London's food and drink delivery scene has never been more innovative or interesting. We pick out some of the city's new delivery-only businesses you should know about.
New: Astrid Bakery
Muswell Hill pop-up bakery Astrid Bakery is a boon to North Londoners wanting their breakfast pastries without having to step foot outside. Former fashion journo turned baker Charlotte O’Kelly delivers luxury Breakfast Boxes with a changing selection of breads, pastries and cakes. We loved our box which included a blood orange cake, cinnamon bun and rhubarb danish - all very seasonal.
Delivery range: Delivered free to most North London postcodes
Follow on Instagram: @astrid__bakery
New: Riso Paradiso
Chef Warren Lee is behind The Mercer restaurant in the City. But while that's in lockdown, he and his business partner Jason have set up this new delivery business offering 10 different risottos served ready to eat. Options include a vegan risotto with truffles and wild mushrooms and Nonna Rosa's Bolognese risotto. Look out for seasonal specials too.
Delivery range: On Deliveroo from The City and Battersea
Follow on Instagram: @risoparadisolondon
New: Home Cooks
With so many chefs either furloughed or let go during lockdown, it's not all that surprising to hear about something like Crouch End Home Cooks which uses Facebook to connect locals to local chefs. Everyone involved is EHO registered and lists their menu weekly on the group. New groups include Stoke Newington, Camden and Islington and chefs include chef Adrian Watters who trained under Henry Harris and worked at Soho House and Geronimo Inns and Italian chef Jessica Cinquerrui who's worked in restaurants across London.
Delivery range: Crouch End, Stoke Newington, Islington and Camden
Follow on Instagram: @homecooks_uk
New: Painted Dog Bakehouse
Pastry chef Talia has worked as a pastry chef in London for over a decade. Her own micro bakery celebrates her Jewish/South African heritage. Her babka skills were passed down by her mother and grandmother - there's a range on offer including Walnut, Tahini & Halva Babka and Cinnamon & Raisin along with a selection of biscuits.
Delivery range: nationwide
More about Painted Dog Bakehouse
Follow on Instagram: @painteddogbakehouse
New: Virtual de Lux
While London's one percenters can't leave the house to eat out, the company behind Sumosan Twiga and Crazy Pizza has devised a luxury restaurant delivery company with four separate kitchens. Options include Philly Cheesesteaks from Manhattan Kitchen through to vareniki dumplings with sour cherries and vodka from The Noble Tsar.
Delivery range: They have kitchens in Knightsbridge and Marylebone - find them on Slerp, Deliveroo and Supper.
Follow on Instagram: @virtualdelux
New: Hash Blondies
Ex-Rolls Royce engineer Hash Mastan founded this East London brownie company after retraining with the Hummingbird Bakery for 16 months. He started out selling 16-20 brownies a week and now sends out nearly 300. It's all about using the finest ingredients whether that's butter from grass-fed cows or making his own salted caramel.
Delivery range: Nationwide - order via DM.
Follow on Instagram: @hashblondies
New: Acai Girls
Sisters Megan and Georgia Salamat are behind this new plant-based food delivery service. Both have hospitality experience - Megan used to work at the Mondrian London and her sister is Cordon Bleu trained and finished runner-up on BBC One’s Britain’s Best Home Cook last year. Dishes include Rainbow Nachos and Cacao, Hazelnut and Banana Pancakes and you can order their Vegan Oreo Chocolate Brownie kit to make at home.
Delivery range: From Chelsea and Battersea
Follow on Instagram: @theacaigirls
Emily's Feasts
Singer and chef Emily became famous when, as one half of operatic duo Belle Voci, she reached the finals on The Voice. While concerts are on hold, she's reverted to cooking, first releasing a small recipe book and then doing Feasts for the Freezer and letterbox brownies. As the former suggests, browse her range of home-cooked dishes like lasagne, cassoulet, boeuf bourguignon and she'll send over enough to fill your freezer.
Delivery range: Feasts for the Freezer within the M25 and letterbox brownies all over the UK
Follow on Instagram: @emilysfeasts
Mystic Borek
Honestly, who wouldn't want a massive filo pie? Chef Spasia Dinkovski arrived in London having run a sellout sandwich joint in Brooklyn. She's worked at Dalston Superstore and Rita's Dining and now sends out these amazing layered or rolled pies, inspired by her Macedonian grandmother's cooking.
