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Cook-at-Home food boxes

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Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby jeral » Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:18 pm

Would anyone who's bought one care to tell us here of their findings as to quality, amount, cost, value for money, Eco packaging?

I imagine a few of us are toying with the idea so it would be very useful for any pointers on what to look out for or avoid.

Meanwhile and if nothing better to do, here's Time Out's rundown of some cheffie boxes mostly in the London area, priced at £35 to £140 for two persons.
NB: Single-use plastic haters: Look Away Now!

https://www.timeout.com/london/restaura ... urants-now

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Seatallan » Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:40 pm

Not much help if you're not in Cumbria, but foodie friends of ours had the 5 course tasting box from this local pub and raved about it.

http://www.dogandgunskelton.co.uk/

Our nearest pub is also doing some fab collection boxes. We're ordering one for next weekend. Again, not any help if you're not in Cumbria, but nevertheless....

https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/menu/
Food, felines and fells (in no particular order)

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Feb 19, 2021 3:44 pm

Eater London did a run down of meal kits from restaurants
https://london.eater.com/maps/best-lond ... oronavirus
Was tempted, but they all contain things on my xx list

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby PatsyMFagan » Fri Feb 19, 2021 6:35 pm

Daughter and I used Hello Fresh for a while, however I got ripped off by being charged for the initial 'FREE' box ... despite numerous goes at trying to explain to whoever answered their phone (never the same person) .. I never got a refund. Meals were nice though and most stuff was supplied. No complaint on quality and choices.

And trying to cancel the box needed a degree in technology all of it's own. :roll: :twisted:

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby aero280 » Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:01 pm

I posted last month that OH organised a complicated set of "cook at home" dishes from Zedel for her 70th birthday celebration. The food was delicious and the quantities very generous, our order of two 2 course meals actually did us for two days, with each course shared. Everyone who ate the food was very impressed.

The organisation was very good. Because it was complex, food for nine households and 20 people and paid for with one bill, it was organised by one person at Zedel. It all arrived on time and was delivered all around the country, from Southampton to Rotherham. Two small problems (one wrong meal and one split box of veg) were refunded immediately.

When you get into the detail, the food comes from "Corbin & King" which are the owners of Brasserie Zedel and The Wolseley.

https://www.brasseriezedel.com/delivery/

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Pepper Pig » Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:21 pm

Very disappointed with my St John Meal for 2. Not enough food for the price.Packaging and delivery was faultless however.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby cherrytree » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:13 pm

My son and daughter in law had the Valentines meal from the Dog and Gun at Skelton and were very pleased with it. We had Tony Harrison the Cockermouth butcher’s Valentines box. That was lovely too.
We’ve had 3 Cote at home meals which were excellent too. My husband got a Rick Stein voucher for his birthday so that’s to try soon.
I do miss going out for meals though. Maybe it won’t be too long.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby KeenCook2 » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:25 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:Very disappointed with my St John Meal for 2. Not enough food for the price.Packaging and delivery was faultless however.

Shame you couldn't eat them, PP ;)

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Pepper Pig » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:34 pm

It was so ordinary KC2 that it’s put me off going back to any of their restauarants.

Our Cote at Home pack was good though but maybe I’ll try Aero’s suggestion if we’re locked down for much longer. Cooking has become such a chore, or in my case even more of a chore.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby KeenCook2 » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:43 pm

We've never been to the proper restaurant, but isn't there a bar/cafe type outlet somewhere? I think we had a nice selection of smallish, not-too-expensive dishes there with a couple of friends, years ago. I really don't eat offal so wouldn't be interested in any of the nose to tail dishes.
Edited to add that, on the other hand, OH is quite keen on offal and so there would definitely be something there that would interest him :D

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby MagicMarmite » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:46 pm

The only one I've had is YaoYao noodles, which Kavey very kindly sent me as a gift, it was so good I sent my daughter one and then ordered again as my birthday treat to myself.
Unfortunately they aren't doing them anymore as the chef had a terrible accident with the noodle machine, but if they start again I'll definitely order and would recommend .

