Ideal for taking the hassle out of Christmas.
There’s nothing quite like Mum’s Christmas roast dinner. But judging by the way 2020 has been misbehaving, as we’re sure you’ve heard, it seems like that sacred meal is under threat. Indeed, Government restrictions mean this year’s festive season looks like it’ll all end in tiers.
Santa coming down each and every chimney? That’s a super spreader situation right there. Instead, we expect we might be spending Christmas Day away from the family this year. If you’re braving the roast turkey for the first time, then bravo! You’ll do great.
But if you’re taking this unprecedented, topsy turvy time as a chance to throw the rulebook out of the window, and have someone do the cooking for you, then you’ve come to the right place.
Mums, you haven’t been replaced. Rather, this is the next best thing; a properly indulgent, restaurant cooked festive meal. With that in mind, here are 2020’s best Christmas Dinner At Home recipe boxes from the UK’s top chefs and restaurants.
***This list will keep growing as more Christmas Dinner At Home boxes get announced. Please note that some boxes are collection only, some are delivery but postcode restricted, and some are delivered nationwide***
SIMON ROGAN AT HOME – FESTIVE FIVE COURSE LUNCH
From one of the UK’s most celebrated chefs, and the proud owner of several Michelin stars across the country, comes Simon Rogan At Home, a festive five course lunch with some serious credentials.
Though the meal costs £95 per person, you really do get what you pay for; ingredients are largely sourced from the chef’s farm in Cartmel, are of premium quality and are prepared expertly. All you have to do is heat up the vacuum-packed bags, leaving you time to get properly acquainted with your presents (or the Buck’s Fizz, if that’s more your style).
Starting with a properly decadent truffle pudding, the second course is a fish serving of cured trout and cauliflower served both dressed and pureed. Accompanying is the chef’s often imitated, never duplicated coal oil. Lovely stuff and as far removed from getting a lump of coal for Christmas as you can get.
The ‘main’ is, of course, roast turkey (the celebrated Norfolk black variety), with all the trimmings, but given the Simon Rogan twist. Potatoes are confit and served with smoked butter, the berry jelly is fermented and the gravy the antithesis of a Bisto based affair. There’s even salt baked celeriac for the veggies and a proper Christmas pud to finish. Expect class and sophistication with every bite; and they’ll even organise a wine flight for you if you’re feeling extra fancy. After such a trying year, for one special day, we certainly are!
Nationwide delivery is available, alongside Click and collect from Cartmel.
For more information, visit: simonroganathome.co.uk
THE NINTH CHRISTMAS BOX
We’ve been huge fans of The Ninth ever since class act Chef Jun Tanaka opened its doors in London Fitzrovia in 2016. That rabbit lasagna; those oxtail croquettes; that pain perdu…yep, we’ve had some amazing meals here in the past few years.
Well, the Michelin starred restaurant has recently announced that they’ll be delivering a box of some of chef Jun’s refined, poised cooking nationwide, and in time for Christmas Day, too! At £50 per person and going ‘from box to table in 45 minutes’, there’s no danger of a dry turkey ruining the festivities this year.
That’s because The Ninth offers the choice of three mains; a bronze turkey ballotine (moisture already locked in); an Aberdeen Angus fillet (salt crusted, again meaning it’s going to be as tender as you like): or a vegetarian option of celeriac, potato and truffle pithivier. Considering the quality of the restaurant’s pithivier in more normal times, we might be tempted to order the latter!
The trimmings are extensive but sophisticated; cauliflower cheese, a stuffing of sausage, apricots, chicken livers, lardo and chestnuts, pumpkin puree, crispy potatoes and so much more!
And to finish, a riff on the Ninth’s famous pain perdu; a panettone bread and butter pudding with creme fraiche is unmissable.
Straddling tradition and fine dining gracefully, it’s safe to day that The Ninth’s Christmas Box is a winner.
Orders must be placed before midnight on 11th December. Nationwide delivery.
For more information, visit: theninthlondon.slerp.com
TOMMY BANKS’ ‘MADE IN OLDSTEAD’ CHRISTMAS DINNER BOX FOR TWO
Celebrated, Michelin starred chef and all round good bloke Tommy Banks will be cooking Christmas Lunch for anyone lucky enough to live in and around York, have £160 (for two) to spare, and availability on Christmas Eve to pick it up.
Those caveats dispensed with, this is a lunch you want to make time for; five courses of pure pleasure using produce grown on the Banks family’s Oldstead farm and meat, fish and dairy sourced locally, too.
You’ll start with a play on everyone’s favourite Christmas event, the cheese course, in the form of homemade sourdough and cheddar custard. Next up is another festive standard, elevated to Michelin starred heights, of course; smoked salmon with fennel and buttermilk, a gorgeous flavour combination, make no mistake.
The main event dishes up refined versions of the classics, with turkey ballotine the headlining act, supported by everyone’s favourites; pigs in blankets, Yorkshire puds (the location demands it), sourdough bread sauce, and pomme anna (sliced, layered potatoes fried in lots of butter). Seeing as each chef and restaurant has offered a twist on the usual roast potatoes, we can only conclude that roasties don’t travel very well. Bring on the hasselbacks, rostis, Annas et al!
