Healthy meal deliveries are starting to take off in London. Some target dieters, where all the meals for the day are provided, others simply supply the ingredients for you to do the cooking yourself, the aim being to save time shopping and avoid buying too much food which will end up going to waste. The Urban Kitchen just does lunch, and with free delivery within most of zone 1 it seems aimed at office workers.
They’re a bit of a mixed bag, these food delivery services. Sometimes the food lacks flavour, as it’s prepared in advance of the day of delivery and “preserved” to the point of drying out; some of the diet ones simply scrimp on the good stuff to be able to remain low in fat/cholesterol/taste. It’s fair to say I’m not expecting much when a delivery arrives from Urban Kitchen.
The meal in question is chipotle turkey burgers with charred corn and mixed rice salad. A little cardboard box contains four plump patties, moist and with a hint of spice, a delicious salad with white rice, wild rice and red onion, and slightly charred sweetcorn that has retained all of its sweetness. It’s restaurant standard food, and a substantial portion for just £6.75. The only catch is that the minimum order is £20, so you’ll have to club together with your colleagues, or just eat a bigger lunch. Other meals include Moroccan meatballs with dipping sauce and quinoa salad, salmon tikka, and puy lentils with roast vegetables and balsamic dressing; most are gluten and dairy-free.
In addition to their lunch delivery service, the Urban Kitchen host tours of Borough Market followed by brunch cookery demos, as well as classes on different global cuisines.