Tofu ramen, Shoryu
Almond and apricot cake, Paradise Foods
Pad thai, Home by Nico
Panettone bread and butter pudding, Jason Atherton cookalong
From the River Nidd to the RA Group, here are the best things the CODE team ate this week.
Exploding Bakery
Yes I know you could make brownies at home, but why would you when you can get some of the best brownies you’ll eat delivered straight through your letterbox. The team at Exploding Bakery work closely with their suppliers to ensure their brownies are as ethical as they are decadent, and there’s everything from salted caramel to blood orange and sour cherry. With a sweet tooth like no other, my personal favourite was the raspberry brownie topped with crunchy white chocolate – I had to stop myself from eating the whole tray at once. The team also offers letterbox subscriptions, so you can get brownies delivered to your door every month. The real question is, why an earth not?
Harriet Prior, editorial assistant
Tofu ramen, Shoryu
Shoryu at-home kit
Although I like the idea of making my own ramen, the reality (an overnight pork bone broth, soy-marinated eggs, tracking down kikurage mushrooms) is a little bit daunting. Thank goodness for Shoryu, then, who’ve ensured that we can all satisfy our ramen cravings with their super simple at-home kits. The box comes with the soup stock, ramen noodles and all the toppings – we chose the vegan option, so these included fried tofu, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and spring onion. All in all the ramen only took about 10 minutes to cook and the result was a delicious, restaurant standard bowl of umami goodness. Gluten free kits are also available, as well as spicy tonkotsu and ganso (that comes with the much-loved char siu pork) options.
Minna Gabbertas, partners & memberships
Almond and apricot cake, Paradise Foods
Paradise Foods
The Yorke Arms in Ramsgill is one of many casualties of the pandemic this year, having closed its restaurant with rooms for good and converting to a country house for hire. After a prolific 23-year tenure, Frances Atkins has used the opportunity to set up a more dynamic business a little further down the river Nidd. In a converted Airstream parked at Daleside Nurseries, Frances and two former colleagues are serving locally grown, seasonal dishes to take home or eat on the go, and can also cater for dinner parties and events. The quality of ingredients and the cooking is remains refined but can now, happily, reach a much wider audience.
Chloë Hamilton, head of partners & memberships
Pad thai, Home by Nico
Home by Nico
I think you’ll know what I mean when I say there’s home kits, and there’s home kits… Unpacking this Bangkok Thai street food menu from the team at Home by Nico is a delight in itself, as you strip away the layers until you find an absolute feast of food ready for the night ahead. With four courses, cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine included, £60 for two is incredible well priced – and believe me when I say the team have compromised on nothing. It’s easy to prepare, perfectly portioned and most importantly, it all tastes amazing. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but the spicy tom yum soup and the pad thai with crispy shallots were two highlights of mine. It reminded me that whilst restaurants are shut for the moment, there’s absolutely no reason we should be missing out on restaurant quality food. Treat yourself, it is lockdown after all.
Harriet Prior, editorial assistant
Panettone bread and butter pudding, Jason Atherton cookalong
Jason Atherton / RA Group
Eating in a Jason Atherton restaurant would be nice, but having the chef himself in your own kitchen is the next best thing… even on a screen. The RA Group has established Experience, a series on online masterclasses with stellar names and I got to cookalong with Mr Atherton this week. The panettone bread and butter pudding tutorial was brilliant; making custard like a pro and the art of glazing… but it was the sneaky layer of dark Terry’s chocolate orange segments that gilded the dessert in the most surprising way. “Who doesn’t love a chocolate orange?” Jason quipped. Not one for the calorie counters (in case anyone was in doubt about how much butter/sugar/cream was in a restaurant pud), but joyous to make and even better to eat. Clotted cream on top? The chef said it was a good idea…
Lisa Markwell, editor
To read more of the best things the CODE team ate this week, click here
Search results
