Can't cook, won't cook? The best Christmas dinners, delivered
Stuck for time - or effort? Check out these Christmas dinner delivery options. Picture: Colin Judge of DropChef, taken from the DropChef Christmas offering
Something a little different, but definitely worthy of the Christmas menu. Jackie Leonards – Dublin’s oldest fruit and veg suppliers, located in Smithfield is offering delivery of fruit and vegetable boxes, packed with everything you need for the holiday season.
Boxes range in price and you can also “Build-a-Box/Create Your Own”. Daily deliveries throughout Dublin, Meath, Louth, Kildare and Wicklow and nationwide delivery in 72 hours.
- Delivering right up until 23rd December.
- jackieleonards.ie
With 10 retail locations around Dublin, you can pop in and buy delicious ready-made Christmas food in-store throughout December, from soups, starters, main event dishes, desserts; canapés, cold and hot buffet, sides and winter salads.
However, they are also offering nationwide delivery on Christmas meal hampers and boxes that can be delivered on Christmas week – Christmas in a Box is €395, serves 8-10 and includes a starter of Smoked Salmon & Goatsbridge Smoked Trout Terrine with citrus crème fraîche and cucumber pickle and all the other traditional courses, trimmings and accompaniments, and even the cheese course.
There are other offers like Christmas Dinner for Two, ranging in prices from €45 to €99 (including Prosecco); and a Seasonal Entertaining offer for €295 that serves 15 that can be delivered on the 30th for New Year’s celebrations (cut-off is December 19th)
- Cut-off: Sunday, December 12th at noon.
- thebutlerspantry.ie
For those who may not know DropChef, it was set up in 2014 by three friends who wanted to deliver wholesome healthy food to homes in Ireland. It is a subscription-based service and each week they deliver all the ingredients you need to cook healthy dinners along with an easy-to-follow recipe card.
Christmas sees the return of its Christmas meal kit delivery service. The bespoke offering caters for families of all sizes with four packages ranging from ‘the Cupid’ feeding 2-4 to ‘the Blitzen’ catering for groups of ten or more. The kits are available now, with the most popular 'Rudolph plan' expected to be sold out by the beginning of December.
This year also marks the first year of a completely plant-based option for those catering vegetarians or vegans.
This option definitely takes the hassle out of cooking or preparing your Christmas dinner as Eatto Christmas meals are made using the best of local Irish ingredients, cooked by experienced chefs, and delivered frozen to your door to lock in all the goodness.
Simply follow the step-by-step heating guide and you could have succulent turkey wrapped in prosciutto, sage and apricot stuffing, crispy roast potatoes, creamy mash and citrus glazed sprouts, ready in no time!
And, you can have all this and more with Eatto’s Festive Feast box, or the ‘All the Trimmings’ box has your favourite side dishes or choose the delicious vegan nut roast for those looking for a plant-based option.
Widely loved locally and renowned for great food and service, Orla McAndrew Bespoke Catering is offering Christmas Dinner At Home with “everything handmade and with a lot of love!” as she says herself.
Dinner is €35 per person with a minimum order of six and includes Organic Turkey Crown, Honey Roast Ham, Turkey Gravy, Rosemary and Thyme Stuffing, Potato Dauphinois, Roast Potatoes, Honey Roast Root Vegetables, O’Flynn’s Sausages ‘Pigs in Blankets’, Braised Red Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Almonds, Handmade Mince Pies and Chocolate Rum Cake (GF).
Phenomenal value for what’s included and the standard. There are two collection points - one in Cork city centre and the other in Donoughmore.
- Cut-off: Monday, 20th December.
- omcatering.ie
Based in Ballincollig, Cork Catering sources all of its produce from local suppliers in the greater Cork area.
They offer high-quality rustic food at a good price.
The Full Christmas Dinner at Home Menu has three courses of traditional dishes and it’s a minimum order of 4 people for delivery.
They do also offer vegan and halal offerings.
Contactless drop and go delivery to Cork City and greater area including Carrigaline, Ballincollig, Blarney, Rochestown area and all within that radius.
- Cut-off: Wednesday, 15th December (or when all delivery slots are filled).
- corkcatering.ie
The Twelve Bakery shop again has a splendid Christmas feast for you, which you can collect on Christmas Eve and serve on Christmas Day.
I love the twist on the classic Christmas menu with a turkey and ham hock wellington dinner for €50 for two people and €94 for four people. This comes cooked with all the trimmings including stuffing, roast potatoes, vegetables and cranberry sauce, as well as a bottle of Mulled Wine.
