Dirty Bones meal kit at home - Plateaway review

We’ve eaten quite a lot of takeaways during the pandemic, but not because we couldn’t get out to our favourite restaurants – since becoming parents over three years ago we have barely been out to eat more than a handful of times! Instead, ordering in food was either something we did at the end of a particularly tiring day of working and entertaining a toddler, or because we felt like we needed a treat of some kind. I was getting a bit fed up of our same old, same old choices, particularly when it came to actually celebrating a special occasion.

For Valentine’s Day we had a lovely delivery from a local restaurant, Spaghetti Tree, but for my birthday recently I wanted to do something else. I have seen a few websites that allow you to order meal kits from restaurants if you live too far away to get a takeaway- you do have to cook it yourself but they provide all the ingredients and instructions. That sounded quite fun so for my birthday I had a look at Plateaway to find something my husband and I would both like - which immediately ruled out quite a lot! I decided to go for burgers out of curiosity - cooking burgers at home is never as good as eating them in restaurants or indeed takeaway/ delivery from the likes of Five Guys. I’ve often wondered even if you get a good quality beef patty surely what makes these meals delicious is the way they are cooked or even the way the burgers are assembled - so this was my opportunity to find out!

I went for the ‘Mac Daddy kit’ from a restaurant called Dirty Bones - they have a site in London’ Shoreditch though I’ve never eaten there before. I selected the option I wanted from Plateaway - kit to serve two for £19 - and entered the delivery date I wanted. I went for the day before my birthday as the meal kits do have to be used within a day or two but as the delivery time is not guaranteed I thought it best to get it the day before- though it came around 11.30am.

Plateaway lists everything you get inside the box on its website so you know before you order exactly what you are getting. In this kit there were burger patties, American cheese slices, brioche buns, a pouch of macaroni cheese and a pouch of pulled pork in barbecue sauce. The latter were both already cooked and prepared and just needed reheating. The kit doesn’t come with fries so you will need to supply cook those yourself.

There was a card inside the pack with detailed instructions, though it was very straightforward and really only involved frying the burgers and heating the Mac and cheese and pulled pork in small pans. The instructions also include how to assemble the burger.

And is ordering a burger from Plateaway worth it? A resounding yes from me. The burger was juicy, the mac and cheese creamy and the pulled pork tangy, all working together to give the taste of something I would happily have ordered in a restaurant.

But is it worth cooking something from Plateaway or a restaurant meal kit yourself? First of all, let’s look at the cost. This was £19 for two people - so £9.50 per burger - plus a £4.95 delivery charge. At Dirty Bones restaurant the Mac Daddy burger is £12 - so you save £2.50 by cooking it yourself or if you count the delivery cost it’s basically the same as eating in the restaurant (though you would have to factor in the cost of getting to the restaurant unless you lived in walking distance, and a tip). It is cheaper than ordering a takeaway - we seem to spend about £40 when we order from Five Guys for instance though that includes fries and drinks. It’s worth knowing that you can also get the cook at home meal kits direct from the Dirty Bones website. They charge £28 instead of £19 for the Mac Daddy kit but that includes delivery and also two portions of fries with their special blend of onion and garlic salt.

Ultimately the draw of getting a restaurant meal kit to cook at home is if you want to eat food from a particular restaurant and live too far to either go there (or are avoiding travel/eating out still due to covid; we were in lockdown when we ordered this but even now haven’t started going into London again) or live too far away to get an actual takeaway delivered. For that reason- and because the food was delicious even though I cooked it myself - I would definitely order again!

One-Pot Cheeseburger Chilli

I wanted to make spaghetti Bolognese for dinner but realised I’d run out of spaghetti, so instead of just using a different shape of pasta I decided to try out this recipe for “cheeseburger chilli”. It’s basically minced beef in a tomato sauce, served with pasta and topped with cheese. The chilli element comes from adding chopped red chilli and red kidney beans – I thought I had a tin in the cupboard but it turned out to be black eyed beans. I don’t really like those (it’s mainly the texture – I don’t eat baked beans either) so I pulsed them in a blender together with the passata to make a healthier tomato sauce with hidden veg. Both red kidney beans and black eyed beans are meant to be good to eat if you have high blood pressure, which I do, so that's another bonus.

