Dear bloggers,
My foodie prayers have been answered this week and I have a feeling yours will be too... This week I was invited to a tasting evening of More More More's new 'cook at home' gourmet range, so obviously I skipped from work to the venue in anticipation.
The venue in question was one of Newcastle's (if not the North's) most beautiful venues: The Assembly Rooms on Fenkle Street, just minutes from the train and metro station. This striking Georgian building dates from the late 1700s and its grand entrance features beautiful stone columns that make you feel like a princess as you cross the threshold. I had my school prom here a few years ago and it was the perfect venue, a blend of historic charm and grandeur, with a fantastic city centre location.
The Assembly Rooms has long been renowned for its banqueting facilities, but it seems owner Antony has had a brainwave. A self-confessed foodie. Andy and the team opened the More More More courtyard cafe a year ago, serving an exciting and delicious range of teas, coffees and light bites in the suntrap in fromt of this magnificent building. It really is a lovely place to sit back and relax during your lunch hour.
Well, it just so happens that the talented team have recently launched a menu of gourmet take away food which is homemade and available to pre-order, so busy people like me get to eat well without having to fork out a fortune for high quality ingredients and go to all the effort of cooking! What. A. Genius. Idea.
I'm sure you'll agree how beautiful the interior is, but wait until I tell you about the food! Upon arrival, we were greeted with a chilled glass of prosecco and introduced to the team. Once all of us bloggers had arrived, it was time to eat. After an honest and fascinating introduction by clearly passionate owner Antony, we were treated to crispy bruschetta and chicken liver parfait. I know it's not as important as taste, but the presentation of every dish was spot, it was a really nice touch.
The parfait was really nice, not too strong but with just enough flavour and a garlic kick to leave you wanting more. Next, we made our way behind the scenes for a demonstration on just how easy these dishes are to cook at home.
The single portion of marinated chicken skewers are more than generous per person and tasted amazing. Light, flavourful and perfect for BBQ season, plus they hardly took any time at all to cook. Now normally i'm a little reserved when it comes to dips, but their sweet chilli and lime dip was so good! It was a perfect sticky, sweet accompaniment to the chargrilled chicken.
Next, it was Fiona's turn to talk. Introducing to her homemade lasagne and cottage pie, we were asked to taste test More More More's with a leading supermarket brand. I really am not just saying this, but the difference was amazing. Theirs looked nothing like a sloppy ready meal which quickly loses its shape and resembles a gloopy mess, the potato was light and fluffy with chunky vegetables. The lasagne however, was in another league. I never order lasagne when i'm eating out because i'm always disappointed. My mam makes a superb homemade lasagne and until now, I haven't found anything which lives up to it. (Sorry mam!)
Just look how delicious and non-ready made mealish they look! (Yes that's now a word). I don't know their secret but the layers of pasta were tasty, the beschamel sauce wasn't gloopy or bland. It was delicious! I honestly can't praise it enough.
Just look at the difference between More More More's on the right and the supermarket competitor on the left! Speaks volumes doesn't it?
As the evening drew to a close we headed back to the beautiful ballroom and had the most delicious cheesecake with homemade ginger biscotti for the base, all washed down with prosecco. The cheesecake was faultless, it really was. The base was moist and crumbly with just enough of a ginger kick, the creamy cheese filling was complemented by the tang of the berries.
I genuinely cannot fault the food, it tasted 100% homecooked and looked excellent. We were all joking that we'd be passing off their skills as our own at our next dinner party or first date. Have a look at their menu online, there's so much choice - classic dishes like brownies and burgers - and something more exciting like lamb tagine and pork and pistachio terrine.
www.more-more-more.co.uk
You can thank me later, cheers!
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