You can also pre-order a luscious Alder smoked ham (cooked on The Green Egg) at €42.00 for 3kg and €23 for 1.5kg.
Desserts are available too of course and the list is long with the signature 1lb Christmas pudding with dangerously tasty homemade brandy butter, lush trifles, classic tiramisu, signature ‘Stout 1’ puddings, chocolate yule logs, cheesecakes, banoffee, and bags of mulled wine marshmallows and West restaurant’s fudge. Yum!
- Cut-off: Tuesday, 21st December
- thetwelvehotel.ie
I find that often it is making dessert on top of Christmas dinner with all the trimmings that can be the main hassle. Of course, you can make it in advance to help, but there’s nothing like a freshly made dessert. This is where Betty & Nancy’s Desserts come in! Set up in May 2021 by Sinéad Lynch, the business which is based in Kells, Co. Meath is named in honour of her two nannies – Nanny Betty & Nanny Nancy. “We’re all about that ‘treat yourself’ mentality at Betty&Nancy’s”, says Sinead. “To us, there’s nothing more indulgent and comforting than savouring every last bite of your favourite dessert. Our aim is to create this exact feeling with every sweet treat we make.” The Christmas offering includes five delicious homemade desserts, all priced at €25 – White Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle, Sticky Toffee Pudding, Bailey’s Salted Caramel Cheesecake, Banoffee Pie and Fresh Berry Meringue Roulade.
- Delivery and collection in Meath, Westmeath and Cavan and can be delivered Christmas week up to and including Christmas Eve.
- Cut-off: Monday, 20th December. Find them on Facebook
Avoca always has a great festive food offering with every little occasion covered, even breakfast on Christmas morning or party food for New Year’s Eve celebrations, as well as all taste buds and main course preferences covered from the meat eater to the vegetarian.
The favourites are available again this year but some new items to the Christmas Food Collection include Glazed Fruit & Nut Mont D’or Cheese, Ballyhenry Organic Cote de Beouf, Spiced Beef, Braised Venison, Mushroom & Vegetable Pie, Ginger Bundt Cake, Apple, and blueberry and Orange Mini Crumbles.
To place an order, call or visit the store you would like to collect from and they have nine locations around Dublin and in Wicklow.
A round-up of some offerings available.
The chef-lead fishmonger and food store by Niall Sabongi and Karl Whelan have left nothing out of their Christmas offering with Sustainable Irish Seafood Christmas dinner selections to order from €60 to €450 – including items such as Whole Dressed Irish Crab, Whole Steamed Local Lobster, One Dozen Rock Oysters, Sally Barnes Smoked Wild Irish Tuna; a wide selection of hampers and gifts ranging from €45 to €250, including their Kaviari Kits, and also cheeseboards, wines, and Christmas catering available.
- Orders are available to collect up until December 24th. Also taking orders for New Year’s celebrations.
- Cut-off: Until the week before Christmas
- saltwatergrocery.ie
Dublin’s famous food hall has their usual fantastic spread of Christmas food to cover the main event to lighter entertaining.
Highlights include Free-Range Irish Turkey White 5kg for €70 and a delectable selection of desserts. Meats are not cooked, but all of the restaurant-quality sides, stuffings, sauces etc. are all ready-to-heat and come with cooking instructions.
- You can click and collect in Exchequer Street or People's Park locations.
- fallonandbyrne.com
PBF only ever selects the best, Irish, genuinely free-range, bronze turkeys for their Christmas food collection. They will be marinaded, tied by hand, and roasted on the rotisserie oven overnight ready for collection on Christmas Eve (you pre-book your time slot) from any of their six greater Dublin locations. Large €115 (cooked, feeds 8-10); Regular €95 (cooked, feeds 6-8) and Irish honey roast ham €95 (feeds 12-15).
A very popular Christmas box in 2020, Asador has relaunched its Christmas ‘At home’ food offering for 2021, open for booking now.
The Christmas Roast Box is a full three-course meal and cookies for Santa to bake with your little ones for €295 (serves 8-10 people).
They also provide all sauces and glazes that they use in their restaurants to give the food that special restaurant touch. You can also choose to add on wine, cheese, sharing bites, cocktails and more.
Lots more restaurants have been adding Christmas At Home Menus through Click and Collection including Ali Davis Food, Ballsbridge D4; Berman & Wallace, Clonskeagh, D4; Peperina Garden Bistro, Ranelagh, Dublin 6; and Café Rua, Castlebar, Mayo.
