This is Part 1 — cooking ingredients and ready meals; Part 2 — restaurant takeaway / delivery to follow

Strange and unsettling times.

Below I list a variety of options that might help you to (a) eat well at home during the social distancing / isolation period; and (b) support the suppliers, independent food sellers and restaurateurs that have helped create such a vibrant food scene over the last (let’s say) two decades.

This isn’t comprehensive and will grow — as much as anything it’s a repository of things I have or will mention on instagram, which people have asked me to put in one place.

Other caveats:

Things are changing rapidly. So please consider this a working document. By all means add suggestions in the comments and I’ll update when I can. And ultimately go to the source for fully up-to-date info as to whether and how they’re still operating (I link where possible).This isn’t comprehensive, it’s not a ‘best of’ list, and no doubt there are glaring holes. Let me know if you want to be added; we’re in this for the long haul. But it is long. Which is why it’s split into things to cook; and cooked to order delivery / takeaway pages.Many of these are delivery. Others are ‘local’. Sorry, it’s London-centric. But really the point is to nudge everyone to support locals and independents. Find a source of information for your area: there are hyper-local social media accounts and individuals to suit every zone, town and taste.On which note, the most useful way to organise this list would have been by postcode. But I’m not well-placed to do that. If there’s nothing near you, perhaps the suggestions will still remind you of somewhere similar.For other sources, look at: this brilliant spreadsheet by @ClerkenwellBoyEC1; Eater London; Hot Dinners; ; @remedy_london, a restaurant industry hub started for these times; sign up to CODE Hospitality‘s newsletter; and browse the feeds of people like @rosiefoodie, @hollow_legs, @EllyPear, @georgiepuddingnpie; @chefcalum, who, like so many are sharing loads.



Shopping

With restaurants pretty much closed, there are some fantastic suppliers trying to get their produce to retail customers. Plenty of long-standing independent retailers still there for us as well.

General delivery and food boxes

Some national, some London. They’ve all had high demand over the last few days, but assuming this is around for weeks and months to come, keep checking back rather than assuming supermarkets are the only way.

Farm Drop — collator of quality independent farmers and producers. Nationwide(?)Food Chain — collator of restaurant suppliers, now serving London retail Borough Market — is open. And open air. So maybe one of the best places to shop? They also have Good Sixty, an online shopping and mobile delivery hub (3 mile radius?). Good Sixty also have hubs in Bath and Bristol serving local artisans.Riverford — full of customers right now, but keep an eye on it.Abel & Cole — also busy, but also keep on eye on how things develop over the next few weeks.I bet there are a load of other farm boxes out there (and local). Google.



Fruit and Veg

At the moment there are a number of wholesale costermongers seeing how delivering to homes will go.

Natoora — specialist fruit and veg, particularly strong on seasonal Spanish, Italian and British produce. On Ocado but opening their wholesale app to retail and delivering in their vans. Stores in Spa Terminus and West London too.Oui Chef Veg — £30 fruit and veg boxes to all London postcodesEntremettier — restaurant wholesaler now shifting veg boxes on the Northcote RoadPale Green Dot — wonderful farm fresh produce delivered from Sussex to your door (Sussex and London) Solstice Food — restaurant suppliers, now delivering.Primeur.co — £25, £35, £45 and so on boxes, around London. Text 07768231931Puntarelle — Bermondsey. Now opening Thursday, Friday, Saturday for the foreseeable.The All Greens family — Clifton Greens, Parkway Greens, Clocktower Greens, Newington Greens — open as ever. For delivery, check a New Covent Garden grocer directory or google restaurant ‘fresh produce’ and ‘wholesale vegetables’ and see what you can find — their customers have been wiped out. Or, my Mum says her local farm shop guy, Clive, is arranging a no contact click and collect service in the car park … basically, visit your local greengrocer.



Butchers

Think of all the farmers and butchers who usually send vans to demanding chefs across London (and the country)… there’s more to come on this front, I suspect.

Philip Warren — legendary Cornish butcher to many of London’s best restaurants. Now delivering.Cabrito — boxes of goat meat, delivered — with a free copy of the award winning ‘Goat’ book!Fosse Meadows — top tier chickens from sourceTurner and George — Islington butchers with established home delivery capabilities (national).The Butchery Ltd — brilliant butcher in Spitalfields and Forest Hill, now opening their arch in Spa Terminus for retail, and starting out on home delivery too. HG Walter — next day delivery across London, Monday to Saturday.Pipers Farm — established free range meat box sender (national).Cobble Lane Cured and Tempus Foods for deliveries of cured and dried meats.Basically, again, walk to your local butcher — or call, they’re probably delivering. The Ginger Pig, Flock and Herd, Hill and Szrok, James Elliot, … there’s many. Use them. Or Google ‘Meat Box’ (not that one).



Fishmongers

Here’s one I want to expand. I saw pictures of empty shelves at the supermarket today … and then walked past my local, Steve Hatt, at 6:30pm, and they still had great stuff (it would go by close, at 7pm). They deliver to locals. Bet others do too.

