London Tier 3: From DIY food kits to fine-dining takeaways, here’s what to buy to support the hospitality industry

As the latest restrictions wreak havoc once again, here’s how to support those who need it

For date nights, easy dinners and last minute meals, ordering food and wine online is a lifeline for struggling businesses (iStock/The Independent )

It was announced on Monday by Matt Hancock in a speech to the House of Commons, that as of Wednesday 16 December, Greater London, south and west of Essex and the south of Hertfordshire will be going into Tier 3.

They will be joining major cities including Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol who are already living under the most severe restrictions in England.

It comes as a result of rising coronavirus cases in a bid to curb transmission rates, despite a month-long lockdown enforced throughout November across the country.

Tier 3 means it is an area where transmission rates “where transmission rates are causing the greatest concern”, according to the government website and reported by The Independent. The restrictions mean that people are not allowed to mix with different households indoors, but are permitted to socialise in public spaces such as parks in a group no bigger than six.

Hospitality venues, including bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must close, but may operate online for takeaway, delivery and click and collect services.

However, cafes and canteens at hospitals, schools and higher education accommodation may remain open.

With just over 24 hours notice, it’s another blow to the hospitality industry which has struggled throughout the pandemic and left many without work, on furlough or unemployed as a result of national lockdowns. Not to mention, the festive season is for most venues the busiest time of the year, but now brings more uncertainty.

Andy Jones, owner of Jones & Sons restaurant in Dalston, east London shared during an interview on Sky News on Monday, that due to last minute announcement, he has lost more than £42,000 in booking and wasted seven days worth of food.

Since March many restaurants have fine tuned their takeaway services, with exclusive menus, expanding their delivery regions, and some offering it for the first time ever. It’s also one way of supporting struggling businesses amid the pandemic, so we’ve rounded up the places to order from and the DIY kits to enjoy so you can stay safe at home, while providing a lifeline to eateries up and down the UK.

You can trust our independent round-ups. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.

Fine-dining takeaways

Many upmarket restaurants started doing food delivery or collection during the first lockdown in March and are continuing to offer takeaways services. They’re perfect for celebrating a special occasion or for a weekend treat.

Upgrade your usual Indian dishes with an order from Mayfair restaurant Jamavar, which has a feasting menu to order from called “The Royal Kitchen”.

This six-course menu is made up of signature dishes from northern and southern India (Jamavar)

There are six courses, made up of a selection of its signature dishes from northern and southern India across starters, mains, sides and desserts, costing £125. Plates include potato tikki, spiced white peas, yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutney, prawn biryani and cottage cheese dumplings with rose fragranced syrup.  You can place an order through its website or Deliveroo for delivery anywhere within 40 minutes of the M25.

If you live further afield, try Six By Nico, an innovative restaurant that is currently offering delivery nationwide from its Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast venues, along with London, Manchester and Liverpool.

The menu changes every six weeks at this innovative eatery (Six By Nico)

Its six-course tasting menu that centres around a location, memory or experience, and changes every six weeks. There’s always a vegetarian option too.

It launched its Home By Nico series during the first lockdown to bring its dining experience to your dinner table. It’s available to order through its website and costs £60 for two people with free delivery, offering four courses and a bottle of wine.

DIY meal kits

If you fancy being more involved in the kitchen come dinnertime, but without faffing about with ingredients, we’d suggest trying a DIY meal kit.

Some restaurants have had to be creative and made kits to help you whip up their well-loved dishes in your own kitchen. They’re perfect if you’re bored of your own cooking and want an easy way to spice up your own culinary repertoire without most of the prep work that goes into whipping up a meal yourself.

Fried chicken is the ultimate comfort food, especially on cold, rainy days, and if you’re new to Mother Clucker, its tea brined, buttermilk soaked, twice battered chicken is a must-have for your next dinner. 

Perfect for a hangover, these crispy, buttermilk fried chicken strips will satisfy your cravings (Motherclucker)

Try your hand at making its famous fried chicken strips with its D-I-Fry Strip Kit for four people, costing £27.50. It comes with brined chicken, buttermilk, a secret flour mix, hot sauce, lime mayo and slaw. All you need is rapeseed or sunflower oil and you’re ready to start cooking.

