In ordinary years the ultimate trick up your sleeve come Valentine’s Day would be to have secured a table at one of the UK’s best restaurants. This, as we all know only too well, is no ordinary year and with that your big romantic gestures are going to have to change. Let us introduce you to Valentine’s meal delivery kits.
Over the past ten months or so we’ve seen restaurants across the country pivot to provide us all with chef-made meals in the comfort of our own homes via their DIY meal kits, and they’re ramping things up for the 14th of February. These cleverly created Valentine’s meal boxes take all the pressure off when it comes to your culinary offering, and guarantee* to help woo that special person in your life. These are a life saver if you’ve not been blessed with cookery talents or just want to concentrate on the other lovey-dovey touches such as over the top table décor, heartfelt poem-writing or big gesture gift-sourcing.
The best Valentine’s Day meal kits have been carefully designed to sweep someone off their feet, so you can expect some pretty impressive results. In most cases you’ll find three or more courses included, with some spreads hiding little extra treats like chocolates of even bottles of bubbly to set the mood. There are a handful of these Valentine’s deliveries which are more like takeaway – bringing you a readymade hot meal to your door – while the remainders are in a DIY format, where you just have to heat and assemble on the big night.
And while traditionally Valentine’s Day is of course for lovers, this is 2021 and anything goes. Fancy treating yourself and having leftovers for tomorrow? We’re backing you. Or maybe you want to send one of your best buds a little lift in the middle of a pandemic. You go for it. What we’re trying to say is that these delicious dinners shouldn’t be reserved only for those in the throes of romantic love. You do you.
*Okay, we can’t actually guarantee that actually.
Zuaya Valentine's Day Menu
What: They say that Latin America is one of the most romantic parts of the world, so what could be a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than with a full Latin American-inspired feast courtesy of Kensington’s Zuaya? The restaurant’s generous Valentine’s set menu includes three starters, meat and seafood main courses, two side salads, and an indulgent dulce de leche flan to finish (pictured above). It also comes accompanied with a bottle of vintage cava. We were lucky enough to try the menu in advance and were particularly taken with the grilled robata octopus main which arrived perfectly cooked, and also thought that the sweet slow roasted duck salad was a delightful extra.
Where do they deliver: 1.5-mile radius from restaurant & collection also available
How much: £90 for two
When is it available: 14 February
How to order: Deliveroo and UberEats, or call directly on 020 7938 3533
Sabor St Valentine’s Menu Box
What: We happen to think that sharing food is one of the greatest signs of love, because frankly it takes a lot for us to let anyone else near our dinner. In our opinion there is no better format for Valentine’s than tapas, these small plates are literally made to share. Rather than picking up a few bits from the supermarket, why not leave it to the experts at Sabor this year. This Michelin starred menu comes complete with caviar, fois gras and scallops as well as black truffle rice and a rich chocolate fondant to finish things off. This - we think - is the perfect meal kit for anyone seriously looking to impress.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £220 for two
When is it available: 13 February
How to order: saborencasashop.com
Homeslice Love Triangle Masterclass
What: If you like to make an event out of dinner, why not treat yourself to a meal and a masterclass all rolled into one this Valentine's Day? The owners of Homeslice have come up with an ingenious way to make sure your evening goes without a hitch, delivering you all the ingredients you’ll need to cook along with co-founder Mark Wogan as he shows you how to make the perfect pizzas in real time. The masterclass also includes everything you need for special Turkish delight cocktails and there are brownies for pudding too. At £45 for an activity and a meal (and a meal that just about everyone loves, do you know anyone who doesn’t like pizza?) we think this is a bargain.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £45 for two, including delivery
When is it available: 14 February, 6pm
How to order: homeslicepizza.co.uk
Moet & Chandon x Laura Jackson's Make a Meal of it Box
What: It girl Laura Jackson found a way to make lockdown dinners extra special with her ‘make a meal of it’ thread on Instagram, where she encouraged followers to dress up their tables to give evenings a fun feel in the midst of all the doom and gloom. This year for Valentine’s Day (or Galentine’s!) Laura has gone one step further and partnered with Champagne brand Moet & Chandon to bring you a box stuffed with beautiful food and decorations, not to mention the fizz, so you too can 'make a meal of it'. Inside you’ll find a bottle of pink Champagne, two pink candles, menu and cocktail cards, luxury matches and a three-course meal for two people – we’re talking baked camembert, beef short ribs and dauphinoise potatoes, plus an Eton mess. On its first release this meal kit sold out in minutes, so you’ll have to be fast if you want to grab one of the next two drops.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £55 for two, plus delivery
When is it available: 10-13 February
How to order: restaurantkitsuk.com
Valentine’s at Home by Sam’s Riverside
What: Being confined to your own home shouldn’t mean you miss out on the finer things in life when it comes to mealtimes, and thankfully Sam’s Riverside is willing to deliver you some pretty luxe-sounding dishes right to your door. Included in this Valentine’s offering is an amuse bouche, a fish course, a beef Wellington and a pavlova for dessert, as well as cheese and crackers for after pudding. There’s also a seafood menu which can be enjoyed either by itself or in addition to the main menu, and features treats such as oysters, whole lobsters and even a seafood platter.
