Whatever type of candle-lit-couch recipe you've got planned for the eve of February 14, we found the spots that will send all the right ingredients directly to your doorstep.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner but, unfortunately, this year it's going to be a little different. Just like Christmas, Easter, birthdays and well, weekends in general - your usual plans to celebrate the most romantic day of the year are going to have to be put on pause thanks to the nationwide lockdown. Instead of locking in that elusive reservation at the hottest restaurant in town or whisking your partner away to a five-star hotel, we're going to have to refocus our efforts at home with an attempt to turn our tight-for-space kitchens into a Michelin-worthy restaurant.
Luckily, that's a lot easier to do thanks to the influx of at-home meal-kits. Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve seen restaurants all across the country pivot to provide us all with chef-made meals in the comfort of our own homes via their DIY meal kits, and they’re really ramping things up for February 14.
These thoughtful Valentine's meal boxes have everything you need to make a romantic meal for two, with pre-prepared ingredients and, in some cases, a special bottle of bubbly, too. With not much else going on to entertain us, these kits provide more than just a delicious three-course feast, they’re a fun activity to do together. You'll also be treating your other half and supporting the hospitality industry at a key time, all in one, delicious go.
So, to help you narrow down the wide selection out there, we have picked out our favourite Valentine's Day meal kits and deliveries to ensure your romantic night-in will be anything but bland.
F.X. Buckley Victualler & Grocer
If Valentine's Day for you means indulging in a three-course meal at your favourite eatery, F.X. Buckley Victualler & Grocer has just the thing! Let the team take care of everything as they prepare the perfect three-course meal with a bottle of bubbly for the ultimate romantic night in. To start, there will be a smoked salmon roulade, cream cheese and fresh hers with lime and coriander dressing. For dessert, expect an elegant choux pastry swan filled with Chantilly cream, dark chocolate shavings and a raspberry coulis. But the main course is truly where things get special. F.X. Buckley's signature Beef Wellington with creamed spinach and Colcannon mash - truly a show-stopper. Each box will come with a set of instructions from the experts at F.X. Buckley Victualler & Grocer and so all you have to do is heat the oven and follow along. Available to purchase at the Victualler & Grocer store on Lower Pembroke Street and priced at €60 for two persons or €120 with a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Champagne - email [email protected] or call 01 568 8087 to order.
Food by Sally Ann
Catering expert and food extraordinaire, Sally Ann has recently launched Food by Sally Ann which specialises in at home meal kits meaning you can let the experts do all the hard work for you. The Valentine’s Dinner for Two (€45 per person) features a celebratory cocktail (white peach Bellini), a choice of two starters (Coquilles St Jacques, aka scallop gratin; or marinated heritage tomatoes, caramelised fennel, goat’s cheese curd and sourdough croute), a choice of two mains (Thornhill duck breast, duck croquette, celeriac purée, pickled beetroot, red wine and thyme jus; or pan roasted cod, cauliflower purée, pea and samphire, clam and chorizo sauce, French beans, toasted almonds and creamy champ), and a dessert of Valrhona chocolate mousse, peanut brittle, Seville orange sponge, and vanilla anglaise to share, along with petits fours. To order your Valentine’s Dinner for Two or peruse Food by Sally Ann’s menu options for an at-home feast, visit www.sallyann.ie.
The Tan Yard
Inspired by a love of the land and an ethos of using high-quality produce and local ingredients from sustainable sources, The Tan Yard Restaurant in Killarney has created a bespoke ‘Date Night at Home’ experience, to help ensure you celebrate in style this Valentine’s Day. The seasonal menu will be fully prepared by the team of talented chefs and presented to you with step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Priced at €80 for two people sharing; along with prosecco for two, the menu includes: Crudité & Selection of Dips as Canapés, Macroom Mozzarella, Roast Squash, Sultanas, Pine Nuts & Sage to start, a surf &turf main with an 18 Oz Hereford Beef Fillet, Gambas Prawns, Garlic Butter, Watercress Salad, wedge salad and champ mash potatoes as a side dish and a white chocolate mousse rose, strawberry jelly and pistachio sable for dessert. Plus! There will also be gourmet chocolate covered strawberries to enjoy also. Add an extra toast to your evening with a signature Valentine’s cocktail collection: Kiss from a Rosé which can be added to all orders. Pre-order online by Monday, February 8 by visiting www.thetanyardkillarney.ie or call 064 662 1100. Depending on your preferred date, orders can be collected from The Tan Yard on the 12th, 13th or 14th of February.