Delivery range: Order by DM. Drops in East, Central and South London.
Follow on Instagram: @spasiadinkovski
By Elyse Li
Sake importer and restaurant consultant Elyse Li has parlayed her skills into a new business during the lockdown, doing takeaway food. The weekly changing menu features a range of dim sum - Iberico pork and prawn dumplings with Sichuan chilli oil being an example - along with traditional Chinese peanut candy and homemade Chinese sausage.
Delivery range: It's collection-only in Ealing for the dim sum but nationwide for the candy and sausage.
Follow on Instagram: @by_elyse_li
Tender Caramel
Biochemist turned chef Bethany started Tender Caramel out of a passion for working with sugar, but with a dream to set up a space where others can learn how to make confectionary and improve their wellbeing. She delivers a range of wrapped caramels (flavours include sea salt, gingerbread and peanut butter), bonbons, caramel bars and jars of salted caramel. Better still for every purchase, they donate £1 to charities and projects raising awareness about mental health.
Delivery range: Nationwide
Follow on Instagram: @tender_caramel_
Muvs All Day
With plans for a Tooting cafe in the offing, this new delivery company is all about Northern Sri Lankan food and named after founder Krish's mum. Their curry and rice come in reusable glass jars and there's always a great vegan or veggie option. The menu changes every fortnight, and all the food is made to order to minimise waste.
Delivery range: South West London
Follow on Instagram: @muvsallday
Henrietta Caneles
Digital product designer Henrietta got into baking at the start of the first lockdown. After time spent testing how to make the perfect canale, she launched her delivery business. It's the ultimate in simplicity - she sells caneles, and that's that.
Delivery range: Restarts end of January - to N6, N7, N8, N19, NW3, NW5
Follow on Instagram: @henrietta.caneles
Burritos Machete
Venezuelan chef Patxi Andres has a dream London resume with jobs at Black Axe Mangal, Bao, Koya and the late lamented Bad Sports. With plans for a taco pop up trashed by lockdown he's taken to making "the tastiest, most dirty burritos in town". It's a crazy mix up of influences - think katsu curry tofu or deep-fried Mars Bars burritos. With plans for a Dalston residency when things are able to reopen he's worth keeping an eye on.
Delivery range: Collection, East Clapton - delivery, East London.
Follow on Instagram: @tepatxi
Big Mum's Samosas
Sushma Rani Makol is a bit of a Hounslow legend, known to locals for her amazing samosas for over 50 years. Now her family have taken on her mantle, delivering super samosas to Londoners' doorsteps. There are currently five options - including a chilli paneer, cheeseburger and an apple pie dessert version.
Delivery range: Across London
Follow on Instagram: @bigmumsamosas
Japanified
Broadly inspired by the cuisine of Osaka, the team behind Sugoi JPN have taken international cuisine (buns and tacos) and - as they say - have "Japanified" it.
Delivery range: Wimbledon (Stockwell soon)
Bubie
Like the popular Bubala in Spitalfields, spin-off Bubie has a menu of vegetarian, Middle Eastern dishes with a focus around their amazing Iraqi laffa bread, along with various bowls and dips. Read our Test Drive
Delivery range: 2-2.5 miles from Kentish Town
Arrosto
This delivery-only service is from Quality Wines (next to Quality Chop House) who now send out the Italian-inspired Arrosto. Rotisserie chicken is at the heart of the menu by chef Nick Bramham - whole, skewers or even as chicken fat potatoes (and there are some great sounding sandwiches too).
Delivery range: Circa 5km from Farringdon
Goila Butter Chicken
Chef Saransh Goila’s Goila Butter Chicken is MASSIVE in India. Following a sell-out residency at Carousel, he’s now doing deliveries of the dish that made him famous. Using free range Yorkshire chicken, the meal offering is simple - butter chicken, dal makhani, jeera rice, sourdough naan, pickled shallots and coriander chutney.
Delivery range: Central London
More about Goila Butter Chicken
Tacos El Rey
This new delivery offering from Breddos founders Nud Dudhia and Chris Whitney along with restaurateur Jonny Boud focuses on taco boxes and burritos with fillings like Cochinita Pibil and Chicken Tinga alongside feasting options for families or larger groups.
