DIY restaurant meal kits: 18 London and UK-wide ways to get chef-created dishes dropped to your door

Love yourself a meal kit? Us too. One of the many lessons lockdown taught us was that our love for restaurants is a true and real one. When found cruelly separated from our usual lives by factors outside of our control (looking at you, Coronavirus) we, along with the rest of the UK, of course missed our family and friends, but a close second factor pulling at our heart strings? Restaurants. We mourned the joy of eating food someone else has taken the time and care to consider, prepare and cook. We swore never to take them for granted again. And, finally, we began to look for ways to recreate our favourite dishes from the comfort of our own homes.

Thankfully we didn’t have to look far. The hospitality industry is made up of a pretty creative crowd, and one of the very few positive things to come out of the pandemic was the rise of the restaurant DIY delivery kit. These restaurant meal kits carefully distil down the essence of the eateries they’re born from to give punters like us, and your good selves, a signature dish or dishes from the chefs who run some of the best restaurants in the UK.

When it comes to restaurant meal kits we’re truly all spoiled for choice, with something for every mood. There are indulgent burgers made with top-class British beef, warming ramen bowls made with 24-hour broth, flash-in-a-pan pasta dishes and a three-course steak dinner for romantic date nights at home. Those looking for something a little more refined can enjoy paella kits from a Michelin starred chef, or a lobster thermidor feast from none other than Rick Stein. We think it’s safe to say you could never get bored of the restaurant delivery kits now on offer across the UK.

Each restaurant DIY kit is as unique as the place it comes from, but most include ready-made elements which are ready to cook and serve. We love them as a fun date night idea or a way to mark a celebration from home, but really no excuse is needed. Read on for our tried and tested hand-picked selection of DIY restaurant meal kits, including everything from DIY burger kits to make-at-home pasta feasts. 

Best Italian and pasta meal kits

Carbs are king, it’s a fact of life that just isn’t worth disputing. The only thing better than a big plate of pasta is a big plate of pasta that you haven’t had to make. Enter: The pasta meal kit.

Lina Stores Fresh Pasta Meal Kit

Why: So, you've tried to master making fresh pasta, but it didn’t quite pan out? Us too. Instead, cut out the middle man and order direct from the famous Lina Stores, which can send its fresh pasta kits to pretty much anywhere in the UK. When we tried it out, we were most taken by the indulgent artichoke and truffle ravioli parcels, which take just a few minutes to cook in a pan. We also loved the added touches of organic salted butter and plenty of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to grate over our pasta plates as the perfect finish.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Lina Stores Fresh Pasta Meal Kit

Best burger meal kits

Burgers in the wrong hands can go easily wrong, which is why we like to leave them to the experts. These burger kits take the bother out of the buns and give you everything you need to make properly indulgent food from home with minimal washing up. 

Parson’s Nose Ultimate Burger Kit

Why: Aged beef patties, smoked bacon, Red Leicester cheese, chipotle mayo, chimichurri and crispy fried onions - the Parson’s Nose burgers don’t hold back. The only struggle might be squashing it down enough to get it in your mouth.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Parson’s Nose Ultimate Burger Kit

Waagyu Burger Kit

Why: Waagyu Burger serve up a variety of burger kits from anywhere between two and eight people, so you can stack up some monster burgers for a big group. Or, you can mix it up with burgers and lobster rolls if you’re feeling extra fancy. We’d go for the classic Wagyu kit, loaded with bacon, lettuce, cheese and burger sauce.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Waagyu Burger Kit

Best Sri Lankan and Indian meal kits

If you’re yet to master the art of balancing herbs and spices with the care and attention needed to make masterful curries, then why not call in a little help? Sure, it’s a shortcut, but there’s no need to be proud about this. Some of our favourite restaurant meal kits are these special Indian and Sri Lankan ones which allow you to get all the heady aromas of curries, naans and more at home, in just a few minutes.

Gymkhana Fine Foods Kits

Why: It seems too good to be true that one of London’s best Indian restaurants could appear in your living room, but that’s exactly what you’re getting with Gymkhana Fine Foods - the clever folks at Gymkhana have started bottling some of their best sauces, marinades and chutneys, so you can make their most iconic dishes in your own kitchen. All the recipes you need are on the site too, making the process oh so simple. The best-selling butter chicken, for example, is as simple as marinating and grilling your chicken, adding that rich, sultry sauce, then eating (preferably off a plate if you can wait that long).
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Gymkhana Fine Foods

Aktar at Home Delivery Boxes

Why: We’re huge fans of Aktar Islam’s Birmingham restaurant Opheem, but for those who can’t make it to the West Midlands to taste his exceptional Indian cooking, there’s Aktar At Home - Islam’s superb delivery service. From curry boxes to tandoori boxes for your next big barbecue, Aktar At Home has it all and for the quality and quantity, the prices are staggeringly good.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Aktar at Home

