Eating In: 5 of the Best DIY Comfort Food KitsBy Alicia Grimshaw
If it’s comforting food you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. Spruce up your kitchen skills, and satisfy your cravings, with these DIY kits from some of our favourite restaurants in the capital. Because fried chicken really is the answer to all of our dinner dilemmas.
1. For Ramen: Shoryu
What: DIY Shoryu Kit (£20)
The Lowdown: A foundation to any good ramen starts with the broth, and a good broth takes hours to achieve (and patience, reader, is not our virtue). To make the best ramen in the business, along with minimising time and effort, the team at Shoryu (known for their bouncy noodles and all-round tasty Japanese delights) has launched a ramen kit for you to make your favourite brothy number at home.
Each kit includes 12-hour tonkotsu soup, original ramen noodles, char siu BBQ pork belly, beni shoga red ginger, and spring onion and kikurage mushroom garnish to top the ramen. The end result is drool-worthy: A robust ramen with long, elastic noodles, and generously garnished with sweet and salty pork. A proper comforting dish for a speedy mid-week dinner.
Where: Buy online
2. For Fried Chicken: Mother Clucker
What: D-I-Fry Strip Kit for 2 people (£18)
The Lowdown: Fried chicken kings Mother Clucker has put together a kit with everything you need to recreate their famous freshly browned poultry strips – and you don’t need a deep-fay fryer to help achieve that lovely crispy crust.
Complete with brined chicken, buttermilk, their secret flour mix, hot sauce, lime mayo and slaw, all you require is rapeseed or sunflower oil. Having tried (and failed) a number of times to imitate fried chicken the Colonel would be proud of, we can honestly say that Mother Clucker’s kit is a fail-safe way of achieving crispy, juicy and perfectly seasoned chicken greatness within your own fall walls. Fancy chips? Just add them at the checkout.
Where: Buy online
3. For Beefy Wonders: Honest Burgers
What: Honest Burgers Kit (£30 inc delivery)
The Lowdown: The rise of burger DIY kits during lockdown was phenomenal, and every burger restaurant worth their beef patty jumped on the delivery bandwagon.
If you’re hoping to fill the burger void, and keen to up your cooking game at home, Honest’s kit – comprising enough ingredients to create four signature Honest burgers – ticks all the boxes. The bundle includes: British chuck steak and rib cap patties from the Honest Butchery; British Cheddar slices; dry-cured smoked bacon rashers; Burger buns from Honest’s friends at The Bread Factory (gluten-free also available); Honest Kitchen red onion relish; Honest Kitchen pickles; Rosemary salt seasoning; and a very nifty Honest tote bag.
Where: Buy here
4. For Carb Lovin’: Pizza Pilgrims
What: Frying pan pizza kit (£15)
The Lowdown: Pizza Pilgrims has fashioned a recipe which emulates the intense heat of a pizza oven using the most basic tools Brits across the nation have access to: the humble frying pan. Pimp up your pizza with toppings available from your fridge/cupboard – meaning you can eat a pineapple pizza without the fear of judgement.
Available for next day delivery, each Pizza Pilgrim DIY kit contains all the essential ingredients for a classic, no-frills Margherita pizza, including two Neapolitan pizza double fermented dough balls, Pizza Pilgrims tomato sauce, Fior di latte mozzarella, parmesan, basil and olive oil.
Where: Buy online
5. For Pasta: Passo
What: Pasta and sauce (from £10)
The Lowdown: Is there anything more comforting than homemade pasta? Answer: No. Passo, known for their carb creations made using the best British produce in the business, recently launched their own delivery concept, Passo to Go.
Taking the faff and fuss away from making your own pasta (no machine required), the kits feature handmade pasta from Passo’s expert team along with everything you need for the sauce. Choose from the likes of Spaghetti Ammatriciana – cured pig cheek, chilli flakes, garlic, fresh tomato and basil; Fennel Sausage Ragu; and a traditional Arrabbiata – slow-cooked tomatoes with the subtle warmth of fresh chilli.
Where: Buy here
