BBQ meat packs: 11 of the best barbecue delivery boxes to try this summer

Every year we think we’re going to be ready, and every year the great British weather gives us a false start in spring and has us scrambling for our long-forgotten barbecues that have been graciously tossed aside over winter. While we can’t help with the scrubbing, lighting and cooking which will have to ensue if you want to dine al fresco at the first hint of sunshine, we can help with that to put on the grill.

There are so many incredible producers and restaurants across the country who will send you BBQ meat packs at the drop of a hat. These clever kits include everything you need to make an impressive centrepiece at your summer feast. While some BBQ boxes dish up pure and unadulterated meat for you to manage yourself, others present you with carefully marinated cuts that you can pop straight on the grill. If you’re expecting a mixed party there are places - like Abel & Cole - which will cater for both fish and meat options too, so that both pescatarians and carnivores should be happy (veggies and vegans we’ll have to leave up to you!).

Of course we’re biased, but we think restaurants put together some of the best spreads when it comes to easy at-home dining. They just know what they’re doing to make last-minute meals seem impressive and easy. So if you’re looking to get BBQ meat packs delivered this summer let us gently guide you in the direction of some of our favourite restaurant kits below. We’ve also included some tried and tested meat box favourites from high welfare farms, butchers and suppliers which provide you with the very best cuts to cook over your coals (or your gas as the case might be). From organic BBQ meat boxes through to pre-marinated restaurant feasts, we've got something for everyone in our round up of the best barbecue delivery boxes in the UK.

Dishoom Summer BBQ Box

What: For those who prefer their grills spiced to the max, Dishoom returns with its sizzling Summer Barbecue Box for another year, filled with a tasty selection of meat, ready-marinated in a range of signature spice blends. Discover Murgh Malai, chicken thighs in a rich sauce of garlic, ginger, coriander and cream, sweet and spicy Chicken Tikka-style thighs, and spicy lamb chops tossed in a generous blend of warm dark spices, ginger, garlic and lime juice. We were bowled over at just how packed with flavour each marinated joint was - it would be hard to recreate the same level of flavour at home so you really feel like you're trying something special. The box also includes a set of metal skewers for grilling, plus a lime and Kabab Masala spice mix so you can make your own Kachumber salad (cucumber, onion and tomato). 
Buy now: Dishoom Summer Barbecue Box

Tom Hixson of Smithfield’s BBQ Meat Box

What: Smithfield is one of London’s most famous meat markets, so going straight to the source means you cut out the middleman for delicious cuts at a fair price. Keeping things fairly traditional, this barbecue box includes a few whopping cuts of meat that are perfect for anyone planning on doing a bit of low-and-slow barbecue smoking. The most valuable player award goes to the 5kg 300 day grain fed Aberdeen Angus brisket, which is practically worth the cost of the box in itself.
Buy now: Tom Hixson of Smithfield’s BBQ Meat Box

Made in Oldstead Burger Box

What: Made in Oldstead is a premium food delivery service from highly-esteemed Tommy Banks, the owner and chef of two Michelin-starred restaurants in Yorkshire (The Black Swan and Roots). All the food boxes are made using high-quality ingredients from Oldstead Farm and its restaurant garden, and the Burger Box is one of their all time most popular boxes, packed with quality 8oz burgers, as well as pulled pork-loaded duck fat chips and chicken wings glazed with honey and black garlic sauce. The box even comes with Banks' legendary ice cream sandwiches, with taspberry parfait sandwiched between two brown butter cookies. The standard box is for two but if you want to order multiple, no-one is stopping you.
Buy now: Made in Oldstead Burger Box

Meat & Co Serial Griller BBQ Bundle

What: Meat box specialists Meat & Co do a few different delivery boxes of varying sizes, but if you’re planning on feeding a decent sized group, we’d plump for the Serial Griller box, which comes packed with bone-in lamb steaks, piri piri chicken, burgers, steaks, sausages and a huge rack of pork ribs. You can top up your order with a few bits for the freezer whilst you’re at it.
Buy now: Meat & Co

