OUR UK-WIDE COURIER DELIVERY
How do you deliver?
We deliver to most addresses in the U.K, using couriers like DPD or APC, in insulated boxes. You will receive the items frozen, ready for your freezer.
What are the delivery costs?
Delivery is free to mainland UK for orders over £49. There will be a delivery cost of £7.95 for orders under £49, to cover the cost of insulated packaging and next day courier delivery costs.
When do you deliver?
We deliver within 1-2 working days. We usually deliver between Tuesday – Friday each week, excluding bank holidays. You will be able to see all available delivery dates at checkout and choose your convenient day.
Where do you deliver?
We deliver to most addresses in mainland UK using DPD or APC’s next day delivery service.
Next day delivery with our couriers is not available to Northen Ireland and some parts of Scotland. If you are in doubt or live in a remote area where you usually have delivery issues, please contact us to check before ordering.
What if I am not in?
No problem. You can mention delivery choices (leave with my neighbour etc.,) when you order. Alternately when our couriers contact you with delivery time, they will give you alternate options. Since it’s frozen food, please endeavour to get it in your freezer as soon as you can.
Will I get the items frozen?
Yes. Our insulated delivery boxes act like mini-freezers, and they are tested to keep food frozen for up to 30 hours. Items are wrapped in special insulated liners and packed with dry ice.
Our meals will be delivered frozen, ready for you to pop-in the freezer and enjoy when you want.
Is the packaging material food safe/recyclable?
All our packaging materials are certified food safe and comply with all the regulations. All packaging materials used are recyclable and most are compostable.
ORDER ONLINE, BY EMAIL OR PHONE
How do I order?
Please order online on this website if you can. You can also order by email by emailing chef@chefakila.com or calling us on 01535 666596.
Can I gift your food to someone?
Yes indeed. If you know people who are curry lovers, have parents or kids who would love better and healthier curries, you can order on their behalf. Or you can order our convenient eGift Vouchers that can be delivered instantly or at a date of your choice.
OUR HEALTHY & NATURAL MEALS
Why Frozen?
Freezing is a natural and safe way of preserving food. If done properly using special equipment like we do, it locks-in all the nutrition, flavour and taste. It reduces risk and helps us deliver you the food to taste in its peak condition.
How do you freeze food?
We freshly cook quickly freeze within minutes of cooking. We use special blast freezers to freeze quickly at the right time. When you heat-up our food, it’ll look, smell and taste as if it was freshly just made at home.
Isn’t “fresh” food better?
Yes, slightly better, only if YOU source the finest ingredients, spend a lot of time to cook at home without short-cuts and eat straightaway. We believe that the longer Indian food is stored in ambient/chilled state, the more it loses taste and nutrition.
Most commercially available “fresh” food, particularly Indian food isn’t as fresh as they say. Supermarkets use cheap ingredients and factory-make food and do things to food to increase shelf-life. Takeaways and restaurants have to use lot of shortcuts and cut corners to serve many customers in a short time. Greasy, artificially coloured/flavoured food with cheap ingredients isn’t natural or healthy, even if it’s served hot as “fresh” food.
Where/How is your food made?
We hand-cook each item from scratch, in small batches in our Yorkshire kitchen. We don’t use any base gravies, ready-made sauces or chemicals. Chef Akila, Chef Selva and a small team lovingly cook and taste each item before packing on-site and blast freezing within minutes.
Do you use any additives/colours/preservatives?
No. We don’t use any chemicals, artificial colours, flavour enhancers, preservatives, sauces, base gravies or MSG. We cook using traditional methods and family recipes.
I’m allergic to something. Where can I find allergen information?
You can find allergen information on each pack and on each item on our website. There is also a handy, downloadable menu allergen chart on our website. You can see link for this in the footer of our site.
Are the calorie/nutritional values accurate?
We meticulously analyse calorific and nutritional values of each of our items using industry/legal standards and verify using accredited labs. However please be aware that the values are typical. We hand-cook each batch and there is a possibility of small variation in values.
