Sometimes you don’t have anything in the fridge and you don’t want to go grocery shopping. Other times you simply don’t want to cook, you need a break. Hereafter, we explore what the different choices you have to enjoy a meal without cooking or going to a restaurant…
Your Neighbour Provides You Quality Plates
The word of mouth or Facebook will let you know that your neighbour is a good cook who can provide you a plate to eat or a proper menu to enjoy, using quality products and with a real savoir-faire. Some neighbours may specialise in pastry – they listen to what you want and design the perfect princess cake for your little girl at a competitive price. Some websites provide a real network of neighbour chefs and you order whenever you want. Some applications and websites are available, like Cookisto (London, UK), Menu Next Door (Belgium), Mon Voisin Cuisine (France), etc…
A Local Host Offers You a New Foodie Experience
Do you feel that restaurants tend to offer the same things and the experience is too impersonal? Try and go to an “occasional” restaurant in the house of people like you (except that they love cooking and they cook very well). There’s no extensive menu but you’ll enjoy the occasion to meet new people, as the meal is generally served for several people or parties. It’s also a good way to know more about a country when you’re traveling. VizEat and VoulezVousDiner provide such a new dining experience.
Someone’s Leftovers Are Your Next Meal
It’s really new and it follows the trends to minimise food waste and eat locally. People in your neighbourhood may announce on a specific website what food they have to share, so you can agree on where and when to collect them. Simple and cheap – and sometimes it’s even for free. Shareyourmeal.net is one of the most well known ones and are available in four countries. There are also: OLIO (UK), Casserole Club (England and Australia), Mummyz, and Super Marmite (France), etc…
Late Eater? Let’s Try Restaurant Leftovers!
Also to reduce food waste, some restaurants provide what it has been prepared and not served at the end of their service. The only one I know is ResQ (Europe). Do you know any other ones?
Let the Restaurants Come to You
YYou already use the takeaway and you know that a lot of restaurants propose delivery. But do you know that a lot of delivery companies now specialise in delivering food from multiple restaurants? It’s so simple: you just have to choose the type of cooking you want, then a list of restaurants and menus is available for you to choose from. You pay and wait about half an hour – meal is served! You can use it for food delivery to your workplace or home. It’s a real energy and time saver! Deliveroo is one of the most famous ones that is now operating in many different cities and countries.
A Chef at Home!
Hire a real chef who will cook just for you. You agree beforehand the number of guests, the menu, and the supplies. The price depends on the number of guests and the difficulty of the dishes. Also, some chefs available can be famous too, but that’s another story.