 

The other thing about this recipe that stood out was the way that the pasta is cooked. This is a one-pot meal where you fry the mince and then add the pasta and water into the same pan. I used a bit too much water so it didn’t all get absorbed and I had to drain a little away, and I was worried that I was draining some of the flavour out of the meat, but it tasted really good. If you’re looking for a hearty, healthy meal that won’t mean a lot of washing up then I recommend you try this!
 

 

 

To serve two, you need:

half an onion, peeled and chopped

1 chilli or 1-2 tsp Very Lazy chopped chilli, to taste (err on the side of caution if you don't like it too hot!)

2 tbsp. olive oil or 1 tsp coconut oil which is what I used

300-400g minced beef depending on how big an appetite you have

100-150g pasta like penne or macaroni, ditto

300g passata

150g black eyed beans or red kidney beans (the latter is preferable)

2 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

50g grated cheese like Cheddar or Emmental plus extra to sprinkle on top if you like

 

If using a whole chilli, carefully remove the stalk and seeds and chop it finely. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion, chilli and mince until the mince has browned.

 

If you don't like the texture of the beans (or have children who won't eat it if they see them) then pulse in a blender with the passata and add to the mince. Or if you have more grown up tastes than I do, add the passata and beans straight into the pan. Season with salt and pepper.

 

 

Then - and this is the part I found weird - add the pasta to the pan and enough water to cover the pasta. Simmer until the pasta is cooked - you may have to drain off a bit of water. Finally stir in the cheese, and serve topped with fresh herbs and a sprinkling of cheese if you like.

 

Sweet Potato and Halloumi Burger

Who doesn't love a good burger? But burgers don't have to be beef or even chicken - as my Burger recipe book with over 100 recipes shows. I made these when my boyfriend's mum came to dinner just before Christmas; she is vegetarian and I wanted to make something that would be different from the food we would be eating over Christmas. My mum and I - who are not vegetarians - really enjoyed these burgers too, while my boyfriend and dad had homemade beef burgers.

These burgers are soft -a little like fishcakes in texture - but as long as you are not expecting a firm burger like a beef burger, these are great.

To make three, you need:
200g sweet potatoes
100g broccoli
1 clove garlic, crushed
half a red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp dried chilli flakes
100g halloumi cheese, grated
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
burger buns

 

Cook the sweet potato in a pan of salted water until tender, then add the broccoli for the last few minutes and cook until tender. Drain and mash both together.

Add the garlic, chilli, cheese and season with salt and pepper. Use your hands to shape the mixture into patties, coat in the flour, and put on a plate in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers on both sides and serve in bread rolls.

These were tasty, low in fat and a good way to get some extra vegetables into your meals! In fact it Is so virtuous compared to a regular burger that I am sending this to the Spice Trail challenge as the theme this month is 'temple food'. The challenge is hosted by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash.

I'm also sending this to Eat Your Greens, hosted by Shaheen at Allotment 2 Kitchen. The green vegetable in this is broccoli.

Shaheen also runs the Vegetable Palette challenge and this month the theme is any veg that you love - and I love broccoli and sweet potato!

Extra Veg, a challenge aimed at getting us to eat an extra portion of veg, is hosted by Kerry Cooks this month, on behalf of Helen at Fuss Free Flavours and Michelle at Utterly Scrummy.

Slimming World Big Mac In A Bowl

If you're on a diet and missing burgers and Big Macs this recipe is just the thing. I adapted it from one in Slimming World magazine. The idea is that you have all the elements of a burger, without a bun, in a bowl - but you use extra lean or Quorn mince and a lot more lettuce.

