After almost a year in and out of lockdowns, many of us will have had birthdays under restrictions. With current situations still uncertain, it may mean those who have birthdays that fall in March and April are going to spend yet another year under tough restrictions, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t celebrate your special day in style.
Whether you’re looking for ideas of how to party with your household or have been tasked with the challenge of organising someone else’s special day from afar, here are our top picks of how to celebrate in style to make the day a memorable one whatever the circumstances.
Pleesecakes – cakes
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 why not try your hand at creating one yourself with the BYOAH (Build Your Own at Home kit, available for nationwide delivery)?.
PAUL – cakes
Lockdown may have put a stop to going out, celebratory dinners, and parties, but that doesn’t mean birthdays and anniversaries should go unmarked. Let French artisan bakery PAUL add some joie de vivre to your special occasions with its new range of celebration cakes, available for home delivery and via Click and Collect.
From show-stopping tiered cakes with decorative finishes to classic fruit cheesecakes, each beautiful bake has been carefully crafted to suit every taste and occasion. Free personalisation is also available on selected cakes, making the treat even more special when delivered to a loved one’s front door.
Drake and Morgan – cocktail kits
Elevate your celebrations with one of Drake and Morgan’s four cocktail boxes, created in collaboration with The London Essence Company and themed to gin, tequila, rum, or whiskey. Tales of Tequila features a Tommy’s Margarita, El Diablo, and Paloma – a blend of tequila, pink grapefruit, soda, and lime, whilst the Ransacked Rums come with an expertly made Dark and Stormy, Coconut Daquiri, and a Crystal Punch. For gin lovers, there’s a sparkling Negroni, classic Bramble, and Poppies of Oz with gin, poppy liqueur, lime juice and vanilla syrup, whilst whiskey drinkers can opt for a Manhattan, Blackberry Mule, and Whiskey Sour.
Each box comes with garnishes, tips on how to serve, and a London Essence Company bottle opener. The six-serve box features three cocktails for £35 or opt for the four-serve kit with two different cocktails at £25. Both boxes come with free delivery to London and the home counties. Order online by 11.59pm Wednesday for Friday delivery and start the weekend with some seriously good serves.
shop.drakeandmorgan.co.uk/meal-kits/
Benares Mayfair – Michelin-starred birthday dinner
This Michelin-starred Indian food is delivered from Mayfair to homes within M25. Enjoy Benares’ classics such as delicious samosas, chaats and momos, spiced tandoor meats and seafood, rich curries, and sharing biryanis, as well as sides of black daal, buttery naans, and fluffy rice.
For a special dinner, there are two six-course tasting menus or, if you’re dining with the children, you can choose from the family meal deal for four or kids meal deal. Wines, beers, champagnes, and 100ml pre-batched signature cocktails bottled by Moore House Cocktail Company are also available for delivery. Delivery is via the restaurant’s own service, plus Supper, UberEats, Just Eat, and Deliveroo.
Hot Stone at Home – Omakase box
For the most beautiful birthday meal in lockdown, give the gift of Hot Stone at Home. The critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant takes customers on a 24-step culinary journey of authentic and innovative Japanese cuisine using the finest ingredients available.
The ultimate birthday present, unwrap the traditional Japanese furoshiki cloth to discover the Omakase box filled with sushi and sashimi hand shaped and sliced fresh to order. This features fantastic nigiri – think scallop with truffle and caviar, and Scottish salmon glazed with three-year aged soy sauce – and sushi rolls to share, perfectly filled with Japanese Wagyu sukiyaki, tuna, and salmon for £110. Diners can also expect Sanpuki Nori grown at the shores of the Ariake Sea, premium Koshihikari rice, a range of aged soy sauces (up to 30 years matured), a selection of Wagyu cuts including A5 Japanese sirloin, and real Japanese wasabi, grated freshly to enjoy with sushi at home.
For a true celebration add the home-made rice wine or made-to-order cocktails to your order – either fresh Japanese wasabi and gin or a riff on the Old Fashioned of muddled cloudy sake and Japanese whisky, Kampai!
Available Thursday to Sunday from 5-9pm, the at-home menu can be ordered online to select London postcodes or collected from the restaurant. For London-wide private deliveries, phone the restaurant on 020 3302 8226.
