The traditional Valentine’s Day celebration of dinner and drinks is off the menu this year, but the romantic yet uninspired amongst us can now recreate the fine dining experience with a restaurant-prepared meal at home.
As the hospitality industry adapts to current Covid restrictions, dine-at-home options are becoming more widely available, bringing Michelin star excellence to your table, whether you are a maverick or a muppet in the kitchen.
Haworth @ Home
Multi-award-winning chef Nigel Haworth has launched his new home dining experience, Haworth @ Home. Haworth personally sources the finest sustainable British produce to ensure the best flavour and integrity of each dish on his new menu.
“My career has been dedicated to tracking down the best ingredients from sustainable British producers, something that will be at the heart of all our ‘@ Home’ experiences,” explained Haworth. “Once the magic has happened in our kitchen, each dish will be packed and delivered to homes around the UK, requiring the simplest cooking before plating, serving and enjoying.”
The Valentine’s menu will include cheese and sourdough roll, artisan butter & butter bean hummus, Wellgate salmon loin wrapped in puff pastry, smoked leeks, ginger & caviar cream, truffled herb-fed free-range chicken breast with truffle and mushroom butter, romance of leg meat, hen of the woods, sea kale & yeast infused potato. To finish, there are Valentine’s desserts and chocolates.
Each of the dishes designed by Haworth, the holder of a Michelin star for 20 years, will be delivered by post to anywhere in the UK, arriving ready for diners to finish, heat and serve.
“We have created the new experience to deliver gourmet food whilst taking the fuss out of the preparation,” added Haworth. “We want everyone to be able to enjoy them, no matter what their cooking talent.”
In support of the wider hospitality industry, Haworth will also be making a donation to Hospitality Action for every Valentine’s Day box sold.
What: Haworth @ Home Valentine’s Day Meal for Two
Where: HaworthAtHome.co.uk
How much: £100
Aktar at Home
The creation of Michelin Star-winning chef Aktar Islam, who is usually found at the helm of his restaurant Opheem, in Birmingham. Aktar at Home is his response to the challenges of Covid-19, creating a way to allow diners to enjoy good food, even if they aren’t able to do so in the usual restaurant setting.
Opheem’s offering is Indian flavours at its finest – and the Valentine’s selection consists of two different options to choose from.
The tasting menu, with additional snacks and petit fours, is accompanied by two mini bottles of Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne and prestige wine flight curated by his team of sommeliers.
Alternatively, Islam’s sister restaurant, Pulperia, offers a set menu for two that is bold and flavoursome, featuring smoked octopus carpaccio, wild boar & beef shin ragu and a kilo of Angus ribeye. These are accompanied by sides, nibbles and other tasty surprises from Pulperia’s chefs. It comes with aperitifs and a bottle of Mendoza Malbec.
What: Aktar at Home Valentine’s Day Meal for Two
Where: AktarAtHome.co.uk
How much: From £165
Elite Bistros
Branded the UK’s most controversial chef, Gary Usher famously had to choose between a combi oven or new tables and chairs when he opened his Sticky Walnut restaurant in Hoole. Ten years on, Usher has six highly-regarded restaurants across the UK and has starred in his own Channel 4 TV series, the Rebel Chef.
Usher is now bringing a little bit of his Elite Bistros experience to diners at home with his Valentine’s Day Sharing Menu.
Start the meal with the included cocktail, and follow that up with whole baked Winslade with brown butter brioche soldiers and Armagnac prunes. Your main course will be a 35-day aged fillet of beef with homely accompaniments, followed by a spectacular chocolate and walnut pot with bitter chocolate ganache. Finish it all off with white chocolate, pistachio and rose fudge, and don’t forget to check the drink recommendations and add a perfect match to the order.
What: Elite Bistros Valentine’s Day Sharing Menu
Where: EliteBistros.com
How much: £153
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