Airfield Estate Overends Kitchen
For when three courses just aren't enough, Airfield Estate's Overends Kitchen has launched a special click and collect, cook-at-home Valentine’s Meal Box that is made up of a sumptuous five-course menu. To preview just some of the delicious dishes inside, a pasta course of potato and parmesan gnocchi with cashel blue cheese and a rosemary sauce and a seasonal main of Airfield Estate Jacob's Lamb served two ways, alongside Jerusalem artichoke and cavolo nero kale. The specially-curated Valentine’s Day Meal Box has been lovingly created by Overends Kitchen’s Culinary Ambassador, Luke Matthews. Priced at €55 for two, the meal-kit has limited availability and must be ordered in advance which can be done so here. All orders will be available to collect between 5pm and 6pm on 12th and 13th February.
SSI
Seafood lovers, this one's for you. Sustainable Seafood Ireland (SSI) has launched 'The Valentine's Seafood Supper box'. Packed full of delightful Valentine's treats like oysters, caviar, halibut en croute with champagne butter sauce and even some delectable Irish handmade Chocolates, this truly is the ultimate Valentine's day meal. Priced at €180, the SSI Valentine's Seafood Supper box serves two to four people and is available for delivery between February 11 and 12 or for collection in the SSI HQ in Clonshaugh. See sustainableseafood.ie for more information.
UNO
Sometimes an unpretentious, but totally delicious, pizza — eaten with your hands — is one of the most comfortable, romantic meals you can eat with a partner. While you could just dial up your local pizzeria and let them do the hard work for you, where's the fun in that? Besides, isn't that how you spend every other weekend in lockdown? This Valentine's Day, make your own with Uno Pizza! The Rathmines-based pizzeria has launched ‘Uno At Home’ kits, delivering all the essential ingredients for you to perfect a take on Neapolitan pizza at home with just a frying pan and an oven or grill. You can choose from the classic Margherita (€16) and the spicy Diavola (€18), or if feeding a crowd the Family Kit, which includes ingredients for both kinds. You can even add a bottle of prosecco to your order for an extra €20. Kits are available for collection or delivery is available nationwide. Order here.
Eric Matthews X Weekl.ie Valentine's Day Bundle
Head Chef at 1* Michelin Chapter One Restaurant, Eric Matthews has teamed up with grocery delivery service, Weekl.ie to bring you a three-course Valentine's Day extravaganza at home. Eric has put together a luxurious menu of classic Valentine's day dishes including a starter straight from the Chapter One kitchen. Weekl.ie will provide the ingredients while Eric will be over on his Instagram page (@eric.matthews87) to talk you through the steps. To start, you will be provided with everything you need to create Chapter One's most popular starter: Crab and Lobster Pancake with Herb Hollandaise and Watercress. The main course is another classic dish: Beef Wellington with a sweet chocolate tart to finish. All the ingredients have been sourced by Weekl.ie from some great Irish supplies such as McLoughlin’s Craft Butchers, Gubbeen, Sustainable Seafood Ireland and Cocoa Atelier. But if you really want to make it special, Weekl.ie also have the option to add flowers or a selection of wine to your bundle. The Starter ‘How-to’ is up on Eric’s Instagram now… with Beef Wellington coming tonight and Chocolate Tart on Sunday. Prices start at €57.80 and deliveries will be made just before Valentine's Day on Februry 12 & 13. See weekl.ie for more information on how to order.
alltaBOX Valentines menu
Before COVID-19, it's likely you tried to get a booking at Allta for Valentine's day. While this year you won't be able to wine and dine inside this popular Dublin eatery, you can still get the Allta experience at home in the shape of their delivered box of culinary tricks and treats. As is per with alltaBOX, each week the menu changes and they have something extra special planned for Valentine's Day. Priced at €130, the Valentine's Day altaBOX has some delicious treats in store including smoked bacon and shallot sourdough, shiitake miso butter, charcuterie, shortrib cassarece to share, and a chocolate fondant and hazelnut namelaka. The box will go on sale on this Monday, February 8 and comes with a Burgundy wine pairing and a bottle of Champagne. Set your alarm and have alltabox.ie preloaded because this is one food box you do not want to miss.
