Holiday entertaining hacks from Toronto's top kitchens

Maximize your time being home for the holidays by outsourcing all the essentials for entertaining family and friends.

We’ve rounded up the best take-out feasts and packages on offer over the festive season–everything from traditional turkey dinners and tourtières, to Hannukah spreads, vegan-friendly fare, cheese and charcuterie boards, and celebratory shellfish.

Seafoods

Whether you holiday rituals includes shrimp cocktails or more extravagant spreads of shellfish, there’s a bounty of options on offer in Toronto.

The Scout Sea Chest priced at $300 is everything you need to impress a party of 8 to 12 and includes smoked mackerel, cured trout, mussels in tomato and oil, Albacore tuna conserva, a dozen fresh oysters, a lobster roll kit, and more.

De La Mer/Facebook

De La Mer has got smoked fish platters and shrimp rings on offer while Hooked deals in fishcuterie boards and poached shrimp via special order, and Oyster Boy bills catering options that include freshly shucked oysters, jumbo shrimp bowls, and smoked fish canapes.

Appetizer Platters

Summerhill Market

Crudites, cheese boards, and charcuterie spreads plus canapés and cocktail nibbles from fine food purveyors in Toronto make entertaining easy by eliminating all the prep. Find platters for pick-up or delivery at Summerhill Market, Pusateri’s, McEwan’s, and The Cheese Boutique.

Turkey Dinners and Holiday Feasts

The Drake Commissary

Whether looking for turkey dinner with all the trimmings or beef wellington with festive sides, we’ve rounded up all the best ready-made meals and kits to make holiday feasting all the easier.

Tourtières

@bannock_to/Instagram

Traditional Québécois meat pies are available for pre-order from the grab & go counter at Bannock as well as from acclaimed Montreal restaurant Au Pied de Cochon who’s hosting a pop-up in Toronto for two days only this December.

Hannukah Spreads

Caplansky’s

Latkes, bagels, deli meats, and jelly-filled doughnuts (AKA sufganiyot) are here for the holidays! We’ve rounded up some of the top sources for these traditional Jewish holiday foods.

Vegan

Bunners

From vegan cheeze platters available at YamChops, to an assortment of pies and stuffed shortbread from Apiecalypse Now!, and Shepherd’s Pie from Bunners, there’s lots of options to make sure your holiday meals are inclusive for vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike.

BBQ Boxes

Cindy La/Liberty Commons

Liberty Commons has introduced large format feasts that are meant to get any party started. BBQ Boxes loaded with Alberta brisket, ribs, jerk chicken, sausages, and all the fixin’s can accommodate groups of 10 to 50.

Desserts

@bobbetteandbelle/Instagram

If a holiday baking marathon isn’t part of the plan, then consider ordering some sweet festive treats from Toronto’s top bakers. Reindeer cakes, Bûche de Noël, and Christmas cookies are in no short supply.