Is your food safe?
Our kitchen has a 5-star food hygiene rating and we comply with all food safety requirements in the U.K. Our HACCP/NCASS standards are monitored and inspected. All our staff are adequately trained in food safety and hygiene. All packaging materials we use are certified food safe to industry standards.
How long would it last in my freezer?
Each item will have a “best before” date on the pack. While technically our food may last longer, we’ve taste-tested every item and give the “best before” date based on this. Each item will last in your freezer for a minimum of 3 months.
What portion sizes do you do?
Our curries, biryanis, rice items, sides and dals are available in packs to serve 2, or in combo packs with a curry or sauce with rice or biryani. We also have curry sauces to serve 4 and party packs to serve 8-10.
Can I store leftovers in the fridge?
You can store any leftovers in the fridge safely for 1-2 days and heat-up again. We do not recommend refreezing the meals once thawed.
OUR HIGH QUALTIY, NATURAL INGREDIENTS
Where do you source your chicken/lamb?
We only use traceable and high welfare chicken and lamb from reputable Yorkshire suppliers. Provenance and quality are very important for us and we never use imported meat.
Is your meat Halal?
Yes. We were able to source high quality halal meat from July 2023, from a supplier who always stuns animals and makes sure they are unconscious before slaughtering. Therefore, all orders from the 16th of July 2023 will receive meals made from halal certified meat
Which oils do you use?
We use the best quality, cold-pressed, virgin/extra virgin oils, organic where possible. We never use any cheap commercial oils/GMO oils or refined oils. We tested and analysed 16 different oils before deciding on the best ones. We use the least amount of oil required for each recipe. Some of our non-vegan items have a touch of home-made organic ghee, which is made from British or Irish organic butter.
Are there any chemicals added?
None whatsoever. We don’t need to add any preservatives due to how we freeze food, we don’t need to add flavourings as our food is naturally flavoursome. We don’t add artificial colours or sweeteners as we think they are harmful.
OUR VEGAN/VEGETARIAN FOOD
How is your Vegan food made?
We cook and pack our vegan food on separate cooking days, using different utensils and equipment. We store our Vegan ingredients separately to non-vegan items. We have separate fridges and freezers for animal and plant products and clean everything meticulously before and after cooking non-vegan items. We use the same standards of separation and hygiene for our vegetarian food as well.
Why so many meat-free options?
Many Indian recipes are naturally plant-based and are ideal for our “as healthy and clean as possible” ethos. Whether you are a vegan/vegetarian or just want meat free meals, we have a large range of veggie tems.
Do you use any lab-grown/fake meat?
No! All our vegetarian and vegan items have natural items and we do not use any fake meat or meat substitutes.
COOKING/HEATING
How do I heat your food? Do I need a microwave/oven?
All our meals are fully cooked, and you can heat from frozen. Instructions for each items are be on our website and will be labelled on individual packs.
All our meals (except our party packs) can be heated in microwave or oven. Curry and Dal items can also be heated on hobs. Our party packs, due to size, need to be cooked in oven or hob.
Can I heat from frozen?
Yes, you can heat all our meals from frozen. Instructions and timings will be on each pack. You can also thaw in fridge before heating if you prefer, but please reduce heating times accordingly.
CUSTOMISING OUR FOOD
I like my food spicier/milder. Can I customise to my taste?
You can choose items varying from mild to hot. We tend to add less spice/chillies and much less oil/fat, so everyone can enjoy our healthy food. We know tastes vary, so we always recommend checking seasoning and salt before serving. You can add own personal touch with garnishing etc. You can contact us if you have any queries or need advice from our chefs.
Can you modify a recipe/make it specially for us?
Sorry, we can’t. Our meals are made in small batches, nutrition analysed, lab tested and values printed on the labels/sleeves. Therefore, we are unable to take special orders to make our items with or without certain ingredients.
CONTACTING US
Our email: chef@chefakila.com
Call Us: 01535 666596