Ex BBC Master Chef contestant, Paul Shaw, was given the task of reviewing a range of products from the newly reopened food store, COOK in Westbourne. The unique store which is part of the COOK franchise prides itself on its hand-made dishes which are prepared in a kitchen in Sittingbourne,using the same ingredients and techniques that you would at home, in order that everything looks and tastes homemade. Queen of the British High Street, Mary Portas, was reported in The Daily Telegraph as saying, ‘COOK’s frozen meals look and taste like they’ve been home-cooked with love and flair!’
Paul and his family – wife Kate and sons Harry, 13 and George, 11, invited Echo Taste writer, Nicky Findley and her family to an evening of food heaven and set about discovering if the claims about COOK’s food were correct.
Everyone arrived with growing appetites waiting to be filled and the menu kicked off with a selection of Crostini & Filo Canapes. If satisfaction and appreciation were measured in the time that it took to clear the plate of Canapes it would be rated extremely highly!
Next was a starter of Handmade Pates, which Paul served with wholemeal toasted bread. The families enjoyed Venison & Pistachio Pate and a Salmon Pate. Kate enthused, “I didn’t expect the kids to enjoy the Venison & Pistachio Pate as I thought it might be too gamey for them but they wolfed it down! It has quite a sweet flavour and was absolutely delicious, as was the Salmon one too.”
Paul presented the main course which included Slow cooked Rump Beef with brandy, cooked in chestnut mushrooms and a rich sauce, served with creamy Dauphinoise potatoes, asparagus and carrots.
Paul who was a BBC Masterchef contestant in 2009 in which he was narrowly pipped to the Quarter Finals was invited back on to the Programme again in 2010. Paul exclaimed, “I am so impressed with the quality of the ingredients and the texture and flavour of this main course and indeed all the other dishes we have sampled. The Beef had obviously been cooked slowly for a very long time, it was really tender and melted in your mouth!”
Paul continued, “I really love cooking myself and taking the time to prepare and create dishes. However, there are many occasions when COOK comes in to its own – if you’re time poor, entertaining unexpectedly or simply haven’t learnt to cook to a standard that you’d be happy to for a dinner party for your friends and are trying to impress.”
Paul added, “COOK allows you to be really flexible in your catering as you can mix and match dishes and you can add your own personal touch. For example, I made the caramel sauce to accompany the desert.”
The choice of deserts was Chocolate & Salted Caramel Pavlova and Mango & Passion fruit cheesecake. Appreciation for the deserts was shown by Harry, Joe and George who said several times, “Can we have some more, please!” A real compliment to the COOK!
Finally, once space in everyone’s stomachs was found, a stunning array of cheeses were served. They had been supplied by Westbourne delicatessen, Badger & Bumble. The choices included, ‘Black Bomber’ Snowdonia’s extra mature cheddar, ‘Mayfield Swiss’ a Swiss style cheese made in East Sussex and ‘Valencay’ which is an unpasteurised goats milk cheese.
Paul concluded, “This evening’s food was a real treat. It certainly surpassed my expectations and the simplicity, speed and ease of preparation was fantastic. We shall definitely be using COOK again, particularly when it’s Kate’s turn to cook!”
https://www.cookfood.net/shops/Bournemouth
Tel. 01202 765560
Kate Shaw