Two desserts top off a decadent meal, with chocolate fondant and brandy cream satisfying all the sweet-tooths in the household, and root vegetable mince pies as a wholesome yet cheffy touch to finish. Delicious!
Must collect Christmas Eve (24th) 10am – 12pm, from Bank’s restaurant Roots, in York.
Alternatively, a Made In Oldstead provisions box can be delivered nationwide, costs £195 and includes a whole host of edible Christmas goodies.
ELITE BISTRO’S ‘CHRISTMAS BOXED OFF’
During the previous lockdown, we were lucky enough to eat Elite Bistro’s and chef Gary Usher’s superb At Home boxes – complete with instructional videos on how to warm, finish and plate up.
These guys travelled brilliantly and ate even better, so we were delighted to hear that the team are now offering to ‘box off’ your Christmas, too, and are delivering nationwide. Rejoice!
There are four choices here; turkey with all the trimmings (£109 for two), beef with all the trimmings (£136 for two), butternut squash with all the trimmings (£55 for one), or simply ‘just the trimmings’ (£95 for two), which we must confess, we rather like the idea of. What’s more, if you’ve got a big family to cater for, you can order your Christmas Dinner for up to six, with prices rising accordingly.
Included in the Christmas At Home boxes are potted mackerel starters for the meat-eaters and potted Lincolnshire Poacher for the veggies, a hefty collection of sides and trimmings, and the restaurant group’s much revered red wine sauce. A whisky and brandy doused Christmas pud completes the meal, with pistachio and salted lemon fudges thrown in for good measure!
Deliveries are on Wednesday 23rd December only, arriving between 8am and 6pm. Alternatively, you can collect from their Burnt Truffle restaurant, in Wirral, on the 23rd, between 2pm and 7pm.
For more information, visit: christmas.elitebistros.com
KINDLING CHRISTMAS AT HOME
New Brighton restaurant Kindling, which celebrates local produce and open fire cooking, has just announced their Christmas At Home boxes. Available for collection (from Brighton’s Lanes) and for local delivery on the 23rd and 24th of December, the menu costs £140 for two (though the restaurant suggests it could easily feed more) and features a good deal of choice.
Particularly eye catching is the seasonal game and walnut terrine for starters, with a variety of condiments – piccalilli, beetroot jam, horseradish…you name it – to choose from.
There are four (!) meat options to select from for mains, as well as dressed salmon and the headlining act, miso roasted cauliflower with chestnuts and truffle. These guys have a dexterous hand with vegetables, making Kindling the ideal choice for vegetarians in the city who aren’t keen on cooking on the day. Or, simply for anyone up for trying something a bit different this Christmas dinner. After the wild ride of year we’ve all had, rewriting the rulebook sounds like a great idea to us!
With mince pie fudge and a choice of desserts to finish, for a fickle family, this is a great option.
Collection will is on December 23rd and 24th, from 12-5pm on both days. Delivery is available to postcode areas BN1, BN2 and BN3 for an extra fee of £5.
For more information, visit: kindlingrestaurant-athome.giftpro.co.uk
CHRISTMAS DINNER AT HOME WITH TOM KERRIDGE
If you can’t visit the world’s most accoladed pub for a Christmas pint, then why not have the festivities come to you? Tom Kerridge has announced his Christmas At Home delivery box, with classics from the two Michelin-starred Hand & Flowers rubbing shoulders with Christmas favourites for a traditional, totally tasty festive meal at home.
You have a choice of three mains to complement all the trimmings; turkey, beef wellington or venison, with the box arriving on the 22nd or 23rd December. Do check your postcode with the team first; nationwide delivery is available but only to specific areas. Alternatively, you can collect from the Hand and Flowers, Marlow, if you live in the area. Yours for £350, serving a family of 4-6 people.
For more information, visit: tomkerridge.com/christmas-dinner-at-home/
HAWKSMOOR’S FESTIVE BOX
Because not everyone wants a roast turkey for Christmas, right?
The UK’s kings of beef have announced their Festive Box and it’s a cracker (pun intended). At £165 for two, the box contains all you need for one of the best steak nights of your life, with festive flourishes like smoked salmon with cream cheese, champagne and a decadent Wintery dessert (sticky toffee pudding, if you’re asking, which you are) all included.
Of course, the main event is the steak. Here, it’s two 300g fillet steaks, sourced and aged to the usual Hawksmoor highest of standards; a real Christmas treat for beef lovers, make no mistake. Speaking of treats, they’re throwing in lager, Negroni and wine, too! For just shy of £85 a head, this suddenly feels like a steal.
Best of all, the celebrated restaurant group are donating £5 from every box to charities who are helping the hungry this festive season.
Nationwide delivery available; simply order before Monday for delivery that week. Though be warned, these boxes do sell out, so get your order in early if possible!
For more information, visit: shop.thehawksmoor.com/product/the-festive-box/