Where do they deliver: West London for local delivery, or collection from the restaurant itself
How much: £110 for two
When is it available: 12-14 February
How to order: samsriverside.co.uk
Lyle’s Goose Feast Box
What: Michelin starred restaurant Lyle’s allows you to sit back and relax knowing you’ll be delivering a top-quality dinner without any of the stress (and crucially, with minimal washing up too). While there’s not a specific Valentine’s meal box from Lyle’s, you can choose to add chocolates to any of the existing kits as a little extra romantic treat. We love the goose box which takes you through seven courses of heavenly things like scallops with artichokes, goose leg with carrots and smoked bacon and a perfectly pink rhubarb and blood orange tart with crème fraiche. There’s also an option to add drinks if you want the wine list taken care of for you too.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £140 for two, plus delivery
When is it available: Throughout the month
How to order: lylesprovisions.com
Smokestak Valentine’s Day at Home
What: If you’re more into comfort food than you are haute cuisine, why stray from what you love come Valentine’s Day? Smokestak’s reassuringly indulgent barbecue box is packed with crowd-pleasing serves that are sure to win hearts. Included you’ll find rhubarb cocktails, both slow cooked pulled pork and beef brisket, sides, starters and a sticky toffee pudding for dessert. There’s also a bottle of red that pairs perfectly with the rich meats and bold flavoured sides, such as the jacket potatoes top with a mustard rarebit and the ginger and green chilli slaw.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £115, including delivery
When is it available: 12 February
How to order: smokestakshop.co.uk
Park Chinois Valentine’s dinner delivery
What: Iconic Mayfair favourite Park Chinois has gone to town this year for a Valentine’s meal that is sure to impress. Included in the meal kit you’ll find a three course Chinese feast which starts with appetisers like wasabi prawns and crispy chilli chicken, while mains feature Cantonese roast duck with champagne and orange sauce; Scottish 35-day aged rib-eye with black pepper; and Madagascar Organic prawns with young coconut, okra and tamarind. To finish there’s a rose-inspired dessert and there are little extras such as bottled cocktails, calligraphy place settings and even chopstick holders included too. If you have the benefit of time you can pre-order a bouquet of roses to arrive with dinner, and there is also a selection of wines, beers and Champagnes to add on too.
Where do they deliver: Park Chinois delivers within a 3 mile radius of the restaurant in London. Pick up is also an option if you’re out with the delivery area
How much: £195 for two
When is it available: 13 and 14 February between 12-10pm
How to order: parkchinois.slerp.com
The Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey’s classic meal kit
The Devonshire Arms is well-known for being a wedding venue, so romance is at the core of everything the team here does, and their Valentine’s dinner kit is no different. You’ll start with a crab and beetroot tian with pink grapefruit and walnut bread before moving on to a pepper-crusted chateaubriand with fondant potatoes. Pud is a modern interpretation of a black forest gateau featuring a chocolate sponge with a cherry syrup and vanilla mascarpone cream. Add ons include Champagne, canapes, brownie bites and red roses. This meal kit comes with full instructions for heating and serving, so that you could even pull a Mrs Doubtfire and pretend you’ve made it all yourself. We won’t tell if you don’t.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £110 for two, plus £12 delivery fee if outside of local area
When is it available: 11 February for local orders and 12 February for nationwide orders
How to order: devonshirehotels.co.uk
OXO Tower Restaurant fine dining menu
Unlike most of the other Valentine meal kits, the Oxo Tower Restaurant has carved itself out a unique niche and promises a menu made from ingredients with natural aphrodisiacal products (so maybe this is one to save for your other half, rather than sending to a friend!). We love that there is a choice for mains, meaning you and your partner can both have different meals if you’d like. Mains champion top-end produce like dry-aged beef and lobster, and there’s a beetroot Wellington if you’d prefer a vegetarian selection. Add on the sommelier chosen wines to help make the evening extra special.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £150 for two
When is it available: 12 February and the 13 February
How to order: oxotowershop.slerp.com
Burger & Beyond romantic meal kit