Moreover, there must be so many other wholesale fishmongers and day boats whose restaurant accounts have gone down and need custom. Please get in touch links to any now delivering to homes or a retail drop-off —whether London or elsewhere.

Henderson Seafood — Brixham day boats Pesky Fish — buy direct from the fishermen. Starting next week. Super.Secret Smokehouse — East London Smokehouse, selling from its smokery and by next day delivery.Fresh Cornish Fish – landed in Newlyn, then to your door, nationwideGo to your fishmonger (sooner rather than later, so they deworth staying open). Moxons, Steve Hatt, Fin + Flounder, plenty more … they’re out there.Google ‘fish delivery + [your area]’.



Bakers

Open and baking their elbows, wrists and fingers off:

The Snapery, BermondseyE5 Bakehouse, London FieldsPavilion, Broadway Market, Victoria Park, Columbia RoadBread Ahead, Borough MarketThe Dusty Knuckle, DalstonBread by Bike, CamdenMargot Bakery, East Finchley (pre-order – 72 hour notice)Jolene, Newington GreenLittle Bread Pedlar, Spa Terminus (every day for foreseeable, not just Saturdays)



Dry goods



Shipton Mill — flour. Online orders down for now as so busy, but they mill on.Wessex Mill — also flour. Also busy. Online shop will be back open next week.Sous Chef — pastas, flours, rice, vinegars etcBelazu — pastas, flours, rice, oil, vinegars, deli treats, spices etcRooted Spices — for your spice cupboardsSpice Mountain — for your spice cupboards. Some dried beans and pulses too. Online but also Borough Market.WaiYeeHong — online Oriental and Asian supermarketYour local Asian store.Your local corner shop.



Dairy and delis

As with butchers, fishmongers and fruit and veg, there are some amazing cheesemongers who’ve suddenly lost their restaurant trade. They’ll be caring for loads of cheese at the moment. We should eat it.

Neals Yard Dairy — Spa Terminus HQ now has extended hours, shops in Borough Market and Covent Garden currently open. And their online delivery service is one of the great underused services of the last decade. A 2kg quarter of Stilton a truckle of cheddar to my door? Where do I sign?Mons — Spa Terminus and East Dulwich, online / delivery comingPaxton & Whitfield — check their website and instagram for uptodate store and online detail. La Fromagerie — Marylebone, Highbury and Bloomsbury. Are they open? Must be.Your local bouji deli (Giddy Grocer Bermondsey, Provisions Holloway, General Store Peckham, De Beauvoir Deli, WeinoBiB, Panzers Deli etc etc). Need support. And taste great.Also your local Italian Deli with pannetore in the window that you always mean to step into but don’t (it’s probably great)And also NB Farm Drop and Food Chain and Go Sixty collation and delivery services mentioned at the top, plus Natoora’s app (for charcuterie and Italian dry goods etc)



Booze

I’ll expand this / do another page later on (once properly explored). Same situation, though: many wine importers now missing a restaurant customer base, all with vans; and a few who are already well set at home delivery.

DropWineApp — same day (sometimes hour) delivery in LondonUncharted Wines — nationwide delivery; and Rupert will even install a wine tap system in your home if you want it…See Abbie Moulton’s piece in the Evening Standard



Restaurants selling produce / key ingredients by delivery and takeaway



Monty’s Deli — Mensch lumps of salt beef, pastrami, bagels. Love these guys.Eat Lagom — (incredible) smoked whole chicken, meats and more, delivered within 3 miles of Hackney — watch Elliot’s stories for updates Brat and Smoking Goat — don’t think they’re set quite yet, but I believe will be opening to sell wine, produce, cooking pastes and saucesLoyal Tavern, Bermondsey — essentially operating as a deli for the time-being, selling the food of their producers (mostly small British producers)More to come.



Restaurants now prepping meal kits / food to reheat at home



Pophams — fresh pasta and sauces (and croissants?) for pick up and delivery, 1 mile radius London Fields.Sorella — fresh pasta, anti pasti and sides, for pick-up ClaphamOmbra — fresh pasta, sauces, produce, tiramisu. Pick-up and delivery (set times) Hackney.Quality Chop House — family-sized pies, vac packed stews and braises, deli items, for collection (Clerkenwell) and delivery Clipstone — anti pasti, delicious things to warm up, and desserts. Collection (Fitzrovia) and deliveryThe Laughing Heart — from next week, ‘comfort’ (but going to be classy) ready meals and natty winesOttolenghi — Notting Hill, Belgravia, Islington and Spitalfields open as delis. Delivery to follow.Top Cuvee Shop — North London wine bar doing well thought through offer of starters, fresh pasta and a daily dessert (plus wine) by bike.Forza Win Road — banging starters and fresh pasta to cook / reheat at home. Peckham, and around South London.Pidgin – clever 3 courser (plus focaccia) for home re-plating/cooking. Changes daily. Pick up from Hackney restaurantI will add more as I find them, along with a separate page on restaurants pivoting to cooked to order delivery / takeaway (in meantime see Hot Dinners / Clerkenwell Boy’s spreadsheet)