Rick Stein charges £85 for lobster dinner delivery – but you have to cook it yourself
EXCLUSIVE: The telly chef is bringing ‘the best of Cornish seafood’ to people across the UK with his new dinner delivery service – but despite it being restaurant quality, you still need to do all the prep and cooking yourself
Telly chef Rick Stein is delivering £85 dinners for two – but you have to cook the grub yourself.
Instead of typical cheat meals, the millionaire foodie is selling home delivery boxes with everything you need to serve scallops and lobster thermidor, with a chocolate pavé to finish.
But some diners have scoffed at the price, which hits £92.95 with postage.
And while Stein’s meals arrive fully-prepped, the Sunday Mirror was this week able to fill a supermarket basket with ingredients for a near-identical meal at less than half that.
Cheaper options from Stein’s at Home food boxes begin at £40 for a hake meal, with an Indonesian curry feast for £50.
But even £40 for a DIY meal for two has come under fire.
Stein fan Bob France said: “Is he having a laugh? I’ve just fed six for less than £10 and it was very good.”
Stein’s new venture comes after his £30million empire haemorrhaged cash during the lockdown.
In March the firm was criticised for leaving its 600 staff unpaid in the weeks before furlough wage packets kicked in.
And in June it announced the closure of restaurants at Porthleven, Cornwall, and Marlborough in Wiltshire. The Marlborough site was rescued after the landlord reduced his bills.
The Stein’s at Home service has had mixed reviews on social media, where it is being touted.
One diner said: “We had a fantastic hake meal for our anniversary and will certainly do it again.”
But another wrote: “Don’t be foolish folks, overpriced and ridiculous.”
The fish dinner includes a mackerel paté and a sticky toffee pudding dessert, while the curry box has mussels and Eton mess.
Diners are told: “Our Stein’s at Home menu boxes bring fresh Cornish seafood and Rick’s classic dishes to your door.”
For £85 you get grilled scallops with hazelnut and coriander butter, lobster thermidor, a cream and vermouth sauce and mustard, new potatoes and salad leaves.
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It is followed by chocolate pavé with a chocolate sauce and crystallised peanuts.
The website adds: “We’ve made things easy and done all the preparation, the only cooking you’ll need to do is a sprinkle here and a grill there.”
How celeb ready meals fare in taste test
Ottolenghi’s chicken soup with Mafalda pasta & Grana Padano, ottolenghiready.slerp.com, £9.95
As delicious as you’d expect for Ottolenghi and packed with veg, so it’s a healthy option too. The only thing that let it down is the price.
You could go out for a meal at that cost – and it only serves one.
Star quality: 4/5
Taste: 5/5
Value: 3/5
Levi Roots Sunshine Chicken Pot, musclefood.com, £3.99
The latest range of Caribbean high-protein ready meals from the Dragons’ Den star is packed full of flavour.
The chicken in this one did taste a little on the dry side, but the sautéed potatoes and baby corn in the spicy sauce were all simply delicious.
The portion size is generous as well.
Star quality: 4/5
Taste: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Lucy Watson Feed Me Vegan Shepherds Pie, Waitrose, £2.99
Lucy has not helped the reputation of vegan food with this one, it is a little bland and tasteless.
The dairy and gluten-free shepherd’s pie looked and tasted a little bit on the cardboard side.
But it’s a quick alternative, packs a nutritional punch with low-fat vegan mince and veggies and was a decent portion size.
Star quality: 3.5/5
Taste: 2/5
Value: 3/5
WINNER Gino D’Acampo’s Lasagne, Iceland, £3
The Italian chef has surpassed himself with a top-notch
lasagne for a bargain price tag.
Don’t be put off by the less than elegant packaging – Gino’s family recipe is sunshine for two in a tray.
It takes 45 minutes but is worth the wait. Extremely tasty, not overly creamy and the perfect autumn comfort food.
Star quality: 5/5
Taste: 5/5
Value: 5/5
Jamie Oliver’s Ravioli, Tesco £2.50
The pasta cooked nicely and the ravioli held its shape, unlike so many other brands which can have a tendency to burst in the water.
But despite the nice bite, the filling was lacking slightly in seasoning and flavour, which greatly reduces the appeal.
Star quality: 2.5/5
Taste: 3.5/5
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