Fine dining is all well and good, but can you beat a healthy dose of indulgent comfort food? This meal kit from Burger & Beyond has no airs and graces, just a solid three courses to help you impress a special someone. You’ll be kicking things off with a bottle of bubbly before tucking into fried chicken strips, bacon butter burgers, dirty tots and salted caramel brownies. With simple instructions for how to cook and serve, this meal kit takes all the stress out of the situation so that all you have to be good at is turning on the charm. We love that this kit also comes in two sizes, for either two or four people, so if you’re looking to treat the whole family or your flatmates, there’s an option to do just that.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £59.95 for two or £81 for four, including delivery
When is it available: 13 February
How to order: burgerandbeyondshop.co.uk
Valentine's Day at the Heart
With 38 years of “doing Valentine’s Day” behind it, Bleeding Heart was never going to stop now. And for this occasion they’ve selected a menu that includes roasted truffled black leg chicken for two , with roast potatoes and caramelised heritage carrots preceded by their ginger marinated salmon with Dorset crab and followed by their signature raspberry macaron heart with raspberry cream and passion fruit sauce, plus Bleeding Heart chocolates. Included will be a chilled Half bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Brut and two glasses, or a half bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Rosé Sauvage and Two Glasses. There are 12 scarlet velvet blankets in Piper-Heidsieck red and gold for the first dozen customers.
Where do they deliver: Within five miles of Bleeding Heart Yard or collection is available from the Bistro in the Yard (between noon and 6pm)
How much: £125 with a Half bottle of Piper Heidsieck Brut Champagne and Two Champagne Glasses. Or £135 with a Half bottle of Piper Heidsieck Rose Sauvage Champagne and Two Champagne Glasses.
When is it available: 14 February (from noon)
How to order: bleedingheart.co.uk
Simon Rogan at Home Valentine’s menu
Michelin starred celebrity chef Simon Rogan looks like he doesn’t mess around when it comes to romantic occasions. His celebratory menu this year includes six courses and bubbly as well as video-led instructions for how to heat and serve everything so it looks like it just came from the pass of one of his high end restaurants. If you’ve been a particularly solid partner to yourself this year, you might like to know that this Valentine’s meal kit is available in single serves – the ideal ‘to me, from me’ gift. However many portions you plump for you’ll be tucking into delights such as smoked salmon and cream cheese gougeres, confit potatos with Champagne and oyster sauce and a short-rib of Dexter beef with caramelised artichokes, roast mushrooms and thyme. A vegetarian menu is also available and there are various wine pairings to choose from should you wish to compliment your meal with sommelier-chosen drinks.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: From £95, for one person
When is it available: 12, 13, 14 February
How to order: simonroganathome.co.uk
Where The Pancakes Are breakfast kits
They do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so if you’re going to do Valentine’s right it’s time to put the porridge away and step your game up a little. Treat someone special to a breakfast in bed with one of these handy DIY kit from Where The Pancakes Are. Inside the box you’ll find an organic pancake mix, pure Canadian maple syrup, a bottle of prosecco and a pocket book of poetry to get your teeth into while you feast on your stack of fluffy pancakes. Nationwide delivery is included, and if you want to extend the Valentine’s fun you can enjoy these pancakes for a solid two weeks from the 1 Feb onwards.
Where do they deliver: Nationwide
How much: £37.50
When is it available: From 1-14 February 2020
How to order: wherethepancakesare.com
Ormer Mayfair Valentine’s Day at Home
Labelling its offering as a ‘banquet box’, Ormer Mayfair brings a confident menu to this year’s Valentine’s table. Luckily the dishes live up to expectations, with four courses of classic British dishes having been carefully created by GBM finalist 2020 and Executive Chef, Kerth Gumbs. You’ll start with pumpkin soup before moving on to scallops, while your main is a cote de boeuf to share served with aged beef ragu, foie gras, truffled wild mushrooms, caramelised shallots and triple cooked chips. Pud is the restaurant’s signature apple crumble and there are even after dinner chocolates thrown in too. If courses like those don’t get your heart beating a little bit faster then we don’t know what will. There is also an option to add wine flights, bottled cocktails and fresh flowers.
Where do they deliver: Within the M25, or collection is available from the restaurant
How much: £159, excluding delivery
When is it available: 11-14 February
How to order: flemings-mayfair.co.uk
Fancy cooking up a storm on every other night of the week? We've reviewed 37 of the best DIY meal kits from UK restaurants