Leila Dukes loves eating out at restaurants, but there’s one day of the year when she reckons it’s best to avoid them at all costs.
Restaurants on Valentine’s Day are invariably horrific: the overpriced set menus, the gaudy decorations, the forced phoniness of it all. No thank you! Chefs, waiters and kitchen staff hate it too; it’s much easier to cater for a restaurant full of friendly groups of four and six than dozens of lonely little tables for two.
If only this celebration of love and romance was in midsummer and we could revel in outdoor picnics, feeding each other strawberries and snoozing in the sun.
Best to stay in, get cosy and enjoy a genuinely intimate, relaxing feast together. The lovely, talented lot at the Brompton Food Market agree, and have come up with the brilliant idea to deliver a Valentine’s Day meal kit to London’s lovebirds. It’s not just for smug married types – they’re also offering the deal for one, AND a bottle of house wine thrown in for singles. All the prep is done to very high, cheffy standards so all you have to do is cook it as per the instructions.
The bags arrived with all the components and instructions to put together a classic, elegant, aphrodisiac-packed four course meal for two.
Food is definitely the way to my heart, and this menu is the type of thing that would get me shouting undying love from the rooftops:
Lobster cocktail, blood orange dressing, romaine lettuce, baguette … peppered rare breed fillet steak, truffled mash, creamed spinach and nutmeg, red wine gravy … or … monkfish, truffled mash, creamed spinach and nutmeg, butter chive sauce. Lemon and passion fruit posset, tropical fruit salad. La Tur soft cheese with truffle honey and oat cakes. You can also order specially selected wine as part of the kit.
The starter was luxurious yet light enough to save room for the rich courses to come. Generous chunks of beautifully firm, juicy lobster meat were enrobed in a silky sauce, offset by a crunchy salad and a punchy dressing of seasonal blood orange.
The only bit of cooking required is to get a heavy pan very hot and sear the peppered fillet steaks briefly on each side.
The sides of truffle mash and nutmeg-y spinach just needed to be reheated – they complemented the meat beautifully.We managed to find room for lemon posset for pudding … And polished off the final course of ripe La Tur cheese, oat biscuits and truffle honey snuggled up on the sofa. You can’t do that in a restaurant!
Everything was very easy to put together and the portion sizes were well judged. Even though my artistic plating up skills could do with some work, it all looked, smelled and tasted fabulous. Every component of every dish was restaurant quality; excellent ingredients prepared with skill and seasoned to perfection.
Whether you’re in a new relationship or have been together for years, this was the perfect Valentine’s Day date. It’s fun getting everything ready together and honestly, we felt the same sense of satisfaction as we would have done if the meal had taken hours of work. Best of all, we didn’t have to schlep home after the meal. If things do escalate romantically as one would hope after such a gorgeous meal, the bedroom is just down the hall… nudge nudge, wink wink!
The Valentine’s Day kit is available from Brompton Food Market, £70.00 plus delivery. Place your orders now in time for V Day this weekend!
Find out more at bromptonfoodmarket.co.uk.
Written by Leila Dukes. For Leila, “food is always connected to history, influenced by previous generations, different countries and customs, friends & family … it’s about learning, teaching, sharing, and celebrating. This review also appears on her blog, Swallower of Lives.
