Review and images by @coxys_kitchen
In the current climate it has sadly become all too common for many businesses – especially those in the hospitality sector – to close on a temporary basis, with others having no choice but to close their doors for good. Some restaurants and bars have been fortunate in using this as an opportunity to diversify their business, by offering a take-away service or cook at home meal kits; Ceru is one of those businesses!
London based Ceru restaurants specialise in food from the Levant region. For now their restaurants may be closed, but thanks to their luxury Cook at Home meal kits, we [including everyone outside of London] can enjoy their delicious Levant flavours from the comfort of our own home.
It’s a wrap!
There are four meal kit menus to choose from: lamb, vegan, beef and chicken, with prices ranging from £40 up to £60 for two people. Each meal kit comes with all the ingredients you need to make the starter, main course (including sides dishes and garnishes) and dessert. I chose the beef meal kit menu, but before I even had chance to get excited about the food, they had me at the beautiful packaging! Each meal kit comes wrapped in its very own textile wrap, which could be used as a scarf, or even as cover over a coffee table. Ceru is a sustainable brand, so its packaging and perfectly proportioned and locally sourced ingredients, make complete sense.
After recovering from the joy of the beautiful textile wrap it was on to the food. Each meal kit comes with a printed menu including a full step-by-step recipe, to help you achieve the best results. You don’t need to be an experienced cook, but my advice would be to read the recipe before you start cooking so you know exactly what’s required.
A party on the palate
The Beef Fillet Menu starter is Greek Pitta Bread with Houmous Dip, or if you prefer, you can choose seasonal crudités as an alternative. With hardly any preparation other than a drizzle of olive oil and warming the bread, we were soon tucking in – I have to say, we were blown away by the freshness and zingy taste of the houmous; I don’t think I’ve ever tasted houmous quite like it.
Next it was on to the main course and after following the steps on the recipe card, it wasn’t long (30 minutes) before we were enjoying our main course consisting of:
- Beef Fillet with Zhug Dressing, Crushed Hazelnuts and a Red Amaranth garnish
- Pan Fried Tenderstem Broccoli with Tahini
- Turmeric Roasted Potatoes with a Fresh Coriander garnish
As with the starter, the flavours were as fresh as you like – something you might not necessarily expect considering the food has had to travel, but you certainly wouldn’t know it. The beef fillet was tender as it should be, the roast potatoes crispy and the broccoli crunchy. Personally I wasn’t too fond of the tahini sauce over the broccoli, but this is personal preference and if I ordered this menu again, I would simply leave it off and use it for something else. The key to achieving a restaurant quality dinner is simply to follow the instructions as detailed and you can’t go wrong.
To finish the meal it’s Baklava. I don’t have a sweet tooth in the slightest, so baklava, a dessert made with layers of filo pastry, chopped nuts and then doused in syrup or honey, was way off the sweetness chart for me. Fortunately my friend has the sweetest tooth, so was rather pleased to not have to share the dessert with me. The silence that followed after my friend tasted the first mouthful, tells me it was just as full of flavour as the previous courses!
The perfect gift
Ceru Cook at Home meal kits are the real deal. A high-end luxury product, but one that has kept a firm eye on what’s important; the quality of the food. These beautiful meal kits would certainly make the perfect gift for someone… or why not for yourself?! And with Valentines Day just around the corner and no signs of the lockdown easing, these luxury meal kits are perfect for those wanting to create that romantic restaurant vibe – and bring it home.
About Coxy’s Kitchen
Coxy’s Kitchen provides a private dining, dinner party and home-cooking service throughout Yorkshire. To make an initial enquiry, email [email protected] – Covid rules permitting.
