Five & Two, Royces Roasts, HummusCo & The Underground Food Cartel

Heading for a potluck & wondering what to bring? Here are cooked-to-order possibilities that could prove both convenient & creative, tried & tested for CWs farewell fete.

The party was on a recent Sunday; we panicked by Wednesday, emailing multiple home-based makers of scrumptious treats to see whether we could collect their wares that looming weekend. First to respond: Five & Two Fine Foods, suppliers of sweet-savory meat preserves.

The highlight: A triumvirate of liquor-laced bacon jams. Each pungent pot (RM25) bristles with bits of chewy-fried bacon, confidently infused with Scotch whisky, beer or a quarter-pint of stout.

Whiskys mellow & pleasurably oily, beers sweetly punchy, while stouts bold, rich & rounded; each is nuanced enough to emerge as a distinctive experience.

Pork acar, aromatically & resonantly savory, a traditional triumph a grandmother would love.

Oven-grilled, candied streaky bacon strips should also prove crowd-pleasing. Expect to hear more about Five & Two soon as more folks learn of this selection.

Next up, more pork: Royces Roasts, specializing in siu yuk painstakingly perfected by a reporter-turned-headhunter who inherited a passion & prowess for the kitchen from his mom.

Royces rendition of this Chinese pork belly staple, marinated overnight & roasted to meaty tenderness, reminds us how the best home cooking isnt always easy to replicate at restaurants. This is honest, hearty fare, prepared by someone who knows how good food tastes.

You cant hide satisfaction: Royces roast pork belly costs RM80 per kilogram, potentially sufficient to feed the hungriest of hordes.

Moving along: Hummus sure isnt the enemy, not when its endearingly made by HummusCo.

Chickpea spreads blended with tahini & lemon juice form only the basic foundation for HummusCos recipes; what makes this wholesome selection special is its variety of flavors. Were fans particularly of the pesto-primed one, bolstered with basil, pine nuts & cheese.

Roasted Garlic, creamy without being cloying, tinged with thoughtful notes that complement _ not compete with or compromise _ the hummus natural flavors.

Smoky Chipotle, a spicy, beautifully textured spread with paprika, vinegar & cayenne peppers. Each 250-gram serving costs up to RM20.

Finally, for food thats more familiar, we took a chance on The Underground Food Cartel. That bet paid off big time, thanks to one of the nicest lasagnas weve had in ages.

A waistline-wrecker, but in the best possible this-is-why-Garfield-loves-it sense. Comfort food that costs RM50 for a portion thatll feed six people (or one large orange cat).