Serves 1
 You need:
Fry Light cooking spray
125g Quorn mince (you can also use extra lean mince)
half a red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 whole little gem lettuce or about 1/4 - 1/2 iceberg lettuce
2 gherkins, sliced
1 large tomato, sliced
grated cheese (optional)

For the burger sauce:
2 tbsp extra-light mayonnaise
2 tbsp fat free fromage frais
1 tsp burger mustard
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp white wine vinegar

Spray a pan with Fry Light and fry the mince, red onion and garlic until browned.

Meanwhile mix all the ingredients in a small bowl to make the sauce.

Cover the base of a large bowl or plate with lettuce, add the sliced gherkins and tomato (if using - I left these out) and spoon the mince over the top. Drizzle the burger sauce over the top.

You can also add grated cheese on top though if you want this to be a low-calorie meal either leave it out or use a half-fat cheese!

I wasn't particularly expecting to like this and thought I would feel quite short changed while my boyfriend was eating a burger but I didn't at all, and really enjoyed it.

Sweet Chilli Turkey Burgers

These sweet chilli turkey burgers are low fat and really zingy, they make a lovely change from a beefburger and are very easy to make.

Allow about 100-120g turkey mince per person. Mix the mince in a bowl with some chopped red onion, chopped spring onion, 1/2 tsp oregano per person and 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce per person. Combine well and shape into patties with your hands.

Place on a foil lined tray and cook in the oven for 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with rocket, and tomato if desired, in a crusty bread roll or burger bun.

I'm sending this to the Spice Trail Beach Barbecue Challenge, hosted by Vanesther at Bangers and Mash.

Piri Piri Chicken

I've made peri peri chicken before which I think is a South African recipe- at least Nando's, which is famous for its peri peri chicken, is a South African restaurant chain. I wanted to make something to represent Portugal for Chris's Bloggers Around The World challenge and when I browsed for Portuguese recipes on the internet, I came across several piri piri chicken recipes. I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between peri peri and piri piri and wonder if anyone can enlighten me?

I wanted a simple recipe that I could make for a quick week night dinner and used this one from Taste.com.  and adapted it as this recipe was to marinade a whole chicken and I wanted to use breasts. To serve two, you need:

2 chicken breasts

1 clove garlic, crushed, or a squeeze of garlic paste

1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped or a squeeze of ginger paste (a great timesaver!)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Put all the ingredients other than the chicken in a bowl and mix well.

Marinade the chicken either for a few hours or overnight. If you don't have time to do that, you can even cook the chicken straight away and it will still have a lovely flavour. Bake in a preheated oven for about 25-30 minutes until the chicken is cooked, which will depend on how large the pieces are. I sliced my chicken breasts through the middle to have four thin pieces.

The cooked chicken

I served the chicken in buns to make a quick, spicy and importantly fairly low-fat chicken burger. It was really nice and definitely had a bit of a kick!

I'm sending this to Chris at Cooking Around the World for his World Cup blog challenge.

Baking and Butchery at Hobbs House with the Fabulous Baker Brothers

 

In the picturesque Cotswolds village of Chipping Sodbury there stands a bakery with a butcher’s shop next door. The bakery was established in the 1920s and there has been a butchers’ here for about 100 years – quite unusual perhaps these days where there are more convenience stores and supermarkets than independent food producers on the high street.

But this is not just any bakery or butcher’s – this is Hobbs House, the family business of Tom and Henry Herbert.

Tom and Henry – two of six siblings – are perhaps better known as the Fabulous Baker Brothers, thanks to their television show and cookery books. Despite their young age – Tom is 35, Henry 25 – are old hands. Henry has been cooking since he was a teenager and Tom won Young Baker of the Year when he was fresh out of college. Henry moved to London where he trained at Westminster Kingsway College and worked at Le Gavroche, the Michelin-starred restaurant, but when an opportunity came up to run the butcher’s next door to his brother’s bakery, he moved back to the Cotswolds.

