My Favourite Cook-At-Home Restaurant Kits from Lockdown 3.0

---

---

It seemed like a completely selfless thing to do. Charitable. Humanitarian almost. By continuing to order lockdown takeaways we were supporting local businesses, without giving a second thought to our waistlines. Far from being a simple takeaway though, these were all cook-at-home affairs with everything you could need provided. These are the Cook-At-Home Restaurant Kits that gave us something tasty to look forward to during Lockdown 3.0.

---

Note to future readers: this blog post was written as we emerged from the third – and hopefully final – lockdown thanks to the global pandemic COVID-19. As of week commencing May 17th, a number of our favourite pubs and restaurants have re-opened where it is safe for them to do so whilst adhering to current social distancing guidelines.

---

Street Kitchen Brothers

During those long dark January nights, memories of sitting in a taverna on Naxos sipping from a chilled bottle of Mythos were fading. With a craving for Greek food, the offering from Walsall-based Street Kitchen Brothers caught my eye. We indulged in dolmades, tzatziki, flatbreads, soutzoukakia, Greek salad, potatoes and of course, baklava to finish off. It was wonderful to have a tiny slice of the Mediterranean to brighten up a January evening. You can order your own cook-at-home restaurant kit here.

Libertine Burgers

We’re spoiled by great burger purveyors in the Midlands. Between lockdowns in 2020 we did a dash up the M6 to the Drive-Thru Burger Fest where I cradled a Libertine Burger all the way home next to a hot water bottle. So when I heard they were doing a special cook-at-home kit for Valentine’s Day I jumped at the chance for us to become expert patty flippers. We were provided with everything we needed, including funky mustard and ketchup bottles, more cheese than we could ever eat, a packet of Love Hearts… oh, and a Libertine Burgers branded condom.

You can find Libertine Burgers at various street food events, or at their restaurants in Rugby and Leamington Spa. DIY cook-at-home kits are also still available from https://libertine-burger.myshopify.com/

Tiger Bites Pig

This tiny eatery has one of the largest reputations in Brum, and if you’ve ever tasted their baos then you will know why. Sticky marinated meat in the fluffiest of buns. So, could I recreate that authentic TBP experience in my own home? Well, I fell slightly short when the instructions mentioned steaming my buns. What’s that now? A steamer? A quick trawl through the cupboards proves we don’t have one of those. Cue lots of Googling “How to Steam Buns without a Steamer”. This site was my saviour. I left Mr Fletche to deal with the pork belly whilst I flounced around with tea towels and pots balanced on top of pans. I can proudly confirm that my buns did not go soggy. Bao-chic-a-wow-wow.

Cornerstone Kitchen

Poor Mr Fletche had a second lockdown birthday. Which has meant he’s had two top-notch restaurants providing his celebration dinner. The first was a delivery from everyone’s favourite Birmingham Chinese restaurant Chung Ying. The second, a special spring cook-at-home restaurant kit from catering company Cornerstone Kitchen. This meal deserved a blog post all of it’s own.

---

Of course, now we are emerging from lockdown – hopefully for the final time – and hospitality has started to open up for us to attend in person. It’s time to support your favourite independents once more. Those that have kept you fed and watered through lockdown. Those that have had to adapt their offering. And those that have had to shut their doors altogether to try and weather the storm.

Like me, you’ll probably be excited to make real-life bookings. Food served by someone else, on plates that you don’t have to wash up yourself. And life gets in the way, but please don’t be the dick that fails to cancel their reservation if they can’t make it. No shows harm small businesses. Cancel in good time and they can offer your table to someone else or potentially make it available for a walk-in. Do the right thing and help your favourite small venues survive and thrive.

---