Staying in is the new going out! As the cost of living crisis continues, plenty of us are saving on takeaways with the wave of deluxe ready meals now available in supermarkets. From Charlie Bigham’s new £30 range at the end of last year to M&S expanding its premium Collection range of cuisine-inspired meals, there are now plenty of refined, low-effort options for a special meal at home. In fact, new research from Waitrose found that around two-thirds of us Brits are dining out less often than they were six months ago, with 74 per cent citing rising prices as the main driving factor.
But, that doesn’t mean we’re giving up on restaurant-quality food. Almost half of the country has already swapped takeaways for a restaurant-style meal for two at home. As well as being better value for money, we tend to prefer the option to relax in the comfort of our own place rather than going out, while others enjoy having more more freedom to mix cuisines at home that they wouldn’t normally order together in a restaurant.
Also, 63 per cent of survey respondents admitted they experience ‘plate envy’ when dining out, ultimately regretting their order when they see someone else’s food arriving. At home, everyone can try a bit of each other’s dishes, without any judgement. Overall, this suggests a new dining culture, where traditional restaurant etiquette is shunned in favour of the comfort, flexibility and extended choice at home.
Waitrose is responding with its new No.1 takeaway meal deal, priced at just £18 for two mains and two sides. Landing in stores tomorrow (9 September), the range brings high-end Indian and Southeast Asian-inspired dishes to the dinner table, with premium ingredients, authentic spices and restaurant-style flavours.
What is does the new range of Waitrose No.1 ready meals include?
Indian-inspired ready meals
There’s plenty for curry fans to choose from, including versions of takeaway favourites, such as No.1 chicken korma and No.1 butter chicken masala, both priced at £6.50. The korma features marinated, chargrilled chicken in a creamy sauce spiced with cardamom, cumin, coriander and toasted coconut. The butter chicken takes an even richer route, with tender chicken combined with a velvety tomato sauce, cream, butter, fenugreek and coriander.
Other options include a Chettinad-inspired chicken curry, chicken rogan josh and Keralan-inspired fish curry. The latter includes roasted hake in a coconut, tomato and onion sauce with chilli and mustard seeds.
Vegetarians are catered for with the No.1 makhani paneer, in which soft paneer is served in a buttery tomato sauce with garam masala, fenugreek and coriander.
Southeast Asian favourites
There’s also a range of Southeast Asian-style dishes, including No.1 prawn panang (£7), which combines juicy prawns with coconut cream, red curry paste, lemongrass, lime leaf and Thai basil.
There’s also Shanghai beef (£7.50), made with thinly sliced beef, shiitake mushrooms and pak choi in a soy, honey and rice wine glaze, plus crispy chilli chicken (£6.50), which is coated in sweet chilli sauce with garlic, ginger and peppers.
For a plant-based option, the miso aubergine (£6) coats caramelised aubergine in a sticky miso, mirin and sake sauce, which is finished with pickled daikon and crunchy water chestnuts.
Both sets of mains are accompanied by a wide choice of indulgent sides, including fragrant coconut rice, jewelled pilau rice, Singapore noodles, slow-cooked black dal and Bombay potatoes. There are also starters and sharing dishes, such as tandoori vegetable samosas, king prawn toasts and Korean-inspired fried chicken.
Waitrose is launching a premium No.1 Italian pasta range alongside the takeaway collection, following recent chef collaborations with Angela Hartnett, Gymkhana and Yotam Ottolenghi.
With such a choice of meals on offer (not to mention food prices rising and the flexibility of home dining), the best table in town may well be your own! Available in nationwide stores from tomorrow, we look forward to trying these out as part of a cosy takeaway-style spread.
Check out some of our favourite fakeaway recipes:
Fakeaway recipes
Healthy takeaway recipes
Chinese fakeaway recipes
Indian fakeaway recipes
Best dessert fakeaways