Delivery range: Around Hammersmith and Bethnal Green
Giz & Green
Gizzi Erskine and Professor Green’s "‘Giz & Green’s Monday Night Fakeaway was a product of the first Lockdown that spawned a popup and now a fully-fledged delivery business. Think stuffed crust pizzas and a proper salad bar experience.
Delivery range: Around Hammersmith or Bethnal Gree
Order from Hammersmith or Bethnal Green.
Pril's Pantry
Chef April Lily is a National Young Chef of the Year finalist, she was picked by OFM as their best young chef in 2014 and has worked everywhere from The Clove Club to Blue Hill Farm and The Ledbury. She's sending out weekly deliveries of homemade dishes. Choose from a variety of savoury and sweet options. There's homemade chicken liver parfait with brioche, fresh foccacia, kouign amanns, cookie roll dough and she even makes her own butter pats from The Estate Dairy milk.
Delivery: London only.
Follow on Instagram: @prils_pantry
Indulge
This fine-dining delivery service, operating out of Walthamstow, sees chef Andy Bowler serving up a three-course menu of modern British dishes using French classical techniques, for £45 per person. Bowler trained under Michel Roux Jr and Simon Rogan (working at both Roganic and Fera at Claridge's) and his most recent job was at Gordon Ramsay's Petrus in Knightsbridge. They also have a wine pairing is via Forest Wines.
Delivery: Across London.
Follow on Instagram: @indulge_dining
The Sorting Table
New wine delivery platform The Sorting Table is a collaboration between London-based wine importer Indigo Wines, winemaker and sommelier Raj Parr (star of Netflix’s ‘Somm’ wine show) and UK wine writer Jamie Goode. They're all about accessible fine wines and most of what they sell used to be only sold in the city's top restaurants.
Delivery: Mainland UK
Follow on Instagram: @thesortingtable_uk
Find out more about The Sorting Table
Sunday Goodies
Baker Micaela Philippo has worked on restaurant branding and design for places like Bubala, Latteria and Ahi Poke. But now her side job is fast becoming her main one, as her home-baked goods are biked across London. The menu changes weekly and we're still dreaming about the amazing, chewy coconut macaroons and chocolate chip cookies we tried.
Delivery: Most of zones 1-2
Follow on Instagram: @sundaygoodies
Find out more about Sunday Goodies
Boxed in Biryani
Chef Ed Jennings moved back to London after three years in Amsterdam working at farm to table Restaurant De Kas just before Lockdown 1.0 hit. So he rolled up his sleeves and started making biryanis, inspired by the months he'd spent in India. He makes all his own chutneys and curries from scratch using amazing Cull Yaw mutton from Cornwall, even melting down its fat to use instead of oil so it coats the rice in flavour.
Delivery: DM him for pick up or delivery in South London.
Follow on Instagram: @boxedin_peckham
Keff
Born in Tel Aviv, Keff founder Yoram Janowski met Keff's chef Halil on a hummus tour of Jerusalem. Back in London the duo now delivers a range of Middle Eastern vegetarian dips and salads, many of which are vegan. We tried a selection, including their masabacha and labneh and were blown away by the quality.
Delivery: West and North London (see here for details)
Follow on Instagram: @keff.london
The Proof
This East London company, run by music journalist turned baker Francesca Strange, supplies sweet-toothed Londoners with all manner of treats, from lemon meringue pies to profiteroles and vegan sticky toffee puddings.
Delivery: East and North London
Follow on Instagram: @theproofpuddings
Willie's Pies
Chef Will Lewis has worked at some of London’s top restaurants, including Brat, St John Bread and Wine and Rochelle Canteen. His pies range from traditional to riffs on classics, like a spiced chicken and potato pie flavoured with cumin, fennel and fenugreek. He also sells a nice line in desserts too including treacle and Bakewell tarts.
Delivery: Across London.
Follow on Instagram: @willys_pies
Find out more about Willie's Pies
Crate to Plate
Crate to Plate is a London-based urban farm. They use hydroponics to grow their leafy greens in the heart of the city. Choose from a variety of salad leaves or herb, knowing that it's super fresh having only just been picked, and is ultra-low on food miles.
Delivery: London-only, zones 1-3
Follow on Instagram: @cratetoplate.farm
Find out more about Crate to Plate
Subscribe to hear the latest from Hot Dinners