Rick Stein Big Green Egg Summer BBQ Box

What: Fish and seafood is beautiful on the barbecue, and not as hard to cook as you might think. If you’re ordering fish, you can’t go wrong with the big man Rick Stein and his various fish boxes. Stein has teamed up with Big Green Egg to create this mega BBQ box, which has whole mackerel, scallops in half shells, huge tiger prawns and more - basically, everything you could possibly want on your barbie this summer.
Buy now: Rick Stein Big Green Egg Summer BBQ Box

Durslade Farm BBQ Feast Box

What: Durslade Farm in Somerset supplies all the Art Farm restaurants around the country, including the stonkingly good Mount St Restaurant in London. There aren’t many better places to be sourcing your meat, and if you’re not in range of a Farm Shop you can order one of their many BBQ boxes online, which come packed with a variety of meats and excellent condiments. We’d plump for the feast box which has sausages, marinated rump steaks, spatchcocked chicken and award-winning Wagyu X beef burgers inside.
Buy now: Durslade Farm BBQ Feast Box

Aktar at Home Tandoori Box

Not content with running one of the very best Indian restaurants in the country, Aktar Islam also has Aktar at Home - a food delivery service where you can order anything from curries to meat packs. It's a great way to taste his outstanding food if you can't make it to Birmingham (seriously though, Opheem is worth the trip), and Aktar at Home caters for all sorts of different dinner requirements - there are lots of curry boxes focusing on different meats, or vegan and vegetarian options, as well as a weekly special to keep things interesting for regular buyers. If you're planning a barbecue, the tandoori box is a brilliant shout - you get over 4kg of marinated meats, prepped and ready to hit the grill and in our experience it comfortably feeds six (it would feed more if you're doing lots of sides and salads). For £80 at the time of writing, it's an outrageous bargain.
Buy now: Aktar at Home Tandoori Box

Helen Browning’s Organic BBQ Box

What: Steak, burgers, and hot dogs – what could be more perfect for a family barbecue? This BBQ box from Helen Browning’s Organic is packed with enough food for four generous servings and even includes a jar of steak seasoning to spice things up on the grill. We were particularly impressed by the hot dogs, which hold a Great Taste award for their properly meaty texture and lightly smoky flavour. As with all of the company’s offering, meat is free-range and organic, gluten-free and GM free, as well as being suitable for home freezing.
Buy now: Helen Browning’s Organic BBQ Box

The Ethical Butcher Barbecue Boxes

What: The team at The Ethical Butcher are on a mission to change the way we consume meat. With a passion for regenerative agriculture, where farmers work hard to increase biodiversity through their techniques, The Ethical Butcher works with suppliers who are actively trying to combat climate change through holistic management farming. The result is meat prepared by master butchers for deeply flavoured cuts. Their BBQ range for 2024 includes everything from high-quality burgers and hotdogs through to beef ribeye steaks and marinated legs of lamb. Meat is often organic, always high-welfare and the packaging is environmentally friendly too.
Buy now: The Ethical Butcher barbecue boxes

Provenance Village Butchers Classic BBQ Box

What: Provenance Butchers do a decent range of different boxes so please do have a browse if you're after something specific. We'd recommend the classic box, though - it's among the most popular boxes on the site and has a good selection of different things, from excellent sausages and burgers to lamb leg skewers, marinated chicken and a few different steaks. You can even choose your sausage (and there are lots to choose from). Provenance also specialises in rubs and marinades so consider chucking a few of those in with your order.
Buy now: Provenance Village Butchers Classic BBQ Box

The Ginger Pig BBQ Box

What: This generous offering from quality butchers The Ginger Pig includes enough meat for 6-8 people, giving you the perfect excuse to share a feast with family and friends. With steaks, pork chops and sausages all included, this is one for the purists. The star of the show here though is the burgers, which are hand-pressed and made from chuck steak and aged rib cap for a wonderfully rich flavour – all you need to do is come up with the perfect toppings. We'll take cheese, pickles and mayo, thanks. 
Buy now: The Ginger Pig BBQ Box

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