Goila Butter Chicken Feast

Why: Claiming to be the ‘best butter chicken in the world’, we like Goila’s confidence. While we can’t confirm the award (we’d have to try a few more in order to be dishing out titles like that), we can attest to the fact that this meal kit makes a very tasty Friday night feast. Made with high-end ingredients like free-range chicken and rich French butter, Goila is more generously spiced than your average recipe, for a warming, fragrant curry. As well as the main event you’ll receive sourdough smoked-butter naan breads, cumin-scented jeera rice, black dal, coriander chutney and pickled onions. Everything is neatly packed in recyclable materials, and instructions are clear and easy to follow – meaning you’ll be tucking into your meal in just fifteen minutes.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Goila Butter Chicken Feast

Kolamba Feasting Boxes

Why: London-based Sri Lankan restaurant Kolamba specialises in comforting home-style cooking. The restaurant's DIY kits follow a similar format to the dine-in offering, giving you a taste of lots of wonderfully spiced small plates. Each of the meat meal kits serve two (there are also vegan options if preferred) and include one main curry – choose from pork, mutton or chicken – and small complementary sides like fragrant basmati rice, dhal, beetroot curry, green bean curry and homemade mango chutney.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Kolamba Feasting Boxes

The Cinnamon Club Feast at Home Four-Courses

Why: If you’re like us and like to leave cooking up to the experts, then the latest offering from The Cinnamon Club is perfect for you. Chef Vivek Singh has carefully curated a four-course feast to enjoy with your best friend or partner, including the likes of bhel papdi chaat, madras shrimp pepper fry, lamb shank rogan josh with rice, raita and a 24-hour black lentil dhal, and a garam masala pudding to finish. Each kit is carefully packaged in temperature-controlled boxes, and there’s the option to add a bottle of Brut Champagne to your order if you like. You’ll also receive instructions for how best to heat, plate and present.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Cinnamon Club Feast at Home Four Courses

Dishoom’s Bacon Naan Roll Kit

Why: Dishoom’s bacon naan enjoys cult-like status at its restaurants, so we think it’s safe to say that this meal kit with all the elements you need to make them at home was a welcome surprise when it first launched. Included in the package you’ll find naan dough, bacon, chilli jam, cream cheese and a coriander garnish in quantities for two people. All you have to do is cook the included elements - which come with detailed instructions - and serve. An added bonus is the kit comes with chai tea for two, too.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Dishoom Bacon Naan Kit

Best pizza restaurant meal kits

Hold the pizza oven, hold the sourdough lesson and hold the art of getting a tomato sauce just so. There’s no need to master the art of pizza yourself when there are chefs up and down the country who have spent years perfecting their craft, and who are willing to send part-cooked pizzas to your door ready for you to finish off in a flash. If that isn’t a really rather good deal, we don’t know what is.

Pizza Pilgrims Pizza Kits

Why: Pizza is a truly unifying food, with barely anyone (at least anyone worth knowing, we think) disliking it. In fact, it must be the most popularly cited ‘favourite food’, with enthusiasts of this bready food of the gods more often than not loyal lifelong fans. If you include yourself in the category of lifelong pizza fan then this one from Pizza Pilgrims is for you: homemade pizza dough proved over 48 hours made with flour from Naples, along with tomato sauce, fresh Fior di Latte cheese, extra virgin olive oil, basil and Parmesan - a combination for the perfect Margherita. You’ll be sent simple step-by-steps for how to assemble your pizzas at home and instructions for how cook them in a frying pan, with each kit containing enough ingredients to make two pizzas.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Pizza Pilgrims Pizza Kit

Best noodle, ramen and dim sum restaurant meal kits

While the idea of simmering a stock for hours might sound all well and good for a lazy weekend, the reality is there’ll always be Netflix to watch instead. So why not put your feet up and let the broth boil on someone else’s time? 

Koya Udon Kits

Why: We can’t get enough of Koya’s bouncy udon noodles, alas, one must join the queue if you want to get into the ultra-popular restaurant in Soho. Or, plump a very reasonable amount of cash on Koya’s at-home udon kits, which come with noodles for two as well as all the ingredients for some of Koya’s most popular broths. You can also grab some excellent chilli oil whilst you’re there, as well as spare noodle packs which are good for three months in the freezer.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Koya Udon Kits

Matsudai Classic Tonkotsu Ramen Kit 

Why: You can’t beat a classic, creamy tonkotsu ramen, made with a rich-flavoured, slow-cooked broth. The trouble is, it takes ages to achieve the depth of flavour of a proper one at home, which is why we prefer to leave it to the experts. Matsudai in Cardiff is a ramen restaurant, but also offers a whole range of inexpensive ramen kits so you can make your own incredible noodle bowls at home. The broth is simmered for 24-36 hours, and comes with thin handmade hakata-style noodles, pork belly chashu, kikurage mushrooms and spring onions. Matsudai delivers on Fridays and Saturdays, so you can look forward to a warming bowl of ramen come the weekend.  
Delivery? Nationwide 
Buy it: Matsudai Classic Tonkotsu Ramen Kit

