Planning a celebration in lockdown? We’ve got you covered. From meal kits to cocktail making, virtual escape rooms to cake decorating, here’s everything you need to throw the ultimate lockdown birthday party.
On 29th March, six people or two households will be able to meet outdoors. All the more reason for a celebration. Bring your favourite cocktail bar, London restaurant or cake shop to you with this ultimate lockdown party guide…
DRINKS FOR YOUR LOCKDOWN BIRTHDAY PARTY
COCKTAILS
You might not be able to visit your favourite cocktail bar just yet, but you can bring the experience to you and your friends’ homes with The Sun Tavern’s Quarantini Kits including the ultimate party drinks hamper, one of Drake and Morgan’s cocktail kits such as Alice in Wonderland’s gin cocktails, or a bespoke cocktail hamper from Bottle Bar and Shop (we can’t get enough of their lychee martinis…).
For minimum hassle and maximum convenience, opt for a box of 3 or 6 cocktails from NIO cocktails – the kits are letterbox friendly and with the drinks pre-mixed, all that needs to be done is to fill your glass with ice and pour it in.
CRAFT SPIRITS
If you’re in for a serious lockdown session, order a bottle of Overproof Spiced Pineapple Rum from Two Drifters in Devon. Full of tropical influence thanks to its infusion of fresh pineapple, it certainly packs a punch with a strength of 63% ABV…
Or, for a little birthday magic, try Pink Marmalade colour-changing gin: a 100% natural, lovingly handcrafted premium gin made in small batches that undergoes a magical colour change from a cool blue to a rose pink when tonic is added.
VIRTUAL WINE TASTING
Wanting to really push the boat out? Why not book a virtual wine tasting with your friends with the legendary Luca Dusi of wine shop and bar Passione Vino in Shoreditch. The antithesis of traditional, Luca encourages the wine to flow freely, alongside a plentiful selection of Italian cheese and charcuterie that can be delivered nationwide in advance of the tasting.
PARTY FOOD FOR YOUR LOCKDOWN BIRTHDAY
MEAL KITS
When it comes to food, with so many meal kit options to choose from you can be as simple or as fancy as you please. Our favourites for a fuss-free Zoom cookalong are burgers: the Honest at Home delivery kit includes everything you need to make either their signature HONEST, TRIBUTE or PLANT burgers at home. There’s even a portion of their addictive rosemary salt to season homemade chips.
Alternatively, have your friends try Patty&Bun’s DIY kit (with meat and vegan options) and challenge each other to the ultimate burger showdown with your creations.
If you’d rather not have to do the cooking but still want an impressive party food spread, try the Issho-Ni x Bodega Bay Night In Package: a sushi and drinks platter that includes two cans of hard seltzer alongside a 34 piece sushi platter for a special price of £40.
FANCY DINNER
For something a bit fancier, try recreating your favourite restaurant experience with a finish-at-home meal kit. COYA Mayfair’s monthly changing feast concept, Cocinando con COYA, features aperitivos, ceviche and tiraditos, main courses and a dessert, from £55 per person. Think dishes like sea bass with tamarillo, tomatoes and aji limo and yellowtail with shiitake and truffles, followed by Berkshire pork belly with pineapple and chinese spices and washed down with COYA’s ready-to-pour cocktails.
Michelin star meal boxes
Lockdown has some silver linings: it’s now possible to enjoy food from restaurants it was once almost impossible to snag a booking at. Case in point: The River Cafe’s Michelin-starred meal box sets from Shop The River Cafe, offering a variety of options from a Simple Supper of Cipriani Tagliorini through to a whole Cornish Roast Chicken with all the sides.
Or try HIDE at Home‘s luxury dinner menu paired with wines from the HEDONISM wine list. With a huge range of signature dishes to choose from, you can put together a full-blown feast. Or splash out on luxury nibbles like truffle pizza, lobster roll, Giarraffa green olives, home-cured charcuterie and overnight sourdough bread with whipped salted butter. All wrapped up in a gourmet hamper that makes the perfect birthday gift, or picnic basket for when we can meet outdoors again.
Sushi
Want to really push the (sushi) boat out? For a beautiful birthday meal to remember, give the gift of Hot Stone at Home, a 24-step culinary journey of authentic and innovative Japanese cuisine from the critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant.
The ultimate birthday present, unwrap the traditional Japanese furoshiki cloth to discover the Omakase box filled with sushi and sashimi hand shaped and slice fresh to order, featuring fantastic nigiri – think scallop with truffle and caviar, and Scottish salmon glazed with 3-year aged soy sauce – and sushi rolls to share, perfectly filled with Japanese Wagyu sukiyaki, tuna and salmon. Kampai!
CAKES
Celebration cakes
No celebration is complete without cake – and lockdown is the perfect excuse not to have to share… French artisan bakery PAUL is adding some joie de vivre to special occasions with its new range of celebration cakes. Free personalisation is available on selected cakes, making the treat even more special when delivered to a loved one’s front door.
Vegan birthday party cakes
If the birthday boy or girl is vegan, they’ll love a box of vegan stuffed cookies from Floozie Cookie – there’s even a celebration cake flavour that consists of a pink vanilla cookie, coated in rainbow sprinkles and stuffed with homemade raspberry jam.
For show-stopping, Instagram-worthy birthday cakes, head over to Pleesecakes for their overload creations including the Fully Loaded, The Gaffa (Jaffa cake) and Unicorn, or try your hand at creating one yourself with the BYOAH! – Build Your Own at Home kit, available for nationwide delivery (see how the DOSE team got on building their own here).
Baking at home
Fancy baking your own cake with friends? Look no further than Craft and Crumb, who offer a Zoom Party Baking service with ingredients sent to your friends to prepare a celebration cake, biscuits or cupcakes together.
Or for something a little different, why not try Casa Cannoli‘s cannoli kits: fill a delicious fresh cannoli shell with sweet ricotta, then garnish with pistachio nibs, chocolate chips and candied orange. We warn you: one will definitely not be enough; these are dangerously addictive…
Main image: Shuttershock
Liked this article on ‘How to Throw the Ultimate Lockdown Birthday Party’? Read ‘DIY Meal Kits That Make Home Cooking A Breeze’.
By Rosie
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After graduating from Cambridge University with a triple First, Rosie decided to pursue a career in the fitness industry rather than follow the traditional path of her peers in investment banking. Unable to shake off the fast-paced routine she developed in her City job, she achieves balance by winding down in yoga sessions, escaping on fitness retreats, and going for extended brunches that somehow seem to wind up in a hidden gem of a cocktail bar.
- Rosie Argeanthttps://whateveryourdose.com/author/rosiesargeanthotmail-co-uk/
- Rosie Argeanthttps://whateveryourdose.com/author/rosiesargeanthotmail-co-uk/
- Rosie Argeanthttps://whateveryourdose.com/author/rosiesargeanthotmail-co-uk/
- Rosie Argeanthttps://whateveryourdose.com/author/rosiesargeanthotmail-co-uk/