The Blurb
Over the past year we’ve all had to become a little creative when it comes to celebrating special days. Zoom parties, drive-by honking outside of houses, lavish decorations (balloon arches are having a moment) and ambitious cake baking have become something of a replacement for going out. And with food being priority #1 for us all right now, DIY restaurant kits from our favourite venues are the ultimate indulgence; pipping the humble takeaway to the post.
Valentine’s Day brings with it a strong desire…for delectable food and some of the good stuff (usually fizz), which – this year – is more than achievable in the comfort of your own home. Cue: The Burger & Beyond DIY Valentine’s Day Kit. Known across the capital as one of the best in the burger business, the Burger & Beyond dry-aged beef patties are seriously unrivalled. Couple burger royalty with dirty (or truffle) tots, fried buttermilk chicken, a bottle of prosecco and the yummiest brownies to finish, and I think we may have our Valentine’s menu sorted for the night in question.
The Experience & The Food
The box was packaged perfectly – everything sealed and kept fresh with an ice pack – ready to be stored in the fridge. We pulled out the method cards and separated the ingredients into burgers, chicken and tots. Sound like a lot of food? Oh, you bet it is. The word feast would be an understatement, but I promise you won’t want to stop eating once you start.
If I’m honest, I don’t usually enjoy cooking with my husband – we just have very different ways of working in the kitchen (read: why does he have to use every single pan and leave an unspeakable mess every-bloody-where?!), but when it came to the DIY kit, we found that part of the fun was recreating something restaurant standard together, in our tiny home kitchen. It was super satisfying to have everything ready and laid out, all sauces and pickles, buns and meat; it was actually very straightforward, and made minimal mess (my number one concern, always).
I’d ordered the dirty tots. I’m actually a full-on truffle hog usually, but when I saw that the dirty option came with bacon, parmesan, ranch sauce and (my ultimate favourite) buffalo sauce, it was a done and dirty deal. We prepped the tater tots and got to work on the buttermilk fried chicken (which had been marinating in the fridge for four hours prior) and served up the house pickles and secret sauce ready to dip. Two very generous sides ready to go, we moved on to the pièces de résistance: the bacon butter burgers. With B&B’s signature 35-day-aged minced beef blend, pancetta bacon, American cheese, burnt butter mayo and pickled onions sandwiched like a tower of taste in between glorious shining beacons that are the demi brioche buns, we were ready for the feast to commence. Prosecco popped and everything plated up, we tucked into what was the biggest and most indulgent Valentine’s meal ever. And trust me, it didn’t disappoint.
The burger was melt-in-the-mouth good – the pickled onions and burnt butter mayo made it for me – and we wolfed them down with many reassuring nods to one another (and they say romance is dead!). A huge fan of fried chicken, the buttermilk tenders were too tasty; we were scooping (not dipping) that secret sauce – it’s no wonder they don’t want to reveal the recipe. The dirty tots were dirtier than expected and better than expected; every element worked together as a powerhouse of flavours and textures, but even we were defeated by the amount. I’m sorry to say two or three tots were not consumed; although I reckon that’s still very good going. All washed down with crisp and refreshing Modella prosecco, an interval of around two hours was needed before we could even look at the brownies. We opted to heat them up (you can enjoy them warm or cold) and even though I could barely move at this point, I was able to lift the fork to my mouth. It was worth it! Gooey, a bit chewy, rich but not sickly; we knew they’d keep for a second day, and we were happy about that.
I must say, if you’re planning a night of food heaven and fancy indulgence and flavour in abundance then this kit is like no other. And if you and your respective partner are burger fans then it’s an absolute no brainer. The value for money is one obvious thing, but the quality of ingredients and the range of items in the kit are just perfect. To be honest, this was one occasion during lockdown #3 when I was really very pleased to be home.
The Details
The Burger & Beyond Valentine’s Kit is £59.95 + free shipping and nationwide delivery. Order now at www.burgerandbeyondshop.co.uk
Delivery slots are open for February 13th. Food can be refrigerated and cooked the following day.
Each kit includes:
– 2 x Fried Chicken Kits
– 2 x Bacon Butter Burgers
– 2 x Truffle Tots OR Dirty Tots
– 1x pre-made Salted Caramel Brownies
– 1 x bottle Bella Modella Prosecco
