It’s hard to imagine that just 20 years ago fresh food delivery would have been out of the question in the capital, let alone the rest of the UK, with internet a thing that still had to be plugged in and shops still outlets that very much had to be visited IRL.
Times have changed and now huge numbers of people organise shopping delivery straight to their door each week to save them trekking out to their local retailers and lugging heavy bags back home again. These grocery delivery services are - quite literally - life savers for some, providing an invaluable connection for those living with a disability or illness and for many more they’re just an extremely handy tool to have when you’re time poor.
Sure, in everyday life shopping delivery is a handy thing, but when crisis hits? That’s when fresh food delivery companies really come into their own. Maybe you’ve just realised you’re meant to be cooking for ten people this weekend and don’t have a minute to get to the shops, perhaps the kids are ill and need round-the-clock care or perhaps we’ve all been hit by a global catastrophe… oh, we don’t know, maybe something like Coronavirus? In these moments having grocery delivery heroes on hand who are willing to pick, pack and deliver your everyday essentials is nearly a treasure beyond belief.
We all know you can get grocery deliveries from the big-name supermarkets, but what about the little guys? We’re always keen to support independents here at SquareMeal and there are some amazing companies offering food delivery London-wide, as well as all over the country. More often than not using these smaller companies means you’ll be well rewarded with considerate customer care and incredible artisan produce, plus you’ll be helping to support a small or family-run business and – if the offering is locally sourced – will be cutting down on food miles. It’s a win win. Below are some of our favourite fresh food delivery services across the country which should be able to provide you will all your basic (and not-so-basic) needs when you need them most. If we’ve missed a brand you think we should include then let us know, we’d love to hear what you think. Send us a message on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and we’ll get right back to you.
The top section of this piece is directed at London dwellers, while the second half is reserved for fresh food delivery services that have a nationwide offering. Happy shopping.
Fresh food delivery London
If you happen to live in the capital city then there is a wealth of options when it comes to independent fresh food delivery. The following brands are a few of our favourites, but it’s always worth checking with your local fruit and veg sellers, butchers or bakers to see if they’re part of a cooperative you can get in on.
Bread Ahead
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Why: Bread Ahead have launched an online delivery service, with a selection of baking essentials and tasty treats, available for delivery across central London. A range of boxes includes the Essentials Box (£30) with 2 x large sourdough loaves, 6 x brioche rolls, 6 x croissants, 4 x pain au chocolat, 2kg flour & yeast. The Artisan Sourdough Selection (£11.50), offering 1 x sourdough loaves, 1 x multigrain and fennel loaf and 1 x raisin loaf. Various sweet treats are also available including babka buns; brownie traybake; ginger cake; Brioche Rolls (in multiples of 6) and even bake-at-home cookie dough.
Or if you fancy yourself as a bit of a baker then you can order The Baker's Kit - which includes 5.5kg of flour (bread flour, self raising and rye), 50g fresh yeast and 100g of sourdough starter, for only £13.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Ichiba
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Why: Europe's largest Japanese food hall, Japan Centre Ichiba sells pretty much everything you could ever possibly want when cooking Japanese food and it now also functions as an online shop, delivering to those in London. With everything from fresh meat and fish, such as unagi eel and beef sukiyaki, to Japanese kitchen staples like tofu, rice, sake, and seaweed, on offer, Ichiba is the perfect place to order your grocery from if you cook a lot of Asian food. The good news is that if you spend over £40 in one shop you won't even have to pay for delivery.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Café Murano
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Why: Part of Angela Hartnett's collection of restaurants, Café Murano has been serving crowd-pleasing Italian food to the people of London for a number of years now. However, it's now added another string to its bow by delivering fresh Italian groceries to people's doors, so that Londoners can up their Italian home cookery game. Items available for delivery include everything from freshly made pasta (£12 per kilo) to Amalfi lemons. Simply order online and you can have your goods delivered as quickly as the next day.
Where they deliver: Within an eight-mile radius of the Covent restaurant
Shop now: Order online
New Covent Garden Market
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Why: New Covent Garden Market is where most of London’s top restaurants source their ingredients and following on from the Coronavirus closedown of many businesses they adapted to offer deliveries to households, businesses and families with a London postcode. This means high-end fresh fruit and veggies which might include some more unusual, exotic varieties, dropped off at your door. Each of the vendors - like Harwoods of London, to name a favourite - at the market are offering different things, but most will deliver mixed fruit and veg boxes with some also in a position to offer other everyday essentials like dairy goods.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Farmdrop
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Why: Among some of the smaller independents on this list, Farmdrop seem like a big player thanks to their jazzy website and solid infrastructure. With plenty of farm-to-table foods on their books, however, these guys are no less ethical and offer a great way to shop from lots of smaller companies in one easy move. The team has taken pains to collect incredible food from passionate artisan producers that you can then have delivered along with all your favourite weekly fruit, veg and pantry items. Less mainstream items include things like wild garlic sausages and Albacore tuna.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Borough Market
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Why: As one of the most renowned markets in the world, having food delivered to your door from Borough Market might seem too good to be true. This little slice of London does deliver though, and as a result (if you live in London) you’re able to get your paws on some of the country’s best produce. Think heirloom tomatoes or exotic fruit boxes from Turnips alongside all British cheeses from Neil’s Yard with a bottle or two of wine from Cartwright Brothers thrown in. We’re sold.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Local Greens
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Why: Based in Hearne Hill in South London, this not-for-profit company sells UK-only fruit and veg to locals in the area. Local, organic farms are the main contributors to the weekly boxes, which contain a mix of fruit and veg and can be adapted to suit your household. A small bag, for instance, might contain beetroot, carrots, green garlic, salad, spinach and potatoes or you can nominate yourself to go sans spuds (although why you would we don’t know).
