The Cookaway Recipe Kit Service Brings World Cuisine Home for Date Night

The Short Version: The Cookaway is a recipe kit service that delivers specialty cultural cuisine right to customers’ front doors. Based in the United Kingdom, The Cookaway offers eight global cuisines and over 50 distinct menus, all handcrafted by culinary professionals with backgrounds in each cuisine. The Cookaway is a non-subscription service, making it perfect for a special at-home date night. 

As someone who spent most of their free time in college waiting tables, I’ve been on my fair share of dates with line cooks. While there certainly are some downsides to a romantic connection with a line cook – think long hours, enormous amounts of sweat, and a lingering smell of cigarette smoke – there’s one big upside.

Most of them know how to cook. Instead of selecting a restaurant, most of these dates would consist of me sipping a cold beverage and watching my date cook some sort of magical dinner in my kitchen. I would help prep, give a few pieces of unsolicited advice as they cooked, and, finally, enjoy a delicious meal in the comfort of my own home.

Cooking together is an opportunity for connection. Couples work jointly to choose a recipe, gather ingredients, and follow that recipe through, however complicated it may be. They can learn a lot about each other, like whether they’re recipe-followers or strayers, if they over- or under-season, and how competent they are using a knife.

The Cookaway is a U.K.-based recipe kit service that encourages couples to spend this time together. With handcrafted recipes curated from eight global cuisines, couples will find that The Cookaway makes an intimate handmade date night at home easier than ever. The recipe kit service delivers recipes and ingredients to customers for from-scratch meals, giving couples plenty of time to get to know each other in the kitchen.

Shreya Lahkar is Brand Manager for The Cookaway. She told us that the recipe kit service differs from other leading services on the market because its meals are designed to be in-depth culinary experiences. “It’s not about opening sauce packets and pouring them in. You do it all from scratch and really learn about the ingredients. Our recipes take time, but it’s always paid off.”

The Cookaway is unlike other meal services in that its recipes weren’t designed to be quick and easy. Many other meal services were made for busy folks who perhaps don’t enjoy going to the grocery store or maybe don’t even enjoy cooking all that much. The Cookaway takes a different approach, catering to people who love spending time in the kitchen and want to branch out with their culinary taste.

Culinary professionals craft all of The Cookaway’s menus. They are professionals from various backgrounds and cultural traditions, which means that The Cookaway’s dishes are designed with authenticity and proper preparation methods in mind. This focus on authentic cultural dishes is essential to the recipe kit company.

Beyond cultivating in-depth and detailed cooking experiences, The Cookaway is not a subscription-based service but rather a one-off recipe delivery solution. This means customers can choose to receive a kit from The Cookaway whenever they please, making it perfect for a special occasion date night. Many of The Cookaway’s recipes create big spreads, including several appetizers and entrees, for an in-depth experience.

Signing up for The Cookaway is simple. Customers can select a recipe from over 55 menus from eight global cuisines. Many recipes have different serving size options, so couples can select a kit that serves just two people or one with more servings if they are planning a dinner party. Next, customers can book a free standard delivery and choose the day they want the kit delivered.

Online customers can see all the details of the menu they choose. These details include spice level, estimated prep and cook time, and ingredients they’ll need from their kitchen. Menus include a brief description of the dish, its geographic and cultural origins, and how the separate ingredients work together to create its flavor profile.

The Cookaway is ideal for couples who love cooking and want to expand their skill and recipe repertoire. It’s a helpful resource for folks living where specialty ingredients may be harder to come by. “It’s super immersive,” Shreya said. “It’s a great way to learn about a specific kind of cuisine you’re interested in but don’t know where to start.” 

Customers can select recipes from eight regional menu groupings. These include Scottish, British, Pakistani, Spanish, Malaysian, Japanese, Greek, and Indian cuisines. Each group includes several recipes, so couples can try different dishes, all from the same area.

One of the most popular menu groups is Indian cuisine. There are 10 dishes, all curated by chef Nidhi Verma. Nidhi’s recipes use simple ingredients and fragrant spices, and her instructions stay true to traditional cooking methods. Every kit includes the highest quality premium ingredients, detailed instructions, and a cooking guide.

The Ultimate Biryani Banquet is a full-spread kit offered by The Cookaway. The kit is designed for two to three servings, meaning it’s ideal for couples with big appetites who don’t want the hassle of going to a restaurant. This kit includes the ingredients and instructions for chicken dum biryani, cucumber mint raita, kachumber, and masala chai. 

Chef Irini Tzortzoglou crafted the recipes for the Greek selections. These include chicken souvlaki, lamb kleftiko, and larger spreads like the Greek Meze Experience and the Ultimate Greek Brunch. Irini is a master of Greek cuisine, and all her recipes focus on quality ingredients and fresh produce.

The Malaysian menus were developed by chef Ping Coombes, who focuses on using the rich, spicy, and aromatic flavors Malaysian food is adored for. Malaysian food is infused with influences from Malay, Indian, and Chinese cultures. Couples interested in trying their hand at Malaysian cuisine will find dishes like jackfruit rendang and crispy chili beef.

Chef Sumayya Usmani developed the Pakistani menus, influenced by a rich and complex blend of heritage. These menus equip evocative flavors that will take customers on a full-fledged culinary adventure. Recipes include chicken koftay and sindhi karri. 

Whatever culinary tradition a couple decides to investigate using The Cookaway’s services, they can be sure the ingredients are of the highest quality, and the recipes are authentic. Engaging with global cuisine can cultivate better cooking practices and increase skill in the kitchen, all with the reward of a delicious dish at the end of it. 

Shreya said The Cookaway has long been a top contender for date nights. One of their bestselling times of the year is around Valentine’s Day, an occasion known for limited restaurant availability. “For Valentine’s Day this year, we did love boxes, which were our normal recipe boxes plus a Q&A sheet,” Shreya said. “This sheet had a bunch of questions couples could ask each other while cooking to get to know each other better.”

The Cookaway designs meal kits that are immersive and interactive. Each recipe was made to be carefully attended to and includes information about the specific ingredients, dish, and presentation. All of this information is presented from the perspective of the chef who made the menu, so there’s an abundance of details not just about the act of cooking but also the diverse traditions these meals hail from. The Cookaway elevates an at-home date night to an educational experience.

Customers who aren’t super comfortable in the kitchen shouldn’t feel overwhelmed by The Cookaway’s menus. Shreya assured us that even beginners can find their way using the detailed instructions of the meal kit. “If you enjoy cooking, no matter your skill level, you can find something delicious you can make,” Shreya said. She said she’s learned a lot about cooking and world cuisines since she began working at The Cookaway.

The recipe kit service is focused on expanding in the next couple of years and adding new features to make the cooking experience more immersive. Shreya said the team is developing how-to videos, so customers can follow a step-by-step video that includes visual instructions on how to cook each dish.

Couples who want to stay in for date night but are sick of their go-to takeout spot will find an opportunity to make delectable dishes in their own home. “I would say that whole idea of slowing down and finding the love for cooking and enjoying the experience is a really special thing,” Shreya said. “It’s even more special when couples can do it together.”