The Times - UK - 04.12.2021

the times Saturday December 4 2021

4Weekend

C

all me a creature of habit,

but it has never occurred to

me not to make my own

Christmas lunch. And yet,

and yet... Am I the only one

who finds the spirit a little

weak this year? Is it that

the wraithlike presence of Omicron has

drained me of festive cheer, or is it, more

likely, that over the past couple of years

I’ve been seduced by the restaurant meal

kits I’ve been enjoying? Is it time to take

the plunge?

So, in the interests of research, I’ve put a

few kits to the test. The biggest lesson I

learnt earlier this year was that fancier is

not necessarily better. In February I tried

Core at Home by the three-Michelin-

starred Clare Smyth. It was brilliant from

start to finish — but the inclusion of tweez-

ers and probe thermometer indicated that

this was no microwave job. I spent the

whole meal yo-yoing from table to kit-

chen. My wife said afterwards that it was

the best meal she’d ever eaten on her own.

None of the kits I tried here required

anything like that level of commitment,

although I do have to question whether

you want to be spending Christmas morn-

ing shaping, proving and then deep-frying

your own cheese doughnuts, as Adam

Handling requires in his Christmas menu.

Full marks to him, though, for being one of

the few who supply what is recognisably a

traditional main course. Who wouldn’t

want a turkey crown stuffed with truffles

and all the trimmings on the day?

I love the idea of starting proceedings

with one of Hawksmoor’s sour cherry

negronis, and smoked salmon with soda-

bread is pretty much my standard Christ-

mas starter, but (doubtless impeccable)

steak doesn’t feel right on the day itself.

The Italians have the edge, I’d say,

because we’re not quite certain what they

do eat on Christmas Day. Jacob Kenedy’s

partridge with polenta and bagna cauda

from Bocca di Lupo strikes the right note,

especially when the meal finishes with a

grappa panna cotta. He also guarantees

the three courses will all be ready in 30

minutes, which means plenty of time for

church (or present opening).

Angela Hartnett’s Café Murano osso

bucco feast begins with a very generous

spread of antipasti. It’s a great way to start

the meal (and as a bonus needed no cook-

ing). There’s a decent risotto Milanese, and

the osso bucco was rich and wintry, if on

the salty side — but the panettone bread-

and-butter pudding was wondrous.

Alternatively there is always fish, which

makes a lighter but no less celebratory

meal. Rick Stein tells me that he likes to

have turbot with lots of white burgundy

on Christmas Day. His brill main was a

bit of a hassle, if I’m honest, but it came

out beautifully. The best of the lot, though,

was the box from Parsons, which hit the

right balance between effort and reward. It

was mainly an assembly job — the most

taxing thing was brushing the salmon Wel-

lington with egg wash and putting it in the

oven — but delicious from start to finish,

especially the whipped smoked cod’s roe

and scallops baked with a seaweed crumb.

Made in Oldstead

by Tommy Banks

four courses for two, £190

This Christmas meal from the Michelin-

starred chef Tommy Banks includes a

starter of smoked salmon with whipped

buttermilk and a main course of beef Wel-

lington. For sides there are duck chipolatas

in blankets, pommes Anna, Yorkshire

puddings (two each), seasonal greens and

a rich veal jus. Some cooking is required —

the Wellington needs half an hour in the

oven, and the Yorkshire puddings need to

be baked. The pudding is a dark chocolate

and rum fondant (12 min in the oven) with

crème fraîche parfait. Larger boxes are

available, for four at £360 or six at £520.

Order by December 14 for delivery on

December 23; madeinoldstead.co.uk

Stein’s at Home

four courses for two, £120

A festive fish feast from Rick Stein that

starts with an appetiser of tuna and guaca-

mole with chilli and soy dressing, followed

by langoustines with tarragon (they need

to be grilled for 2-3 min). The main course

is brill fillets, smothered in truffle butter

and accompanied by button mushrooms

and creamy mashed potato. Some frying

of the fish and mushrooms and reheating

of the potatoes is required, but shouldn’t

take more than 15 min. Pudding is a spiced

custard tart with Cornish clotted cream.

Order by 9am on December 17 for

delivery on December 22; rickstein.com

Café Murano

three courses for four, £180

Angela Hartnett’s northern Italian feast

starts with an antipasti spread including

mushroom and white truffle arancini, and

monkfish carpaccio. Osso bucco (a rich

dish of veal shanks braised in chianti) is

the main course, served with creamy saf-

fron risotto Milanese, which needs to be

reheated and finished with parmesan on

the hob. Dessert is panettone bread-and-

butter pudding. Full cooking and reheat-

ing instructions are online; you can also

order the kit for two for £100.

Order by December 17 for delivery

on December 23; dishpatch.co.uk

The Cinnamon

Collection

five courses for two, £130

This is a festive Indian feast from the

celebrated chef Vivek Singh of the Cin-

namon Club. Chickpea gnocchi canapés

are followed by a spicy Madras prawn and

curry-leaf starter — just fry in a pan for a

few minutes to warm through. The main

course is slow-braised, Kashmiri-style

lamb shank rogan josh, which can be

reheated on the hob. The feast is rounded

off with Singh’s garam masala sticky toffee

pudding, with nutmeg custard.

Order by December 17 for delivery

on December 23 or 24;

thecinnamoncollection.com

Hawksmoor

three courses for four

(including wine), £200

Start with a sour cherry negroni from this

famous steak restaurant. Also in the box

are three steaks, including one classic

porterhouse (which is two steaks in one,

fillet and sirloin), and a bottle of Real Agra-

do Rioja. The steaks arrive raw; the box

comes with a QR code to a video guide.

The sides are beef-dripping oven chips,

creamed spinach and garlic mushrooms.

There’s also a smoked salmon starter and a

dessert of sticky toffee pudding.

Order by 9am on December 16 for

delivery on December 22 or 23;

thehawksmoor.com

Hame by Adam

Handling

three courses for four, £250

Enjoy a glass of mulled wine and a cheese

doughnut to start your meal (you’ll need to

prove and fry the doughnut before serv-

ing). The main course is a turkey crown,

stuffed with truffles, that needs an hour in

the oven. There are sprouts with bacon,

crispy roast potatoes, spiced red cabbage

and cranberry sauce. The chef talks you

through how to heat and serve the sides in

a video accessed via a QR code.

Order by December 16 for delivery (£25)

on December 23; adamhandling.co.uk

Bubala

three courses for four, £155

A Middle Eastern vegetarian Christmas

dinner from one of east London’s coolest

restaurants. There’s a selection of meze,

including labneh with confit garlic and

Can’t face basting a turkey? Tony Turnbull

tries festive meal kits from chefs including

Angela Hartnett and Rick Stein

za’atar, followed by a main of whole roast

celeriac drizzled in miso glaze (it arrives

cooked and needs reheating). Sides in-

clude crispy potato latkes and caramelised

leeks with cream — some blanching and

frying is required. The total cooking time is

just under an hour. The pudding, a Middle

Eastern take on trifle with orange blossom

cream, needs some simple assembly.

Order by December 17 for delivery on

December 23; dishpatch.co.uk

Aktar at Home

four courses for six, £350

This Christmas dinner from Aktar Islam,

of the Michelin-starred Opheem in Bir-

mingham, starts with a generous spread of

i f hl oast

The lazy cook’s Christmas Day

The £200 steak

and wine feast

The three-course smoked

salmon, steak and sticky

toffee pudding meal kit

from Hawksmoor