The best Christmas meal kits to try in Manchester and beyond

Christmas won’t be the same for most of us this year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still treat ourselves and our loved ones.

We’ve loved trying meal kits these past few months, which offer a chance to eat a restaurant-quality menu with most of the hard work done by the professionals in advance.

Offering ready-prepared dishes or ingredients that only need basic cooking, heating or assembly at home, the kits also let us support our favourite restaurants while they remain closed.

And now many of our favourites, both local and further afield, are offering special kits just in time for Christmas – with delivery (or collection) in Manchester and beyond.

Here are a few to try, if you want to make the festive season that bit more special.

Sensational steak supper from Hawksmoor

In the lead up to Christmas, Hawksmoor has launched its most indulgent Hawksmoor at Home box yet: the Festive Box.

Pre-dinner cocktails (a classy sour cherry negroni) are followed by smoked salmon and Champagne, two huge fillet steaks with sides and a bottle of red, and finished off with a sticky toffee pudding to share.

Plus £5 of the proceeds go directly to three charities, including Wood Street Mission in Manchester, to help them feed those in need this Christmas.

£165, serves two. Nationwide delivery. Order here.

DIY Christmas burgers from Almost Famous

It wouldn’t be Christmas without an Almost Famous festive burger, and Miracle on 2020 Street is their biggest and best yet.

Think brioche bun, Famous burger patty, spiced sausage patty, burger butter, burger cheese, crispy bacon, smoky bacon jam, peppered mayo, bacon ketchup and ‘Christmas crack’ (crispy bbq shoestring onions, Frazzles and pork scratchings). Plus a little sticky pork bun with slow cooked bbq pork, peppered mayo and pickles. Topped with a candy cane.

In the kit you get enough to make two or four burgers plus a couple extra bonus sticky pork buns to snack on while you cook, and all the fixings to turn any fries into bacon bacon fries (bacon bacon mayo, wonderdust and bacon rain).

£35, serves two. Nationwide delivery. They’re releasing 300 at midday Friday 27th and another 200 at midday on Sunday 29th November, with more available the week after. Order here.

Stress-free Christmas dinner from Elite Bistros

Elite Bistros wowed us with their meal kit, and now the Hispi and Kala gang are taking the stress out of the big day with everything you need to enjoy a delicious and stress-free Christmas dinner.

You can go for three courses with mains of traditional turkey, 35 day dry-aged sirloin of beef or butternut squash with all the trimmings.

Or, if you’ve already got your meat for the main event, just go for the trimmings – which includes a smoked mackerel starter and a boozy Christmas pudding, too.

Boxes serve from two to six people, and are priced between £95 and £368. Nationwide delivery, orders arrive Wednesday 23rd December. Order here.

Michelin starred mince pies from Lyle’s

The Michelin-starred British restaurant in Shoreditch is now delivering festive provisions boxes and meal kits filled with seasonal treats to doorsteps up and down the country – and we couldn’t be more excited.

From British game shot in the Scottish Highlands to fore-rib steak from Dexter Cows in Cornwall, the menu boxes are filled with top quality produce.

Mince pie lovers can also order a mince pie kit separately, with enough filling and pastry for 12 pies, as well as a tray to bake them on.

Menu boxes are £140 for two people. Mince pie kit is £54. Nationwide delivery. Order here.

Christmas grilled cheese sandwiches from Northern Soul

We’ll miss one thing above all at the Christmas Markets – Northern Soul‘s magnificent Crimbo Dinner grilled cheese sandwich.

But the good news is- you can still have it delivered to your door ready to grill it yourself.

The kits comes with best turkey crown, cranberry, pink lady stuffing and gravy, all topped off with homemade pig in blanket lollipops, to make th ultimate Christmas sandwich – plus two mac and cheese pots and a £10 voucher to spend when they reopen.

£30, serves two. Nationwide delivery, or you can collect from the Tib Street branch. Order here.

Smoked meaty treats from Smokestak

Following the success of Smokestak’s DIY smoked meats and bun boxes, the Shoreditch restaurant is now offering Christmas specials such as treacle cured smoked gammon and whole smoked Goosnargh duck, for nationwide delivery throughout December.

Christmas cocktails include a spiced ginger old fashioned and blood orange negroni, which come pre-bottled and ready to serve over ice.

Plus you can still order their 15-hour beef brisket, native breed pulled pork, whole 30-day dry aged beef rib racks and more meaty treats, too.

Prices vary, with the Christmas duck and gammon between £48 and £110. National delivery (£27.50 minimum spend, and £5.95 shipping). Order here.

Traditional multi-course menu from The Lowry

Fancy a traditional festive feast with all the hard work done for you?

With Christmas @Home by The Lowry Hotel, you can start with goat’s cheese mousse with beetroot, roast fig, and winter truffle followed by potted Cornish crab. The main event is Cheshire turkey, with Christmas pudding and a cheese course, too.

Plus there’s a bottle of Champagne for added sparkle.

£195 for four courses for two people. Available for collection from The River Restaurant on Christmas Eve between 12-4pm. Order here.

Pigs in blanket pasta from The Little Pasta Company

The Little Pasta Company launched in July delivering fresh homemade pasta boxes, and now the husband and wife team have added some festive treats to their menu.

You can go for pigs in blankets bucatini with sage butter sauce or a fiery nduja rigatoni, available to order separately or in a date-night box which also includes burrata, rocket and pine nut salad, prosciutto crudo with black truffle and a traditional mini panettone.

Or go for a festive luxury box that includes tagliatelle with truffle butter for two and all the date night box trimmings, plus a platter of mixed vegetable antipasti, a bottle of black truffle oil and a larger panettone.

Pasta is £20 for a portion that serves two, the date night box is £45, and the luxury box is £55. Nationwide delivery. Order here.

Vegan hampers from Vertigo

The plant-based Manchester restaurant Vertigo has launched a range of 100% vegan hampers just in time for Christmas.

There’s a mixed festive hamper offering everything from mince pies to Booja Booja chocolates, available in small or larger sizes, and an Italian hamper containing pappardelle, truffle oil, organic vegan pesto and more.

You could also go for a non-food hamper with an array of cruelty free eco soaps, shampoos and incense sticks.

Prices from £28.50. Nationwide (and Europe) delivery, or can be collected from the Cross Street or Media City restaurants between 14th-20th December. Order here.

Festive pizza party (with optional sprouts) from Pizza Punks

This pizza box for two contains 48-hour proofed sourdough, San Marzano tomato, basil and garlic sauce, mozzarella, and a choice of four toppings.

There are 25 toppings to choose from, including seasonal pigs in candied blankets, garlic and sage turkey with stuffing, and shredded sprouts with bacon.

You’ll also get a downloadable playlist of punked-up Christmas classics, and you get cocktails included, too.

£29, serves two. Nationwide delivery. Order here.