Date Night Ideas for Day 107289 of Isolation
Date Night Ideas for Day 107289 of Isolation
if you haven’t broken up or killed your partner yet - then here’s a few ideas of how to keep it that way.
So, we are in pretty scary, unprecedented times and something which has affected me the most is the fear of the unknown. The philanthropy that has occurred has been outstanding, with people who are in able situations going above and beyond. Bill Gates has donated $100 million, and Jeff Bezos has given his staff at Amazon a pay rise due to the influx of new orders they are receiving. LVMH has donated their means of production such as their perfume houses to manufacture hand sanitiser for french hospitals. Then there are the smaller, closer to home gestures, such as the younger generation offering help with grocery shopping and daily tasks for their neighbours and the elderly.
The food and beverage industry alone contributes £31.1bn to the U.K. economy annually and employing 450,000 people. The astronomical effect on this industry that has occurred in the last few weeks due to the pandemic is immeasurable. It's so sad to see the negative impact that covoid19 is having on the world, all we can do as humans is try and support the communities we live in as much as possible.
Online food delivery is going to be one of the few sectors of f&b that stands to gain in this covoid 19 crisis. Revenue for online food delivery stands at £4,215m, which is set to reach new highs during this time. Companies within this sector have already been seen to be doing their part where they can. Uber eats have waived commission fees for independent restaurant partners. This is enabling smaller restaurants to deliver, allowing them to remain open and therefore, hopefully, keep as many staff as possible in employment. JustEat is directing funds back to U.K. partner restaurants in the form of a commission rebate of one-third on all commission charges.
Okay, so now we have got the facts and a bit of background covered, let's get to the recommendations. I would also like to state that none of my recommendations necessarily have to be enjoyed with a partner. They are just great ideas to break up your regular dinner routine and have a bit of fun at home!
Let's get real, being inventive for date night can be tricky at the best of times, but now, being in isolation, you really have to think outside the box. Some of our favourite restaurants have done precisely that for us. They have reinvented the takeaway allowing us not only to enjoy our favourite dishes but also add a bit of fun to our evenings, which let's face it, are kind of like groundhog day at the moment! What more could we ask for than a fun, interactive way to support our local restaurants and also create utterly delicious food.
Massive shout-out to Pizza Pilgrims who have really thought outside the box, the pizza box that is! They are now offering 'The Frying Pan Pizza'. They provide you with all the ingredients you need to make two of their signature pizzas in the comfort of your own kitchen. On top of this, along with numerous other restaurants in London, they are also offering NHS Workers 50% discount. Rightfully so - NHS workers deserve all the love and thanks in the world at this moment in time!
Sticking to the Italian theme, especially if pasta is more of your go-to, then Officina 00 or Legare are also offering at-home meal kits. They provide the pasta dough and all the ingredients you need to make their amazing sauces. Nothing quite says I love you like the perfect bowl of pasta.
All this talk of Italian food is making me crave a glass (bottle) of red wine. P Franco and Passione Vino are offering a wine delivery straight to your door. Passione Vino focuses on small, independent Italian artisan winemakers. There’s no menu: founders Luca Dusi and Federico Bruschetta encourage customers to discuss their tastes so the team can recommend something a little out of their comfort zone. P Franco is also doing cheese boards to pair with that necessary bottle (or two) of red. If we aren't able to frequent wine bars, then bring the wine bar to you!
Now, if Italian isn't your cuisine of choice, but you still fancy that interactive touch to your meal, then Patty and Bun is the answer. They are bringing P&B into your own kitchen with The Lockdown DIY Patty Kit. They have teamed up the family-run butchers, HG Walter, to provide the best meat for your patties. From the relish, to the P&B mayo, to the perfect brioche bun; they are providing all the ingredients you need to make the ultimate AIR Gold or Smoking Robinson burger, just how they make it in-store.
On the subject of meat, a shout-out has to go to Mac and Wild. On top of offering their menu via Deliveroo, they have also created an online highland butcher shop offering a meat survival box. This is a selection of highland meats, game and their very own venison haggis delivered straight to your door. Each piece of meat lists the first name of the hunter/farmer/butcher, as well as the estate/farm where the meat is sourced – thus ensuring the utmost quality.
We might not be able to visit our favourite restaurants. However, we can still support them by enjoying them at home via Deliveroo. From curry to dumplings (probably not in the same takeaway order), we now have Dishoom and Din Tai Fung available straight to our door. Also going a little higher end, we saw players such as Hakkassan, Yautcha, Isabel, Casa Cruz and Defino all have recently joined Deliveroo.
Finally, I also wanted to mention Bao. They have launched their own delivery service called 'Rice Error', delivering some of our favourite dishes straight to your door. They had the option to join existing food delivery platforms but chose to create their own. The aim of this is to keep as many of their staff in employment as possible.
I really hope that these recommendations and shout outs help break up the week and add a little fun into the kitchen. Day 109297 of isolation and still going strong - let's keep it that way.
