nationwide
Oh how we are missing going out for a Christmas burger round about now, those towering feats of culinary architecture that compete for ostentatious points each year. But Almost Famous are not letting tier 3 defeat them, they’re sending the Xmas burger joy to you. This, their biggest ever burger kit (for two or four people) features, ahem: famous patties, buns & sliders, sausage patties, smoked streaky bacon, bacon jam, cheese, burger butter, peppered mayo, bacon ketchup, Christmas crack, slow cooked BBQ pork & pickles PLUS all kits ordered at the moment come with a bacon bacon kit to pimp your fries (not included) with bacon mayo, bacon rain and ‘wonder dust’. Assemble and skewer the whole lot with a candy cane and you’ve got the famous experience at home, almost.
What: Northern Soul Crimbo Dinner
How much: £30 for two
Delivery: £5 or collect from Tib St
One glaring Xmas omission from our city this year is - love em or hate em - the Christmas markets. We're sure those wooden ties will be sorely missed under the tree on Xmas morning. While there sure was a lot of overpriced nonsense, some of our locals shone out of the chaos like twinkling fairy lights and the tradition of a Xmas grilled cheese butty from Northern Soul to warm our frostbitten fingers will actually be missed. Or actually, it won't because you can only go and get one delivered to your bloody door! Two great hunks of toast stuffed with turkey crown , cranberry , pink lady stuffing , gravy and melted cheese and skewered with a pig in blanket lollypop, these kits keep for a few days in the fridge so it might just be possible to time it so you can have one for your Xmas day lunch.
What: JFC box from YO!
How much: £9.50pp
Delivery: nationwide via Deliveroo
You may or may not know that it’s been traditional in Japan since the early 70s to eat a bucket of fried chicken on Xmas day. So if you fancy a change to your usual Xmas dinner - or you are Japanese and hankering after a taste of home, YO! Has got you covered with their JFC (Japanese Fried Chicken) Christmas party buckets - vegan option available. Get your bucket full of chicken karaage (or plant based nuggets) - served with a sweet and spicy chilli JFC dipping sauce, YO! fries sprinkled with sesame and aonori, miso-buttered sweetcorn and slaw. The limited-edition Festive Feast boxes are available on Deliveroo from 2nd - 31st December. Click and collect or delivery, customers will also be given a free month of karaoke on the Lucky Voice app. There’s a chance to win £50 of YO! vouchers and a Lucky Voice karaoke machine for the best performance shared on social media with the tag #luckyyo.
What: Aldi Christmas on a plate
How much: £5 donation to food charity Neighbourly
Delivery: via Deliveroo on Dec 12th for Dec 13 delivery
This one’s limited so pay attention. Supermarket giant ALDI has partnered with Great British Menu chef Neil Rankin. According to the supermarket’s own research, 39% of Mancunians are planning to tuck into more than one Christmas dinner this year. So for one day only, it is teaming up with Deliveroo to dole out Xmas dinners while rising money for food charity Neighbourly. There’s a choice of turkey or a vegan option by Rankin with side dishes (the likes of fried sprouts with cranberries, rainbow peppercorns, ginger & garlic, 'amazing roast potatoes' and spiced cider stuffing) coming from the supermarket’s Specially Selected range. Keep an eye on Deliveroo on Dec 12th when the order page will go live and be quick, this cracker of a special buy is likely to be snapped up fast.
What: The Hive
How much: From £4.95
Delivery: Collection only
The Hive opened at the beginning of the year just as we went into lockdown and has never quite managed to open up properly since but they are soldiering on like the worker bees they are and offering all sorts of good stuff via the Good Eats app. For Xmas, there are festive burgers with roast turkey slices, apple and cranberry patty, baconnaise, blue cheese & a gravy dip, wraps with crispy turkey, cranberry mayo, spicy grape chutney & brie and other sandwiches including a Christmas club with turkey, pigs in blankets, baby gem, mayo & gravy dip. Small plates include sprouts with vegan béchamel and the decidedly un-vegan pigs in blankets. Turkey and sprouts as a standard side have been added to their popular Sunday roast menu and you can also get your mitts on some Christmas loaded fries topped with turkey, stuffing, baconnaise and gravy - ya filthy animals.