You can add fries and extra sauces on at the checkout. It’s available for delivery to UK mainland addresses, which will cost £5. From every order, £2.50 will go to Brixton Soup Kitchen, a community hub helping the homeless in South London.

Or if pizza gets your mouth watering, try Neapolitan pizzeria, Pizza Pilgrims, which has created four different pizza kits; a classic Margherita, 'nduja, mushroom and truffle as well as Margherita and 'nduja, starting from £15.

Make pizza night a fun activity to do for your next date night (Pizza Pilgrims)

The classic Margherita is a no brainer, containing two Neapolitan 48-hour proved dough balls, marinara sauce, fior di latte cheese, olive oil, fresh basil and parmesan so you can whip up a pizza yourself.

Available for customers in mainland UK, Wales and parts of Scotland and Ireland, there is a standard £5 delivery fee for all orders delivered Monday to Friday. Try to steer clear of ordering on a Saturday though, as the delivery fee shoots up to £10.

Independent small food businesses

Some of the most impacted of the pandemic has been small businesses, many of which are set up by individuals, families or small groups of people, relying on regular orders to keep going, which will be lost as restaurants shut down again.

Therefore we’d recommend doing your next food shop to keep your fridge full and cupboards stocked from an independent small food business’, which can be done entirely online, saving you a trip to the supermarket.

For a sweet treat, we love Betty’s, the famous Yorkshire bakery and tea room, which has everything you need for a teatime treat (and let’s face it, who won’t be needing that) from cakes, bread, biscuits, chocolates, teas and coffees, you can get your sugar fix from one place.

Anyone with a sweet tooth will love the bakes and cakes at Betty's  (Betty's)

It also offers Christmas hampers, food gifts like stocking fillers and mince pies, so if there’s a foodie in your household, you can’t go wrong.

However if you’re after something savoury, in Scotland, Jarvis Pickle Pies run a service called “Pies By Post”, delivering its handmade meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan pastry pockets, which is free when you order 12 or more from its online shop.

With meat, fish, vegetarian and vegan fillings, there’s something for everyone (Jarvis Pickle Pies)

Available in batches of four, eight, 12 or 16, fillings include Moroccan lamb, beef and ale, spinach and goat cheese, vegan cauliflower curry and more. All are made fresh, and you will need to order by midnight on Thursdays to qualify for delivery the following week, anywhere in the UK.

If you buy four pies, Jarvis Pickle Pies will donate one pie to FareShare, a charity tackling food waste, which will distribute them to vulnerable people such as homeless hostels, community groups and food banks.

Online wine shops

While supermarkets will remain open as usual, with ample selection of wine, beer and champagne to choose from, now is more important than ever to support independent businesses, so shop small next time you top up the wine rack.

Also, specialist sellers can often offer more choice, and you can place an order with one while in your pyjamas on the sofa.

One winery we love is Cornwall based Camel Valley, which is available for online orders. Delivery is free if you order six bottles or more, and there’s a 10 per cent discount for orders of 12 bottles or more.

This producer has the royal seal of approval so your tastebuds are in good hands (Camel Valley)

It was the first English wine producer to be granted a royal warrant, so with the royal seal of approval, you’re in good hands.

We’d suggest trying a case of the 2018 Camel Valley darnibole bacchus (Camel Valley, £17.96), for a crisp glass to enjoy with dinner.

Elsewhere, we’re also fans of Davenport, a Kent based vineyard created by Will Davenport in 1991 and produces more bottles of organic wine than any other UK wine producer.

This wine impressed our reviewer in our round-up of the best English sparkling wines (Davenport)

In our guide to the best English sparkling wines, we loved its Davenport Vineyards Limney estate 2014 (Davenport, £27).

Our reviewer said: “There’s a lovely softness to this wine, which has citrussy aromas with hints of buttery yeast and notes of baked apples and lemon peel.” Delivery starts from £6.35 but is free for orders of six bottles or more.

For more ways to support businesses during the pandemic, read our guide to the virtual Christmas markets to visit this year