Remember meal kits? In varying stages of COVID lockdowns, they were the 'it' thing for the food industry. The closest we could all get to eating in a restaurant, but packaged-up and delivered to your door or collected at a distance.

Different to a takeaway which might arrive hot and eaten on your lap, this was more ceremonial and worthy of a special occasion. At its height there was a dizzying amount of options, unprecedented levels of demand and certain restaurants even offered all-island delivery.

We know this because during the pandemic we became somewhat of a food order exchange, rounding up what, who, when and where you could order from, direct to your door, in one massive megapost. From chocolate and craft beer to fresh bread, meat, cheese and more, but restaurant kits were the biggest draw. The crême de la crême, a dining experience when the option of "dining-in" in a restaurant was impossible or restricted.

Later, as we all slipped back into pre-pandemic patterns with new-found freedom, meal kits began to vanish one-by-one.

However, a market still very much exists — particularly for those still remote working, juggling a young family (and the subsequent childcare costs) or indeed immunocompromised and/or battling long-term health issues when the options of dining "in" in a restaurant may still be incredibly slim.

Plus, with the spate of hospitality closures over the last year or two might we see meal kits resurge? A chance for operators, chefs and restaurateurs to pivot to an at-home experience following they have made the decision to close a bricks and mortar space?

In the meantime, here are five of note to keep on your list for easy, chef-made kits you can order to-home and assemble and enjoy at your leisure.

Hara at Home, Co. Down
shophara-food.com

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The jewel in the crown and the most ‘fine dining’ of options across the land, chef-owners Andy and Roz Turner sadly shuttered their much-lauded Hillsborough restaurant in May 2022. However, all was not lost –– they pivoted to reimagine their offering, continuing their brand by repackaging it for delivery and shipping meal kits from their Co. Down base across the land.

Hara At Home offers all-island delivery for its monthly-changing menu, prepared by the chef duo, packed, chilled and delivered to your door by courier on a Friday so you can enjoy whenever you like across the weekend. All that’s required of you is a little unboxing, heating up and plating.

Ideal for two, start the at home restaurant experience by sharing a loaf of pumpkin seed wheaten bread with Co. Down butter and end the meal with a sweet treat to go alongside after-dinner coffee. Often there’s a choice between two slightly different menus of starters and mains.

Andy and Roz also offer the option of a ‘Family Meal’ each week consisting of a hand-made pie (like Glenarm steak and ale or Irish chicken and ham hock) with glazed local carrots and either baked potato mash or beef dripping chips.

The Dough Bros, Galway
TheDoughBros.ie

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The City of Tribes boasts a specific and incredibly loyal tribe: pizza lovers, the kind who flock to The Dough Bros near-weekly for their award-winning pizzas. However, the Greaney brothers have continued winging their celebrated pizza pies right across Ireland so everyone can savour them.

Each Dough Bros pizza kit contains four restaurant-quality, Neapolitan-style pizzas to make at home, including four bases, their ‘famous’ pizza sauce and different toppings alongside wild garlic dip and house pesto. Their advice? Keep it as classic or be as creative as you like, the bases are just a jumping point.

Though the choice is much more limited than their main ‘eat in’ menu, the kits offer a choice between three options: a ‘Boujee Margherita’, ‘Proper Pepperoni’ or a vegan pizza kit, all at the same price of €45.99 including free delivery –– if you’re local to Galway you can pre-order and collect if you prefer on Thursdays or Fridays.

Pasta a Casa, Galway
pastaacasabytony.com

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Also in Galway, chef Tony Carelli is one busy man. Aside from pop-ups, catering and classes he also sells his hand-made fresh pasta for customers to collect from Massimo in Galway city centre. Though no delivery is available (this may change in the future, Tony tells us, depending on demand — as he has already sense-checked with couriers), the seasonal menu of three pastas and three sauces always reads like something worth travelling for.

Think tortellini with a filling of rainbow chard, Toonsbridge ricotta and roasted garlic, cappalletti with lemon and ricotta or keep it simple with tagliatelle with sage butter and sprinkled in Parmesan. Dreamy sauces include ragù alla Bolognese (using Lúnasa farm meat) and proper classic sugo al pomodoro tomato sauce.

Specialising in only the finest ingredients, down to the organic Irish eggs for all the pasta - from Mad Yolk farm in Craughwell - everything is also made by hand on the day of collection, so you can be assured of freshness.

Uno Pizza, Dublin
unopizzakits.com

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UNO is renowned for its top quality pizzas served in its Rathmines restaurant but they have cleverly continued their pizza kits by harnessing the power of a piece of kit every household is bound to have: a frying pan. Their method of starting on the direct heat of a hot frying pan and finishing in the oven provides ample crispness and avoids any dreaded, limp sogginess.

Perfect for two people sharing, choose between a Margherita (€18) or a Diavola (€20) while a ‘family kit’ offers both options to feed four for €36. The kits also offer the option to add on Prosecco or Moretti.

For customers in the Greater Dublin area and further nationwide, pizza kit orders are dispatched to couriers on Wednesdays and Thursdays with next day delivery service. For customers within a 3km radius of Rathmines the UNO pizza kits can be delivered seven days a week via the delivery apps or you can just drop by and collect in-person.

Al Dente Pasta Shop, Dublin
aldentepastashop.com

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Al Dente comes from an Italian-Mexican couple - Luca Sarrocco and Ruth Espinosa - with a starry hospitality background who met in New York City, later settled in Dublin and then decided to go into business together. They have worked to stock their hand-made fresh egg pasta in various stockists and collaborators across Dublin (the full list of which is on their site) but now they are shipping direct to customers across the wider Dublin area (including parts of Kildare and Meath)

Prices range from €14-44 for fresh egg pasta kits serving either two or four, tailored to your choice of fresh pasta (Spaghetti, Maccheroncini, Tagliatelle, Trecce, Pappardelle, Bigoli, Bucatini, Penne as well as filled Ravioli and Lasagne sheets) alongside your preferred sauce (cacio e pepe, amatriciana, pomodoro, Parmesan and truffle, and arrabiata). If you feel like stocking up it’s free deliver on orders above €75.