Winter Comfort Food Ideas for Takeaways

Chicken Katsu Curry

Surprisingly, when one of the major food delivery companies surveyed the British public, they voted chicken katsu curry as their favourite winter comfort food overall. When you think of the most popular takeaway meals, you might imagine a chicken tikka would be up there, along with pizza and chips, but this Japanese dish trumped them all.

 

Katsu refers to a fried meat cutlet, and can be any type of meat including pork and beef. However, in this country, the chicken variety has achieved prominence, possibly due to its popularity at Japanese restaurant chain Wagamama.

 

It usually consists of the meat, fried and covered in breadcrumbs, with rice and covered in a curry sauce. As well as providing sustenance to Brits in the winter months, it is also regarded as a comfort food in its native Japan too.

 

Mac and Cheese

According to the same survey that found katsu curry to be the top rated comfort food in the UK, there were also outlying choices in other areas of the country. In Glasgow, for example, macaroni and cheese was cited as the perfect pick me up for when the wind whips in off the Clyde.

 

As you might expect with a pasta dish, its roots return to Italy, where there is a long history of pasta and cheese casserole type meals. However, the first modern recipe for macaroni and cheese was included in Elizabeth Raffald’s 1769 book, The Experienced English Housekeeper, which featured instructions to cover pasta in a Béchamel sauce with cheddar cheese.

 

However, former US president Thomas Jefferson is credited with creating the dish we know today. He encountered macaroni in Paris in the 1790s and had his chef take detailed notes to bring back to America. Jefferson’s chef developed a recipe for mac and cheese, with his boss ensuring it was served at state dinners throughout his time in charge.

 

It’s warmth and stodginess make it the perfect snack to ward off the winter chills.

 

Steak Pie

Another food to warm the soul is the classic steak pie. There is something about us that just loves to take foods that are perfectly great on their own and wrap pastry around them to supercharge them!

 

Steak pie is about as British as you can get when it comes to comfort food. A big, meaty meal with plenty of gravy is just what the doctor ordered when the chill sets in. In fact, pies are so associated with warming cold diners that they are a staple of football games. The only thing that can make watching your team leaking yet another goal on a freezing winter Saturday afternoon is the thought of your pastry-based halftime refreshment. The British Pie Awards recognises the connection between the product and the game that they run a ‘Best Football Pie’ category.

 

Sustainable Packaging for Comfort Food Takeaways

Whatever you lay on for your customers this winter, make sure you serve your comfort food takeaways in sustainable packaging. We provide a wide range of environmentally friendly options for all manner of different takeaway foods.

 

From recyclable, biodegradable and compostable burger boxes and hotdog trays to kraft bowls and soup containers, there is a green alternative to dishing out takeaways in single use plastic that will stick around for centuries, polluting the land or waterways.

 

Take a look at the packaging options we have available and then match these with your winter comfort food takeaways to provide your customers with a barrier against the grim weather, but a warm glow courtesy of your amazing food and the fact that they are not damaging the planet.