Cornerstone Kitchen: Fine Dining at Home
For Mr Fletche, it’s a second lockdown birthday. Just a week before outdoor drinking and dining is permitted, I have to be a bit more creative with our celebrations. And so I turn to Cornerstone Kitchen to deliver their fine dining “cook-at-home” spring menu.
Cornerstone Kitchen are a high-end independent catering company, based in Sutton Coldfield. The hospitality industry has been hit particularly hard over the past 12 months, and Cornerstone Kitchen have pivoted into home deliveries rather than catering for corporate and celebration events. They pride themselves in selecting seasonal ingredients, sourced ethically and with sustainability in mind. Head Chef Dan knows his stuff, earning his stripes at Turners, Hotel Du Vin, and Anderson’s Bar and Grill. I hope I can do him proud and present gourmet grub in a neat and tidy manner.
The instructions look complex at first glance. I’ve ordered two different options for each course, but thankfully most things look as if they are to be reheated at 180 degrees. Or Gas Mark 4, for those of us who still work in those terms. There’s also a comforting amount of simple microwaving. I plot a timeline. Which does go a bit wrong when I struggle to get the lids off the packaging.
Do you want to read more about our last lockdown celebration meal? We celebrated our wedding anniversary with a fine dining at home meal from Smoke at Hampton Manor
What’s On The Menu?
Starters
Asparagus, onion & brie tartlet with walnut salad
Duck rillette with pistachios, pear chutney and sour dough crumb
Whilst the tartlet is gently reheated, I plate up the duck rillette. Unlike traditional pate, the rillette is made up of shredded duck and it holds it’s shape as I transfer it from container to plate. The texture seems a little dry, but tastes wonderful mixed with the lightly spiced pear chutney. The tartlet is deliciously creamy, deep-filled but light, with a buttery crust. Either dish would make a wonderful light lunch. But for us, this is the only the beginning.
Main Course
Pork cheeks with roasted cauliflower, dauphinoise potatoes and black pudding crumb, with roasted apple and cider sauce
Braised spring lamb with creamed potato, carrot puree and roasted carrot with minted sauce
This is where I juggle Cornerstone Kitchen’s instructions with my own scribbled timings. The lamb and it’s sauce are covered in foil and popped in the oven, closely followed by the dauphinoise potatoes, cauliflower, roasted carrot sprinkled with peas, and the cumin buttered chantenay carrots that I unnecessarily ordered as a side dish. The pork cheeks simmer away in their sauce. Everything else was blasted in microwave, the mash, the carrot puree and the hispi cabbage with parmesan. The instructions mention a cauliflower puree that I don’t seem to have, but I cross my fingers that this isn’t an integral part of the dish.
I plate up, trying not to drip sauce everywhere and make a halfhearted attempt at Michelin-star presentation. I proffer the spring lamb to the birthday boy, whilst I sample the pork cheeks. It’s not long before we’re swapping forkfuls of food across the table. Both meat dishes are melt-in-the-mouth delicious and full of flavour. The plates are carrot-heavy, and I’m glad I only warmed up half of the chantenay carrots – they live to grace another meal this week. The veg are crisp and perfectly-cooked, and the potatoes – both dauphinoise and mash – are delightfully creamy. My plate no longer looks Michelin-presented as I dig in and tear everything apart.
Dessert
White chocolate mousse tart with roasted pineapple and pink peppercorns
Rhubarb & ginger cheesecake
The birthday boy kindly washes up whilst I polish off the wine. Instructions discarded, my only task now is to pop the two desserts on plates. I add berries, my own little touch to the Cornerhouse Kitchen offering. Also, squirty cream. This time I cut both in half so we each get our fair share. The tartness of the rhubarb is contrasted by the light spice of the ginger to form a perfect cheesecake. For me, the mousse tart slightly edges it as the winner; the pink peppercorns provide a feisty pop of warmth against the light and fluffy chocolate base.
The verdict
Fine dining at home is not cheap. With side orders, this meal came to just under £80. And of course, you do have to put a little effort in yourself with regards to heating, serving and washing-up. But for a meal of this quality I would happily order again. Cornerstone Kitchen offers classic dishes but with extra little surprising touches. Ordering online was simple, all the food came well-packaged (a little too well-packaged in some cases when I had to use sharp scissors to break into one particularly adult-proof container) and the instructions for reheating and plating up were clear.
Cornerstone Kitchen definitely get the thumbs-up from the Fletcher household.