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby MagicMarmite » Fri Feb 19, 2021 8:53 pm

Pepper your St John food did look disappointing.
I've always wanted to eat there if I had the chance but that would put me off.
Saying that I adore bone marrow but Morrison's sell it a whole lot cheaper!

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:06 pm

I hear very good things of Hawksmoor boxes, but haven’t tried one personally

Not cheap, and Mothering Sunday is sold out

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby aero280 » Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:09 pm

I'll just stick these up again for reference re. Zedel.

A full single serving of the peppered steak haché (burger...)

SteakHache.jpg
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My half portion of fish pie and half portion of green veg.

IMG_4554.JPG
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And the puds from the family. Two chocolate mousse and two fruit crumble and custard.

Puds.jpg
Puds.jpg (61.38 KiB) Viewed 3777 times

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Feb 20, 2021 10:57 am

I’ve heard good reports about the Rick Stein stuff. Haven’t looked but I bet it’s pricey.

Also a friend ordered from Bocca di Lupo. The meal was very good but the packaging leaked.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby dennispc » Sat Feb 20, 2021 11:56 am

Hi Patsy, sorry your experience of Hello Fresh hasn’t been good; the difficulties you mention in cancelling are also on-line, but we’ve cancelled twice without problems. Twice we’ve been offered to nominate four people for free boxes and they’ve all been able to cancel.

OH’s requirement for a low fat diet led to the cancellations. We do miss the variety of flavours, occasionally get out their recipe cards to tweak one to fit.

The ingredients kept well if we didn’t happen to use it all.

Plastic is/was a problem. All the little pots containing 5g of this or that produced a lot of rubbish. One week we had a small sachet of red wine jelly. Would never dream of buying it, but now we would. Also on the plus side, every week we had a whole garlic even if the recipes only required a clove or two. Gradually using them up now.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Pepper Pig » Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:03 pm

Just remembered a friend oop North had several deliveries from Tommy Banks and said they were excellent.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:54 pm

Pepper Pig wrote:Just remembered a friend oop North had several deliveries from Tommy Banks and said they were excellent.


Did you see Banksgate on Twitter? Sudi Piggott reviewed a selection of boxes before Xmas, I think for Telegraph and liked most of them, but rated the Tommy Banks one only 1 star and he and his supporters decided she had marked it down because she had An Agenda and it all kicked off. My guess is it was one of his first boxes, and a) they may not have got it quite right b) they probably shouldn’t have agreed to send it all the way to SE London, but the boxes were bought anonymously and not requested as review items (which Tommy seemed to think in some way unfair)

It was quite funny to an outsider and most people who had tried the boxes said they were wonderful

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby WolfGirl » Sat Feb 20, 2021 1:11 pm

We have had three deliveries from Tommy Banks in total. The packaging is excellent, almost all of it able to be recycled. The food has also been great but it is on the expensive side especially the signature box, but that is five courses plus wine. We’ve just had that the once, for my lockdown birthday last year. The other point I would like to make is that I think you need to be quite confident in the kitchen to manage the timings of everything. Although each course comes with instructions it can be tricky to get the timings right for the smooth running of one after the other.

The Rick Stein one we had last week was £45 which I didn’t think was too bad. It didn’t really require much in the way of cooking skills but it was a much simpler meal. Was a bit disappointed with the packaging, far more plastic than Tommy Banks, but it was able to go for recycling. There was some movement within the packaging, a couple of things arrived upside down, but luckily no leakages.

DS and DIL really enjoyed their box from Townsend’s last week.

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Re: Cook-at-Home food boxes

Postby aero280 » Sat Feb 20, 2021 3:16 pm

I have a friend, who admittedly lives only a short drive from Tommy Banks restaurant, and he has had a few of their eat at home deliveries. He has been very happy with them.

I think that the home delivery service is run from a unit in York though. It also services his other restaurant, Roots in York.

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