Detox Kitchen is selling boxed restaurant ingredients to consumers to help supplier through coronavirus crisis

London deli and food delivery service Detox Kitchen has teamed up with its supplier to save food that was meant to be sold to restaurants from going to waste in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The company is collaborating with family-run fruit and vegetable wholesaler 2 Serve to turn produce that would have been supplied to now-closed restaurants into food “essentials” boxes. These are then being sold on their site for their customers to cook with.

“After talking with our vegetable supplier, whom we have been working with for over 10 years, we realised that by working together we could create a product that people would need during these uncertain times,” said Lily Simpson, the CEO of Detox Kitchen, which was forced to close its Carnaby Street location this week.

“This is about keeping the supply chain in business more than making profit,” Simpson added. “We have made them as affordable as possible for consumers. Now, more than ever, it is vital that people are eating well, ensuring that their immune system is supported."

Alongside serving meals in its deli, Detox Kitchen offers deliveries of health-focused meal plans. The new 2 Serve boxes launch today, with first deliveries being made in London on March 21 (Saturday). The “Veg & Essentials” box contains enough produce to feed two people for a week. It costs £40, but NHS staff and over 70s get 50 per cent off. Ingredients featured in the selection include sweet potatoes, broccoli, aubergines, pasta, rice, Oatly oat milk, apples, bananas, salad dressings and much more.

The decision comes after countless restaurants in London have made the decision to close temporarily, after prime minister Boris Johnson advised earlier this week that the public should avoid “pubs, clubs and theatres”.

The Veg & Essentials box is now available from Detox Kitchen for £40. For more information, visit detoxkitchen.co.uk