Weekender: Bringing fine dining into your home

After 12 months of various lockdowns and tiers, it’s clear that everyone is ready to enjoy a pint in a pub, sample some of Yorkshire’s Michelin stars and experience any one of the number of fantastic activities Yorkshire offers.

But while we await – in the words of William Wallace – “our freedom”, many restaurants have taken to offering takeaway or cook at home specials.

The latest to join this illustrious list is the Fourth Floor Brasserie from Harvey Nichols which has launched HN @ Home. The premise is simple you order a set menu, created by head chef Lee Heptinstall and his team and follow the easy step-by-step instructions, creating three-course dinner for two using the finest local and seasonally sourced ingredients.

I was fortunate enough to be sent a box to try and can vouch that the instructions were simple and the results delicious.

The starter

My menu for the night courtesy of Heptinstall was beetroot-cured salmon, horseradish and herb cream cheese, compressed celeriac and a lemon crumb. Now firstly the instructions are very simple to follow and handily all the ingredients come in a course specific box. This was probably one of the simplest platings of the night as luckily all the hard work has already been done, simply take the food out 10 minutes before serving and then plate up.

The main course

The main course – which does require a little more effort and some more precise timing – was a slow roasted pork belly, parsnip, confit potatoes, kale, spiced apple purée with a red wine jus. Again the instructions were clear and on plating it and serving it to my better half I felt like I was competing in MasterChef. The meat was tender and everything tasted fantastic.

The dessert

Finally the dessert, vanilla mascarpone mousse and poached rhubarb served with a ginger crumb. Now this was another simple plating although I opted to heat up my poached rhubarb, so there was a little more effort required than with the starter. However this dessert delivered on every level the sweet of the mascarpone with the tang of rhubarb and then the crunch of the ginger crumb.

Ultimately the idea is great, if we can’t go to the Fourth Floor Brasserie, it will come to us, however the only thing that let it down was my plating (see the photos).

However what I really like is that you can view the menu for the weeks ahead online and it isn’t always the same.

The package costs £50 plus £5 delivery fee and includes enough food for two people. Orders need to be placed by 3pm on Tuesday for home delivery on Fridays or collection from Harvey Nichols Leeds on Thursday. You can also add a range of wines or cocktails to your order, we opted for some Espresso Martinis (£10 for two) and a bottle of Spanish Rioja,

HN @ Home has also launched a Valentines special (£100) which includes five courses. All the details can be found at here.