Where they deliver: London, Hearne Hill area
Shop now: Order online
Oddbox
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Why: Remember when it was revealed that a huge amount of fruit and veg ends up as waste because supermarkets reject any ‘imperfect’ shapes? Well, Oddbox was the answer to that. Working closely with farmers, Oddbox gathers up all the (perfectly good, might we add) surplus fruit and veggies that might otherwise be dumped and delivers it to London homes for keen cooks to work their magic on.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Growing Communities
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Why: Championing small-scale, sustainable farming, Growing Communities is a cooperative which grows and distributes fresh produce across London. You can’t actually organise delivery through the guys here, but instead they drop boxes to local pick up points. Choose between fruit and veg boxes of various sizes, and there are even British flowers to buy if you’d like to add a little something pretty to your weekly shop.
Where they deliver: You pick up, in London at various central points
Shop now: Order online
The Estate Dairy
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Why: All about the the highest quality, unhomogenised milk and other dairy products, The Estate Dairy's aim is to show London how good dairy products can taste if treated with the upmost respect. The company's herd is farmed sustainably in over 500 acres of Somerset countryside, while its Guernsey cows give the milk a gorgeous, golden colour. Its online delivery service allows you to order everything from cultured butter and Jersey milk to wagyu burgers and poussin right to your door.
Where they deliver: London
Shop now: Order online
Fresh Food Delivery nationwide
If you live outside of the big smoke then don’t fear, there are plenty of amazing options you can make good use of. All of the below sellers sell nationwide (with some even including delivery to the Hebrides!) and offer up amazing ways to get your hands on a range of beautiful, organic and artisan produce in one simple step. We’d like to add (someone pass our soap box) that lots of local small-scale shops offer delivery schemes by partnering with similar companies in the area, so this is always worth investigating. You might find your butcher is willing to deliver milk and bread with your sausages, for instance, or that your greengrocer has a list of pantry items available to choose from on top of fruit and veg.
Neal's Yard Dairy
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Why: We suspect that if you're a big cheese fan, you've probably heard of London-based chain Neal's Yard Dairy. What you might not know however, is that the cheese shop now delivers nationwide meaning that you now never need to worry about your regular grocery store running out of your favourite wheel. What's more you can even choose a preferred delivery day to make sure your cheese arrives exactly when you want it. Cheeses available to order from Neal's Yard Dairy's online store include Baron Bigod, Little Rollright and Isle of Mull Cheddar.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Order online
Creme Cookies
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Why: When a Michelin chef has taken two years to perfect a cookie recipe, you know it's going to be good. While not strictly essential groceries, everyone knows sweet treats are warranted for a good week of eating and Creme Cookies are the best of the bunch. Previously only available from the bakery's London store, these are now delivered nationwide in boxes of 6 or 12. The thick, chunky cookies are made with French butter and Belgian chocolate for an indulgent sidekick to your daily cuppa and have garnered quite the cult status thanks to Instagrammable packaging and gooey, chocolate-stuffed centres. We guess you could send them to a friend or loved one, but you could also keep them all for yourself and that's fine too.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Order online
Beelivery
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Why: Forget waiting weeks for a delivery slot from your favourite supermarket, Beelivery are able to drop off all your essentials within 45-90 minutes thanks to its team of local riders. Options differ depending on where you’re located as the drivers pick up from local shops, but the range is impressive. Fruit, veg, dairy, meat and pantry are all covered as well as less essential items like fizzy drinks and sweet treats as well as a few toiletries. It’s a real one stop shop.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Order online
Eversfield Organic
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Why: If you enjoy all the perks of shopping from small independents but aren’t too keen on the legwork to find them yourself, let Eversfield do the hard work for you. This organic food delivery service began (and remains) as a family farm in the South West dropping off their fruit and veg to customers nearby and has since grown into a nationwide operation. The farm now also provides organic dairy, meat and more thanks to a network of like-minded suppliers having been brought on board.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Order online
Potage
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Why: Popular food-service Potage originally set out to provide the good people of London with hearty and healthy homemade meals but – like so many others – adapted during the Coronovirus pandemic. Now the company delivers essential items alongside all their most popular ready meals. Pantry produce includes seasonal fruit and veg boxes, fresh eggs, pasta, rice and bread. Freezer meals offer hearty comfort food fare with dishes like lasagne, chilli and chicken curry all on offer.
Where they deliver: South of England, postcodes vary
Shop now: Order online
Pipers Farm
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Why: While Pipers Farm’s main stock list is the meat they rear and sell, they have also diversified to be able to deliver store cupboard stapes to their customer base. Along with rare-breed meat, free range chicken and natural sausages you can take your pick of items from the cellar, dairy and pantry sections. One of our favourite offerings from Pipers Farm is their ‘weird bits’ (their words, not ours) which see all kinds of fats and trimmings for sale. Think goose fat for roasties and lardo for adding a rich depth to ragus.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Order online
Organic Delivery Company
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Why: The Organic Delivery Company allows you to order a regular shop without any plastic packaging, which means plenty of fresh UK-grown portions of your five-a-day along with a guilt-free conscience. Bundle options include things like salad, fruit, mixed or juicing boxes which contain a selection of fresh goodies for you to munch your way through. On top of the set subscriptions you can add plenty of store cupboard stapes and household items allowing you to place your full grocery delivery order in one place.
Where they deliver: Nationwide
Shop now: Shop directly through Organic Delivery Company’s website
If you’d rather someone else did the hard work for you, you might like our round up of the best restaurants in London now doing delivery.