Ding Dong Favourites

Why: Thanks to a joint lack of skill and laziness, it’s not often we’d be tempted to make our own dumplings. Leaving things to the experts is safest in our opinion, but what about when you just want to enjoy a few moreish parcels from the comfort of your couch rather than getting dressed up for dinner out? Well, Ding Dong Dim Sum have kindly thought of the answer and it lies in their delivery boxes stuffed with the most delicious bites. The collection of classics was our favourite, which came with char siu buns, pork and prawn sio mai, prawn har kau, spicy tofu and vegetable dumplings, chicken and vegetable gyoza, pork and chive gyoza plus a carrot slaw kit, sticky rice and a selection of dips. A super fresh, piping hot spread of heavenly little dim sum was the result, and this one went straight on our ‘to order again’ list.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Ding Dong Favourites

Best Middle Eastern restaurant meal kits

If you’re sick of eating takeaway, but also can’t face making your own meal from scratch, why not meet in the middle with a Middle Eastern DIY kit? These healthy alternatives still taste delicious, but ensure you pack in at least one of your five a day by way of a salad or dip. From mezze and pita kits through to kebabs and shawarma, these are our favourite Middle Eastern meal kits.

Arabica Lebanese Feast Kits

Why: These colourful, healthy Middle Eastern meal kits by Arabica generously serve between 2-4 people depending on which size you pick, and include crunchy pickles, hummus Beiruti, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, grilled halloumi, pumpkin kibbeh, hand made pita bread, and all sorts of other goodies, as well as crispy, syrupy and buttery baklava selection for afters. We love the versatility of this one, perfect for date nights, dinner with friends or easy family cooking that everyone will enjoy. Included in the kit you’ll find full step-by-step instructions for putting your spread together.
Delivery? Nationwide every Tuesday and Friday
Buy it: Arabica Lebanese Feast Kits

Shuk Beef Brisket DIY Pita Kit 

Why: Shuk’s killer pitas are now available to make at home with the help of a host of handy meal kits. These guys have market stalls in a few locations across London, including Borough Market and Seven Dials Market, where they turn out soft, fluffy pitas crammed with the flavours and spices of Tel Aviv. One particularly popular filling is its 12-hour spiced beef brisket, which you can purchase in recipe box form, along with smoky mayo, pickled red onions, cheese, baby gem lettuce and its famous Shuks pita breads. This kit would feed two hungry people, or four perfectly normal appetites easily. There are more pita meal kits too, including lamb meatballs and DIY sabich! 
Delivery? Nationwide 
Buy it: Shuk Beef Brisket DIY Pita Kit

Best fancy fine dining restaurant meal kits

We didn’t really know what to call this section, so we just went for ‘fancy’. Basically, these restaurant meal kits are made by some of the top chefs in the country and allow you to produce precise plates of foods without any faff. From fine dining menus to simple ingredient-led dishes, these are our favourite fine dining meal kits for when you want to seriously impress.

Made In Oldstead Delivery Boxes

Why: Not content with running a handful of the best restaurants in the country, chef Tommy Banks also has home delivery kits coming out of his ears thanks to Made In Oldstead. The kits use the same quality ingredients as the restaurants - many grown on the Banks’ farm in Oldstead - and you can choose from a regular tasting menu to vegetarian, pescatarian and more, with dishes clearly given the same attention to detail as at his Michelin-starred restaurants The Black Swan and Roots York.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Made In Oldstead

Stein’s at Home Lobster Thermidor Kit

Why: If you’re looking to pull out all the stops to impress someone special, what better way to go about it than with a tumble of luxury seafood? Rick Stein’s at home meal kits allow you to get your hands on the freshest fish, no matter how far from the sea you live. We tried the lobster menu which comes complete with sourdough bread to start, sweet scallops served in their shells and an incredible chocolate pave dessert with clotted cream. The main event itself gives each diner a full lobster plus potatoes and salad, and no detail is left up to chance with flavoured butters and dressings all included. We loved how quick and simple everything was to prepare while the results were restaurant-quality.
Delivery? Nationwide
Buy it: Stein's at Home Lobster Thermidor Kit

Cote at Home Steak Date Night Menu 

Why: Planning a romantic night in? You can’t beat steak and chips when it comes to the ultimate date night meal, and this menu created by French brasserie Cote is a steal. Included is a starter, your preferred cut of steak, sauce, dessert and a bottle of wine, which works out at around £30 a head, give or take. Choose between French onion soup or scallops with garlic butter to start, followed by steak frite (you can choose between chateaubriand, fillet or rib eye). To finish, you have a choice between two classic French desserts: chocolate mousse or a crème caramel, plus a bottle of red to complete the meal, if you fancy. We like that Cote offers plenty of flexibility too, with the option to include added extras with your order, like a cheese collection or a bottle of Champagne.  
Delivery? Nationwide 
Buy it: Cote at Home Steak Date Night Menu 

You'll need some suitable drinks to wash down all that tasty food. Never fear, because we have handy roundups of the best rose wines, top class affordable Champagnes, and even the best alcohol-free gins for anyone staying off the booze.