Since the success of their TV show and cookery books, the brothers have started running cookery courses at Hobbs House, and it’s for this reason that I found myself standing on the pavement outside with a suitcase on a drizzly April morning. My boyfriend knows that I am a big fan of the brothers and for Christmas bought me a place on one of their courses –the only one that the pair of them teach together. Having said that, when only one is teaching, the other is usually present and will pop in to the classroom now and then – so if you fancy doing a course and want to meet both brothers you will probably still get the chance!

I was signed up to the baking and butchery class, which ran from 9am-4pm (though we actually finished at 4.30). It’s not cheap at £295, but it really is worth the money. There were only six of us and we spent the entire day with the brothers, and by the end I felt like they were old friends.

The school is above the bakery – I’m sure I remember Tom saying this is the house they grew up in and one of the classrooms was actually his bedroom. As I went upstairs I bumped into Henry and had a moment of celebrity-awe, then Tom came over to say hello as well and started chatting. I’ve met celebrities- or at least well-known people – before so wasn’t expecting to be fazed, but when it’s someone you are genuinely a fan of, it is still a little overwhelming!

I was shown into a room where tea, coffee and pastries were laid out and I ate the best almond croissant I have ever had – made by the Hobbs House bakery of course. I was joined shortly after by another attendee of the course and by 9, everyone had arrived – five women and one man. I was very jealous of a few of the women who lived half an hours’ drive away and one who had been to the school before – if London wasn’t so far away I’d be a regular!

The day started with Tom and Henry giving an introduction, talking about their background, the history of the bakery and what we were going to do that day. The brothers made a great double-act – teasing each other and chipping in with anecdotes. They handed out name badges and told us to write our names “or whatever you want us to call you today”. I thought best not to say that I’d like to be called  “the future Mrs Herbert” as the two actual Mrs Herberts probably wouldn’t appreciate that! Did I mention I may have the *smallest* crush on the rather Fabulous Baker Brothers and one of them in particular… 

They came across as really genuine, passionate about what they do and thoroughly nice guys. Before I realised, an hour and a half had flown by – by this point Tom was making some bread dough, explaining each stage in the process, giving each of us a specific tip to remember and passing on all sorts of advice on everything from types of flour to the advantages of fresh or dried yeast (dried yeast is fine, but never use the fast-acting kind as it is full of chemicals, which will change the make-up of your recipe, Tom said).

Often when I am doing a cookery course or cake decorating lesson, I would feel short-changed  if I was watching rather than doing anything. But in this case, I was so fascinated listening to Tom – and looking at him as well, as he is rather easy on the eyes – and was learning so much I didn’t notice that I wasn’t actively doing anything. 

Then it was time for us to get involved and we were put to work each kneading a piece of dough – for 15 minutes. I haven’t made bread very often before, usually using my Panasonic bread maker machine, but when I have made it by hand, I get bored or tired after just a few minutes of kneading. Tom stressed the importance of a full 15 minutes, and shared a tip – when covering the bowl when you leave the dough to prove, use a cheap plastic shower cap like the kind you get in hotels. That’s better than clingfilm as it gives the dough space to rise. I asked Tom where to leave the dough as the usual directions of “a warm place” aren’t very helpful; I know you can get kitchens these days with built-in proving drawers and I asked if those were needed. “Yes, there is a need for them,” Tom began, “if you are a kitchen company trying to sell an expensive kitchen”. So in other words, no. Any warm place will do – unfortunately I can’t put my dough next to an open fire like Tom did, but I could put it in the airing cupboard or even out in the kitchen if it is a warm day. On top of the fridge is another idea as that tends to be quite warm too.

We rolled out our dough to make pittas, bread rolls and pizza bases, and Tom also demonstrated making a focaccia. One handy trick I learnt if you are making a batch of rolls or pittas is to weigh your dough into 100g portions then they are all the right (and same) size.