Butcher's Grill
If you want to go all out and have a five-course experience then check out The Butcher Grill's Valentines set menu. This promises to take "very little effort and minimal cleaning up" which is exactly what we want from an 'at-home' option. To begin, an amuse-bouche of salt-baked celeriac and smoked duck, followed by a starter of smoked salmon and crab roulade with pickled cucumber, caper berries and dill mayo. As the name suggests this is the one for the meat-lover in your life with the main option a choice between Beef Wellington or Chateaubriand. Priced at €95 for two, there's also the option to add a bottle of champagne to your order. Available for collection and limited delivery in Dublin, click here for more information.
Winedown
The latest addition to the Meltdown family, Winedown opened up on Montague Street a few months ago. Set to be a late-night wine bar serving up sharing plates and nibbles, Meltdown had only opened it's doors before shutting them again under the latest government restrictions. Quick to adapt and keen to bring the Winedown experience to you, Winedown has recently launched an at-home box full with a whopping six-coruse meal. This Valentine's day, Winedown are pulling out all the stops to bring you yet another showstopping feast. Priced at €50 for two people, the boxes will be available to order for a limited time only (today and tomorrow) so you'll want to be quick as once they're gone, they're gone. Click here to order.
Rosa Madre
Dublin’s Rosa Madre were one of the first to launch at home boxes at the start of the pandemic. Offering sauces and fresh pastas along with antipasti, mains, desserts and a range of wines for collection or delivery - each box comes fit with everything you need to recreate the taste and feel of a true Italian meal at home. What's more, Luca De Marzio takes to the Rosa Madre Instagram page (@rosamadredublin) to bring you helpful 'how to' videos so you'll get restaurant-quality results every time. To make things extra special this Valentine's Day, Rosa Madre have teamed up with Dom Perignon and Ruinart so you can add a bottle of something sparkling to your order. To place an order for Valentine's Day, simply give them a call on 01 551 1206.
777
Have a little Mexican fiesta of your own this Valentine's Day with 777 At Home which includes all you need to replicate a night at the fan-favourite restaurant. Priced at €80, the 777 Valentine's Day dinner for two includes nipples of Totopos with Salsas & Guacamole; a starter of Chicken Liver Paté with Mango Salsa; a main of Braised Pork Belly With Red Mole Sauce, Cheesy Potato & Corn Cake,
Crema Asada, House Pickled Vegetables and Elotes (Mexican Street Corn). Finish up with a chocolate and raspberry torte. Available for delivery and collection, click here for more information.
Asador Valentine's Box
Another restaurant quick to launch meal-kits at the start of the pandemic, Asador had tremendous success with the launch of their Asador | Prado At Home with their BBQ & Deluxe Boxes (€49/€75). The team has since expanded their offering to include Surf 'n' Turf boxes, at home cocktail kits and more. While each of these options are available to order for Valentine's Day, Asador have put together the ultimate romantic dinner box just in time for February 14. A tasty four-course menu that starts with beautifully marinaded chargrilled monkfish is followed by their Dry Aged Chateaubriand for two and finished with Valrhona chocolate hearts and a stunning French cheese. Priced at €79 for two, there's also the option to add on champagne and wine. There's limited availability so pre-order now to avoid disappointment. Delivery and collection will be available from February 13. See asador.ie for more information.
Berman & Wallace Seven-Course Dinner
Why go for three or five when you could go all out with a seven-course menu? Berman and Wallace has announced a decadent seven-course Valentine's Day dinner for two complete with cocktails. Priced at €180, the box includes: mojitos for 2, smoked oyster mousse, mini homemade organic pain, crab brûlée with picked apple, homemade cracker, citrus fruits palate cleanser, fillet steak au poivre, violet cauliflower purée, assiette of baby vegetables and fondant Ballymakenny potatoes. If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a chocolate fondant with salted caramel and a French cheese board that includes Delice de Bourgogne, Roquefort, fig compote, and petit fours. Order here.
Keep your eye on the site over the next few days for more great Valentine's Day gifting options, plus make sure to pick up FOOD&WINE Magazine with The Business Post this Sunday for more great Valentine's Day content including gift guides, romantic recipes and sunny spirits.
READ MORE: The best drinks gifts for Valentine's Day
