REVIEW : EAT - White Horse At Home

Organising this delivery of fresh seafood was proving tricky; it’s fresh seafood and needs to be refrigerated. I wasn’t at home to receive the delivery so had to organise a collection from the restaurant but I was stressing, I was 15 minutes late for my collection slot. Arghhh.

Luckily the staff at the White Horse and Oyster Bar were very relaxed about the whole thing and just kept my White Horse At Home, delivery box in their fridge.

DINNER AT HOME WITH THE WHITE HORSE OYSTER AND SEAFOOD BAR, EDINBURGH

And this is why you can collect or have your box delivered.

The White Horse Oyster Bar are located on the Royal Mile and I am happy to report that they are now back open for business; but they are still doing White Horse at Home. They serve up the best of British Seafood (I’m hoping that they serve Scottish seafood were possible) working with boutique suppliers across the UK.

Their Seafood Boxes are an absolutely treat for the eyes and the tummy. Choose between a Seafood Feast and a Lobster Feast - the difference being that the Seafood Feast comes with 4 seafood dishes including a Grilled Lobster with Thermidor sauce (1/2 lobster each) whilst the Lobster Feast is only the Grilled Lobster with Thermidor sauce but 1 whole lobster each.

Obviously, the White Horse are packaging up their best dishes to include in the At Home service; and there are some corkers in there.

I sampled the Seafood Feast which costs £95 for two people.

The Seafood Feast is most certainly that - a feast for sharing. Don’t worry there is plenty and both of you will gorg yourself on seafood - White Horse fans will fall in love all over again.

Included in the box is

• Grilled Lobster, Thermidor Sauce (includes lobster picks)

• Monkfish Satay, Toasted Peanuts

• Dressed Crab, Brown Crab Mayo

• Hand Dived Scallops, Nduja Butter

• Salt & Vinegar Fries

• Seaweed 'Slaw, Octo Dressing & Toasted Peanuts

DRESSED CRAB WITH BROWN CRAB MAYO

The crab is all prepped and ready for you. There isn’t much work to be done here and it’s more about the plating up than cooking. They provide a tub of crab mayo, which you mix and place a spoonful ontop. I placed it as a smear on the plate as for me this was mayo-ey enough. Brown crab meat is notoriously tricky to get at but thankfully White Horse have done all the hard work for you, all you have to do is eat it. Brown Crab packs a crab punch on the flavour scale so be prepared.

MONKFISH SATAY WITH TOASTED PEANUTS

The instructions provided are clear and easy to follow. There are 4 skewers (2 each) and simple enough to cook off in a hot pan. Once cooked, you pour the satay sauce over the top and cook for a few minutes more. Warm through the peanuts and serve.

The monkfish supplied is a great serving. Each 2 skewers is approx 6 decent sized chunks of monkfish. This is a very meaty, firm fish with a slightly sweet flavour on its own. It takes to the satay sauce like a duck to water and soaks up all those lovely earthy nutty flavours.

HAND DIVED SCALLOPS WITH NDUJA BUTTER

Two scallops (1 each) that I seared in the pan and then finished off in a hot oven. Be carfeful not to overcooked these delicate beauties. The nduja butter added a lovely deep spice flavour to the scallops. Personally I would have gone with plain butter, but then I am a scallop fiend and purist.

SEAWEED SLAW WITH OCTO DRESSING AND TOASTED PEANUTS.

This dish was all about assembly rather than having to cook anything. It’s well thought out by White Horse to provide dishes that need cooked interspersed with food that just needs put together. It allows for a breather so you are not spending alot of time in the kitchen.

Loved this slaw - sweet, crunchy, earthy.

GRILLED LOBSTER WITH THERMIDOR SAUCE

My only gripe - there wasn’t enough. The lobsters are small, perhaps around the 450g mark, but that doesn’t mean that it lacks in flavour. The meat is soft and juicy especially with that thermidor sauce over the top. Again, the chefs at White Horse have done the work for you and have cracked the claws so all you need to do it open them up and remove the meat. They do provide two lobster picks with the box.

SALT AND VINEGAR FRIES

These chunky fellows come vacuum packed and it’s just a matter of finishing them off. You can pop them in the oven to heat through and crisp up, or deep fry them. Sprinkle with the salt and vinegar seasoning as soon as they are off the heat.

For seafood lovers you can’t go wrong with this White Horse at Home box. You will need some cooking knowledge or novices will need a wee helping hand.

Timings are quite crucial in serving up this feast, hot and on time, otherwise my advise, is just to spread it out over the evening, in the comfort of your own home, and eat at a nice n relaxed pace; taking each course as it comes.

This At Home box is most definitely made for 100% Seafood Lovers and if you need simply wonderful food for a special occasion and want to impress - think date night!

White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar, 266 Canongate, Royal Mile, Edinburgh, EH8 8AA. Tel : 0131 629 5300 www.whitehorseoysterbar.co.uk

My Spoon Award : Gold Spoon 9/10

I was invited to review the White Horse at Home Box. Food was gifted but the views are very much my own.