Food
Valimex Ltd
Neal’s Yard Dairy
Neal’s Yard Dairy is a central London institution and I adore the Devon Blue! Perfect for a cheeseboard or as an ingredient!
It’s an important time to support British Cheese.
https://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/
Cutter and Squidge
For our 10 year wedding anniversary celebrations, which ended up being right at the start of lockdown, we indulged in a delicious cake from Cutter and Squidge!
Highly recommend them for desserts for any occasion – sublime!
Bad Brownies
I have literally ordered from Bad Brownie every other week as Amit and I like to have a slab of brownie with coffee or tea at around 4pm every day! Love love love their Brownies! We usually get the bestseller collection.
They make a great treat to send someone in the post too as they deliver nationwide.
Pizza Pilgrims
This box has everything you need to make a delicious Neapolitan pizza at home and believe me, it is SO much fun to make and even more delicious to eat! Great to do as a couple or a family and all the ingredients are of a high quality, which means that the pizzas are full of incredible flavour.
The box costs £15 and makes two pizzas.
https://www.pizzainthepost.co.uk/
Cheeky Food Company
What I consider store-cupboard essentials in my house are Cheeky Food Company’s range of chutneys, pickles and savoury sprinkles based on old family recipes, that have made their way between the kitchen and dinner table for generations. Each has a story of its own and will no doubt result in many more, as you share them with your family and friends.
My favourites are the Mango chutney, smelly garlic pickle and all the sprinkles – perfect for salads, stir frys and more!
Buy them here: https://www.cheekyfoodcompany.com/
Tyga (gifted)
Tyga is a fantastic subscription box where you receive Tyga spice boxes delivered to your door and all you need to do is just add a few fresh ingredients. Recipe cards are included which are easy to follow and you can cancel, pause or change your subscription at any time, hassle-free.
I was really impressed with the spices and dried herbs in the box, especially the Fenugreek (methi) leaves! This is perfect if you want to try your hand at cooking Indian dishes but don’t have access to or know which spices to get.
Benares
If you want to take a break from cooking and indulge in a fine-dining meal, Indian restaurant Benares has launched Benares @ Home, delivering everything from samosas, tandoori meats and fish curries to biryanis, signature dal and daily specials. Fine wine, beer and Champagne is also available to order. For every order received, they are donating a meal to NHS workers in the local area, which is absolutely amazing!
This would be ideal for any upcoming special occasions spent during lockdown too!
Olive & Pickle
Dishoom – Bacon Naan Roll Kit
For all the Dishoom Bacon Naan Roll lovers out there, you can now make the brunch dish of dreams at home! Dishoom have launched an amazing Bacon Naan Roll Kit that comes with naan dough balls, smoked streaky bacon, cream cheese, Dishoom’s signature chilli jam and fresh coriander. It even has loose leaf tea and fresh ginger so you can enjoy a cup of masala chai on the side with your Bacon Naan Roll!
You will get instructions in the box on what to do but you can also watch a video demo online on how to make the perfect Bacon Naan Roll!
It costs £16, and for every box bought, Dishoom will donate a meal to Magic Breakfast, its charity partner that provides nutritious meals to children in need.
A limited number of kits will be released from 3pm each day. Get your order in here and let me know what you think!
https://www.dishoom.com/bacon-naan-roll/
Dukeshill
For a variety of delicious food and drink, Dukeshill a fine food company, is brilliant. I had the most delicious selection of Cheese to try from them along with an incredible variety of wine.⠀
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The cheese I sampled included:⠀
- Baron Bigod⠀
- Pave Cobble⠀
- Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire
- Comte Cheese ⠀
- Cote Hill Blue⠀
- Rollright
https://www.dukeshillham.co.uk/
Drinks
Wine Trust (gifted)
WineTrust is a wonderful website for wine lovers with a huge variety of wines sourced by experts. I was kindly gifted some bottles for a Zoom Wine Tasting (which if they hold again I highly recommend) and I will most definitely be ordering some more wine soon!
The Wine List
The Wine List is a ‘monthly wine course’ where you’ll receive two bottles of fine wine, alongside a complete Introduction & Tasting Guide to help you to fully discover the flavours and learn more about the wine that has been delivered to your door.
There are also two Taste Notes cards where you can circle/tick certain categories as you taste the flavours, and space at the bottom to write down your own notes on the wines for your personal future reference. The tasting card will focus on one Wine Principle. Over time you’ll learn all the core principles of wine tasting through exploring new grapes, regions and winemakers.
I was gifted one to experience which had two Spanish wines, and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot!
Find out more: https://www.thewinelist.net/
Tails Cocktails (gifted)
Perfect for picnics, BBQs, sundowners, or just because you want to enjoy a delicious cocktail, Tails Cocktails are a dream! They were created for professional use in bars and hospitality, to ensure consistent quality, ease and speed of service and are made with premium spirits and liqueurs, blended with only natural flavours, juices and infusions.
Now you can enjoy them at home and all you need is your favourite glass filled with ice!
I tried their Pornstar Martini and it is absolutely delicious!
It is worth noting the sustainability element of this brand too as they batch cocktails, which is an extremely sustainable method as it significantly reduces wastage. Tails also uses no perishable goods in our cocktails which results in zero waste.
Their other flavours include Espresso Martini, Mojito, Garden Cocktail, Negroni, and much more!
Check out their site here: https://tailscocktails.com/
Bottle Bar and Shop (gifted)
Can we firstly take a second to appreciate how cute these handmade bottled cocktails by Bottle Bar Shop are? Each one is infuses, mixed, created, prepared and bottled at Bottle Bar and Shop in London’s Catford and delivered straight to your door. They are free of additives and utterly sublime!
I tried the Passionfruit Martini and Cosmopolitan and I have to say, it was just like a cocktail you’d get served up in a bar! I’d highly recommend putting an order in asap and they have a wide range to choose from such as Negroni, Twisted Old Fashioned, Margarita, Espresso Martini, Lychee Martini, Bloody Mary. and so much more! Personally I have my eyes on the Lychee Martini to try next!
Fear not if you are not a cocktail lover – they also have an extremely well curated list of wine, fizz and craft beers available to order too!
With glorious weather on the horizon for a long stretch there has never been a better time to stockpile on these gems! Alternatively, it makes a nice surprise to send someone in the post!
GinKing (gifted)
Ginking is a sparkling blend of English white wine and exclusively made London Dry Gin steeped in natural botanicals. Along with the original, there is a Ginking Rose, Botanica Italia and Mediterranean, which all combine wines from a country of inspirational travel destinations combined with locally inspired botanicals, and are refreshing and the perfect summer tipple!
My favourite is the Mediterranean – a blend of Spanish white wine and natural botanicals that represent the glorious Mediterranean region; rosemary, thyme, orange and pine, with London Dry Gin.
Hi, I’m Binny – a writer, dreamer, serial wanderluster and travel addict. I am originally from Kenya but now live in London. I set up this blog to share my experiences eating out as well as travelling.
I love packing my bags and going off on adventures as one of the best things about travelling is the ability to just get lost in it. To set aside the maps and itineraries and just see where the road takes you, learning and evolving and living in the moment along the way.
It’s my goal to get swept off my feet as often as possible.
I love the selection of ideas you have here. It’s a fantastic way to support local, which I resonate with too