I've never made pittas before and was interested to learn that once they are rolled out, they literally need just a couple of minutes in the oven, at the highest temperature your oven will go to. We watched them puffing up before our eyes, sliced into them and dipped them into some of Henry's homemade pesto - absolute heaven! I also learnt that you should never put bread onto a cold oven tray; always preheat it in the oven or better still, use a baking stone. I'd never heard of that but asked if it was similar to a pizza stone and Tom said it was the same thing but a different shape. So I will definitely get more use out of my pizza stone now!

We also rolled out circles of the same dough to make pizza bases; Tom demonstrated how to toss and catch them.

We then topped the pizzas and cooked them in this free standing mini pizza oven with Henry's help.

This was our lunch, accompanied by a glass of wine and eaten as we chatted to the brothers.

Tom eating a piece of the pizza that I made :-)

After lunch it was Henry's turn to take centre stage. He wrote a few rough recipes on the blackboard and explained what we were going to do... if you're squeamish about butchery you won't like the next few photos.

First we made a spice rub for some lamb

Then Henry took us down to the slaughterhouse and gave a very useful lesson in the different cuts of meat, by pointing to a side of beef and a whole lamb (well, minus head and innards) hanging on butcher's hooks. He then took a lamb over to the table and proceeded to joint it completely, explaining as he went how to make a rack of lamb, which cut is best for which dish and so on. It was very interesting and Henry is clearly passionate and very knowledgeable about butchery.

He asked for a volunteer so of course I put my hand up. Here I am (in an unflattering apron) about to joint a leg of lamb.

When we came back upstairs to the school, our bread rolls and focaccia were ready.

Mmm, very tasty... the loaf of bread looks good too!

Henry had prepared these lamb chops from the animal you saw in the photo earlier and we coated them in the spice rub. We were meant to be making lamb kebabs from neck and shoulder but a woman came into the shop and asked for the last shoulder just as Henry was about to start his demonstration, so rather reluctantly he sold it to her instead!

Some of the lamb was minced, by an assistant

We were making sausages and burgers which I was really looking forward to. I've made burgers several times before but never sausages. I have a Kitchenaid and have several attachments apart from the sausage maker, and was wondering if it would be worth investing in, but had no idea how to use it or how to go about stuffing a sausage. Luckily, Henry was using the exact same machine (well, almost- his wasn't pink) so now if I do get the attachment I know exactly how to use it. Don't ask what the sausage skins are made of though!

Stuffing the sausages is a two-person job but it was easier than I was expecting and lots of fun.

Here's my string of sausages. I flavoured my lamb mince with some herbs and spices.

Meanwhile we also made burgers by pressing a ball of mince into patties. Tom cooked them over an open fire.

At the end of the day - well, 4pm - we sat down to the most delicious meal. The burger buns were perfect and the burgers so juicy. I'm not sure what kind of cheese we had melted over the top but I was in heaven.

We also had the lamb chops, sliced up, with the focaccia and salad. At the end of the day I went on my way with a folder of recipes, a bag of leftover fresh yeast, a Hobbs House dough divider, my string of sausages and a burger to cook later at home, a signed cookery book (my own, which I had brought with me to be signed), a loaf tin for making bread (a large metal one the same as the one Tom was using), a bag of Shipton Mill flour (from a local mill, that they use in the bakery), loads of photos and many happy memories. Tom and Henry are thoroughly nice blokes, so easy to get along with that I envied their friends (and yes, their wives)! Their enthusiasm and passion for cooking is wonderful and it felt like this was the first time they had run this class - not because they were unsure of themselves or amateurish, quite the opposite, but because they were so excited and when one brother was taking the session the other kept popping in to see what was going on or help or just to stop and chat, which I really wasn't expecting. In short, I had a wonderful day and strongly recommend this class, which is well worth the money. I'm already hoping to go back!