The launch follows Gousto’s Cookstarter campaign, which encouraged the public to nominate their favourite independent restaurants with indies also encouraged to self-nominate.
The winning restaurants (and dishes) are as follows: Manchester’s Baity Palestinian Kitchen (chicken musakhan with cucumber and parsley, pictured); North Shields’ Scott & Wilson (squash and garlic mushroom gnocchi); Bath’s Noya’s Kitchen (spicy Vietnamese chilli and ginger aubergine stir fry; Cardiff’s La Pantera (Mexican chorizo, feta and parmentier potato tacos); and London’s MC & Sons ‘Thairish’ Public House and Kitchen (Thai chicken khao soi curry).
The shortlisting and selection process was handled internally by Gousto, which evaluated and scored restaurants based on responses to a series of questions.
This long list was will then narrowed down by a public vote, hosted on Gousto’s social media channels.
The five restaurants also receive a year-long programme of business coaching support spanning marketing, finance, HR, SEO and social media.
The programme will be delivered by a dedicated ‘Board of Mentors’ at Gousto, put together by founder and CEO Timo Boldt.
“Gousto stands for variety and choice at dinnertime, whether that’s eating in or out. So we’re encouraging the nation to support the variety of the UK’s food culture with our limited edition Cookstarter recipes," says Gousto food director Kathryn Huxtable.
"The public response to the campaign has been phenomenal, and it’s clear that the nation really does care about protecting our diverse food culture. Our five finalists showcase the vibrancy and variety of food that the UK has to offer."
