We spy: the best delivery boxes | Feature

Words: Beth Pratt

Now we don’t know about you, but six weeks without any retail therapy is really starting to take its toll. If you, like us, are finding that not even the thrill of splashing out an extra 50p on an upmarket tin of chickpeas is enough anymore, we’ve assembled our pick of the best delivery boxes to inject a little box-sized glee into your life. From the craft kits that come with productivity in tow to the packages bursting with gorgeous-but-wonky veg that would have otherwise gone to waste, these will perk up your week guaranteed. No need to move – let the good stuff come to you.

Food

As we all advance in our culinary skills at home, food delivery boxes are rapidly becoming the most exciting thing to knock on our door. Dabba Drop has been offering one such service for a while now, delivering premium, South-Asian set menus by bicycle to lucky postcodes across East and North London. Delivery is in stainless steel dabba instead of reusable takeaway containers, which are exchanged each week of the subscription to ensure minimal waste.

The Cheese Geek is more niche, but no less enticing: five cheeses per month, delivered with tasting notes, pairing tips and a scorecard for rating. Experience all-time favourites and exciting new varieties together in a beautifully packed and eco-friendly cheese box. Alternatively, go for a one-off treat that combines cheese with cured meats and condiments.

If it’s plant-based goodness you’re in need of, Oddbox is the champion of eco-friendly veg boxes; saving seasonal, surplus fruit and vegetables which are at risk of being wasted. They deliver overnight, leaving you to wake up to fresh produce on your doorstep.

Drink

If one of the things you’re missing most is great wine, please don’t panic. Delivering six bottles of independently produced wine from organic growers that you can’t find on the high street, WineBunch brings the cellar to you. Accompanied by flavour wheels, scorecards and tasting notes, it’s the ideal, novel wine tasting to do with those you’re with or virtually.

If gin’s your tipple, Little Gin Box is the way to go: £10 a month for two 50ml bottles of craft gins sourced from all around the UK. Tasting notes included, and rather sweet minimalist packaging. Who needs the bar?

Flowers

The mood-boosting power of plants is well celebrated, so if you’re in need of a bit of a pick-me-up, now could be the perfect time to invest in some nature. Plant ‘n’ Grow offer a fantastically inventive range of seed packages for anyone craving a spot of horticulture with culinary benefits. Options include Grow Your Own Christmas Dinner, Edible Flower Growing Kit and BBQ Herb and Smoking Kit.

Houseplants have taken over our feeds of late and we’re fully on board. Try Beards & Daisies for a monthly delivery. Each month’s mystery houseplant comes with a complementary ceramic pot and a keepsake care postcard. Just think of all those windowsills that need filling.

And if cut flowers are more your thing, Bunches is a fantastic, family-owned company that is a proud advocate of sustainability and ethical business. Their letterbox flower arrangements are utterly beautiful – we dare you to find someone who’s day wouldn’t be cheered by one.

Craft

We’re all turning to hobbies at the moment and The Indytute are reinventing several of their popular experiences for the stay-at-home era. For £32 they will send over an online tutorial and all the resources needed to practice the gorgeous Japanese art of Kintsugi (repairing broken china with gold). Random? Yes. Beautiful? Absolutely.

Otherwise, try MakeBox+Co. Each month a new art form is introduced, from weaving to plant pot decoration to macramé, and delivered to your house. The boxes contain all the materials and super useful step-by-steps. You’ll be impressed by your own handiwork.

Beauty

For a box as beautiful as what’s inside, try Lookfantastic’s subscription. A cult delivery in and of itself, it’s packed full of hardworking, expertly curated products (many of them full-size).

Beauty Kitchen’s subscription service is the self-proclaimed ‘good old milkman’ of the beauty industry. Sign up to a subscription of the brand’s organic hair, hand and body products, then when you’re done, send your empties back to be washed and reused. We like.