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Advice, Support & Opportunities
Don’t fork out over the odds for Valentine’s, stay in and go gourmet
By Helen Lewis (helen@foodanddrinktowers.co.uk)
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and my bank account is still reeling after two major hammerings in the past two months: Christmas and my daughter’s first birthday. As much as I love my husband, and I love my food and bubbly, there’s no way I fancy paying out for a babysitter on Valentine’s night to sit in a restaurant charging double its usual fee for a run of the mill three-course set menu.
So, this year I’m opting for a break from the norm. I’m ordering ‘take-in’ of the gourmet variety. No greasy stodgy pizzas for the love of my life, oh no. If I had to choose, out of all the options on the market that I’ve been lucky enough to sample so far, I’d go for James Martin’s Life Fork & Spoon range (http://www.lifeforkspoon.co.uk). I am biased in that I’m a die-hard fan of Saturday Kitchen, but, his idea to create a range of delicious meals that are suitable for dinner parties, special nights in, and family meals is inspired.
The Valentine’s box provides the ingredients you’ll need for a romantic meal for two. Soups, mains and desserts created by James, “to create that extra special evening for your loved one”. All boxes include a fresh red rose and a box of gourmet chocolate truffles, so that’s the pressies sorted too.
The main course was the real winner, which I served with some microwavable steamed vegetables and ready-made dauphinoise potatoes (because there is no point in cooking some parts of the meal from scratch – the point of this is convenience as well as indulgence).
I concur with the description on the website as: “A moist and tender chicken supreme generously stuffed with a tasty pork, leek and bacon farce and smothered in a smooth and creamy mushroom and Madeira sauce”.
"This stuffed chicken is very chefy,” says James Martin. “It looks great sliced and fanned on the plate showing the contrasting colours. For best results I like to remove the chicken from the sauce and crisp the skin under the grill before slicing." Indeed, hubby was suitably impressed.
On the menu:
- Mushroom soup.
- Chicken filled with Pork, Leek & Bacon Farce with Portobello Mushroom and Madeira Sauce.
- White Choc & Whisky Bread & Butter Pudding.
I served this delicious dinner with a bottle of equally delicious Codorníu Pinot Noir Brut Cava (http://www.codorniu.es/codorniu.html). 100% Pinot Noir (RRP £10.99). This wine brings back happy memories of too many trips to Barcelona for sun, sea, sand and shopping pre-children.
The meat options (chicken or duck) are £40 including delivery. The veggie option is £35 including delivery.
If you don’t fancy a three-course gourmet meal, a la James Martin, I also highly recommend PIE (www.eatpie.co.uk). A British classic and something unexpected on Valentine’s night: why not? PIE is run from a kitchen on Clapham high street and offers customers pies, sides and mash delivered to their South London homes or to collect in person. They kindly delivered chicken and tarragon pie, mashed potatoes, gourmet peas and braised red apple cabbage for the two of us to sample. I can honestly say that it was the best pie I’ve ever tasted. The mushy peas knocked the socks off the standard fare I’ve eaten time and time again in Leeds when visiting my relatives (fish, chips and mushy peas are standard Saturday supper fodder for my folks) and the mash tasted homemade and fresh.
Serving pie and mash on Valentine’s night is far from ‘PIE-key’ (a slogan used to humorous effect by the founders of the company, Matt Wells and Ant Read). The handmade pies are sourced from a specialist in Scotland and are made with the best quality ingredients around.
PIE is currently offering a meal deal with a gourmet PIE, choice of side, mashed potato and gravy, AND delivery to your home (if you live in South London) for just £9.95. PIE can also deliver a selection of wine and beer to over 18s. If you live outside of London I empathise (I live in Kent so I won’t be able to get my next PIE fix until I’m next in Clapham), but I’m guessing you won’t have to wait long before you can get your PIE feast. These pies deserve national notoriety.
Produced in Kent, and available for delivery nationwide, is the COOK range. COOK is also a fabulous contender for a special Valentine’s night in and a brand I’m passionate about (being a Kentish lady). I had the chance to sample: Sea Bass with Asparagus Tips & Linguine in a Lobster & Saffron Bisque (2 portion - £13.99), Beef Wellingtons - prime fillet of British beef with a mushroom and brandy duxelle wrapped in a puff pastry lattice (2 portion - £15.99), which I served as a jazzed-up roast with roast potatoes, honeyed parsnips, peas and garlic mushrooms. Also, Duck Confit - confit duck leg in a juniper berry and orange zest sauce, with cranberries and fondant potatoes (2 portion - £10.99).
Other options include leg of lamb, marinated in garlic, rosemary and mint, cooked slowly in a red wine sauce, served with potatoes, caramelised shallots and spinach (2 portion - £12.99) and Monkfish Wellingtons - marinated monkfish with slow-cooked Mediterranean vegetables wrapped in a puff pastry lattice (2 portion - £14.99), among others, but these two stand out for me.
Since its launch in 1997, COOK (www.cookfood.net) has been providing delicious food for those who don’t have the time or inclination to always cook themselves. On Valentine’s Day I’m pretty sure most people have better things to be doing (like working and looking after the kids!) than preparing a three-course meal from scratch.
Because COOK’s food is blast frozen at -35°C all the nutrients and flavours are locked in so it tastes freshly made when it’s removed from the oven or microwave (all dishes can be cooked from frozen).
Growing through word of mouth, COOK now has a national network of 57 branded shops, an online delivery service and more than 300 concessions in farm shops and independents. As a matter of principle COOK doesn’t sell to the big multiples and is committed to remaining an independent, family-owned company. I like that a lot.
Delicious desserts are also available including Banoffi Pie, Lemon Tart, Summer Pudding and Chocolate Roulade.
We’d love to hear from you if you decide to order gourmet ‘take-in’ for your Valentine’s night, or if you’ve ever tried James Martin’s Life, Fork & Spoon, PIE or COOK. Email us helen@foodanddrintkowers.co.uk. For more information about the companies featured, please see below:
