Following on from their hugely successful launch during lockdown in spring/summer, the Rick Stein team is relaunching their Stein's at Home range this week, just in time for November's lockdown.
For the relaunch, Chef Director Jack Stein has worked with the core chef team to add two new menus to the range, as well as seasonal tweaks to three existing customer favourites. In addition to the ever-popular Indonesian Curry (£55); Hake (£40) and Lobster (£100) menus, the team have added new Sea bass (£50) and Coq au Riesling (£45) menus.
Included in the new fish-based box, inspired by Rick's favourite flavours of Asia, is a starter of Mussels with black beans, garlic and ginger, main course of Pan-fried sea bass with a Thai inspired hot, sweet and sour sauce with rice and bok choi, and a dessert of Mango fool with mango pureé and cardamom shortbread.
The new meat-based box begins with Rick's smoked salmon paté with sourdough and leaves from Padstow Kitchen Garden, a main of Coq au Riesling, served with fresh parsley and buttered potatoes, rounded off with Chocolate torte and Cornish clotted cream.
Jack Stein said, 'The Stein's at Home boxes were born in lockdown with us needing to create a new revenue stream and fast. We were in a position where we had to move quickly into a new space for us. We were completely overwhelmed by the demand, selling over 600 boxes in week one. It enabled us to retain several jobs in our business as well as recruiting for new roles to support our online shop and boxes.
'The range will become even more important to us in the November lockdown and we are really happy with the amount of hard work we put in during the summer months. It means our customers can still enjoy our restaurant dishes from home while our restaurants are temporarily closed, and it will hopefully give our suppliers some income.
'We're now averaging around 450 boxes per week which is incredible, I'm expecting this to increase across November. My favourite box is the hake piperade, it’s a Basque dish and is perfect for winter. It also reminds me of going on holiday, something I'm sure we could all do with right now!
'When cooking the fish, I'd cook in a non-stick pan on a medium heat and don’t move it until a crust is formed, then flip it so it's just cooked through. Add lots of butter and always finish with sea salt.'
For customers keen to work their way through the full range of Stein's at Home boxes, they are launching a special subscription for November - the perfect lockdown antidote. For just £199, guests will receive one box every week, starting with The Hake Box, delivered on the 6/7 November. Then for an additional £25pp, an upgrade to the Lobster Box is available, switching out a box of their choice.
To pair with the food, customers have the option to add a perfectly paired bottle of wine to their order, chosen by Wine and Drinks Director, Charlie Stein. The GQ wine columnist has selected bottles from their online wine shop to complement each of the three course menus.
Whether that's a delicious Riesling to go with the sea bass or a Sauvignon de Touraine for the fish curry, Charlie has it covered.
Charlie Stein said, 'I've had great fun pairing delicious wines with the dishes in our Stein's at Home boxes. The lobster thermidor box is a total classic from our menus, it's rich and decadent and needs a wine of equal pomp and fleshiness.
'My perfect choice is Secateurs Chenin Blanc from South Africa. The hake box needs a wine with some Spanish flair with enough aromatics and body to match the pimento but also lots of freshness to cut through the mackerel pate. I'm a big fan of Hake and Albarino from Galicia, they work so well together and there's none better than Terre de Asorei.'
In addition to the boxes, the Rick Stein team are now also selling Fresh Fish and Lobster boxes online. All sourced from Cornish suppliers, the boxes are perfect for a blow-out fish feast, or are great to eat some upon delivery and freeze the rest for future treats.
Included in the Fresh Fish Box (£70) is six scallops in their half shell, two hake fillets, four sea bass fillets, two dressed crabs, diced fish pie mix, a tub of homemade mustard mayonnaise and a packet of signature hot, sour and sweet sauce. There is also a fresh lemon and a lime included - perfect to squeeze over your fresh fish, as well as other seasonings and accompaniments.
For lobster lovers, there is the Lobster Box, available for either two (£85) or four (£160) people. The crustaceans arrive cooked and whole, with fresh mayonnaise and lemon for dressing.
Jack and the team have also added to each box a collection of cooking suggestions to give customers a bit of seafood inspiration.
Each menu box serves two people and contains three courses. All of the preparation has been done by the team in Cornwall, all that is needed is finishing off with some easy-to-follow instructions. The boxes are packed on a Thursday, delivered nationwide on a Friday and Saturday, with a midweek day also coming soon.