Peels On Wheels
KERPOW!
I love restaurants, but it’s not just the food; it’s the space; the ambience; the conversation; the service; the pleasure; the skills; the creativity; the hard work; and the dreams behind them. I’ve never particularly been a fan of takeaways—whilst there’s a time and a place for everything—I love cooking and with lockdown it’s not like I don’t have the time.
Then, Peels on Wheels from Hampton Manor caught my eye—3 courses requiring just a little light prep and minimal cooking. If that means eating a Michelin starred meal at home, that definitely shifts the goalposts.
On Saturday afternoon our POW box arrives. Feeling like it’s the big present under the Christmas tree, we take a peek inside before prising open and sniffing the contents of the various pots and cartons of all shapes and sizes, matching them up to the contents list. There’s magic in abundance in this box, so we agree to save it for tomorrow’s lunch.
By 1pm there’s a palpable excitement in the house that energises us like we’re actually going out out. It’s the first time I’ve shaved in three days and I decant a 2011 Damilano ‘Liste’ Barolo, from the cellar, that’s been waiting for exactly this opportunity.
Flowers picked from the garden, Barolo from the cellar… the table is set
Georgie is going to prepare her own veggie meal, so we both watch the ‘cook along video’ taking us through the various components, cooking requirements, and plating up techniques.
First up there are two sourdough mini-loaves with cultured butter, requiring a quick blast in the oven, along with the starters; ‘cod with shellfish sauce’ and the veggie option of ‘aubergine with tomato sauce’ both served with braised fennel, dill oil and puffed rice.
We start the plating up, putting down a lightly heated layer of braised fennel, onto which sits the cod or aubergine. We carefully tip over the warmed through sauces, drizzle with the emerald green dill oil and scatter puffed rice on top. These are plates from the fine dining textbook and we share sideways looks that are part smug and part appreciative of each others’ work. I want to shout service, but realise that’s us too.
Roast aubergine in tomato sauce
The cod is beautifully firm; the shellfish sauce is pure comfort, combining effortlessly with the sweet, mild anise of the fennel and the light bitterness of dill oil. The puffed rice adds texture in the shape of pure crunch. It tastes every bit as good as it looks.
Roast cod, in shellfish sauce
As much as we’d like to revel in the moment, we’re keen to get back in the kitchen for the main course. This time, with a glass of Barolo in hand and confidence blowing in our sails. For the vegetarian, it’s ‘onion tart and sauce’, whilst we’ve got ‘slow cooked shin of beef’ and they both come accompanied by cauliflower cheese, pickled red cabbage, black garlic ketchup and Cornish potatoes with chive butter.
The mains again are mostly heating up, before we’re back to plating up—our new ‘happy place’. Again, we’re grinning from ear to ear as we bring the plates to the table, to lap up more praise.
Veggie option: Onion Tart
The beef, luxuriating in its gravy, breaks into succulent pieces upon the slightest pressure. On the vegetarian side of the fence, there’s a whole, melt-in-your mouth, slow roasted onion, encased in pastry with onion gravy getting deep purrs of satisfaction. The cauliflower is roasted to intensify its flavour, under a melted slice of tangy camembert (or similar); beautifully sweet, creamy skin-on Cornish new potatoes glistening in the chive speckled butter; the black garlic ketchup is like a deeply seductive roasted aioli and lightly pickled red cabbage brings both crunch and freshness to what is a very fine plate of food.
2 x slow roast shin of beef, Onion tart and Cornish Potatoes
Before dessert, we allow ourselves some time to enjoy the last of that damn fine Barolo with its cherries, tobacco and chocolate notes still working their magic (makes mental note to self to pick up another bottle from Connolly’s).
The exquisite Barolo ‘Liste’, Damilano
Back to the kitchen, we’re portioning the strawberries and dressing them in the vanilla and champagne vinegar caramel, breaking up the white chocolate Aero, building these on top of the vanilla cream before a scatter of cookie crumb. I’m a tad cavalier with the cookie crumb (AKA a bit cocky), leaving it looking more Michelin-tyre than Michelin-star. It’s a good job Georgie is still demonstrating the required amount of finesse.
Georgie’s dessert… I seem to have lost the photo of mine
If you want to know how wonderful the dessert tasted… re-read those ingredients and then imagine it was significantly greater than the sum of its parts. We make espressos and retire to garden.
What a fabulous meal and experience; I never imagined it would feel so much like 'eating out' and such fun too. Whilst we’re waiting for restaurants to reopen this goes a long way towards filling the gap.
As for the bill it was £120.50, including delivery.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Peels On Wheels, Hampton Manor, Hampton-In-Arden B92 0EN
