moveable feast: Jewel of the south

I’ve already written about Moveable Feast, the dinner party delivery service that brings you semi-prepared food from the world’s best restaurants. This month’s package has a culinary connection to New Orleans, as it’s from our very own Jewel of the South. 

Chef Phil Whitmarsh has come up with an exciting menu that shows off his love of elevated British pub dishes, and I was lucky enough to try it out last week. If you know me at all, you know that I’m a sucker for a savory pie, and so this was a near-perfect choice for me. 

The meal for four (bigger kits are available) arrives in a refrigerated box that you simply unpack, storing the various, individually-packed ingredients in the refrigerator until you’re ready to start cooking. This month’s dinner took even less effort than last time I tried it, and it didn’t stretch even my notably basic kitchen skills. 

We started with appetizers of devilled Eggs Royale with Smoked Trout Roe & Dill and then Hakurei Turnips with Bone Marrow & Smoked Maldon Salt. All I really had to do was pipe the egg filling into the egg whites and arrange the turnips before sprinkling the salt. The Endive Salad with Granny Smith Apples and Hazelnuts was similarly straightforward, just chopping and tossing. 

The centerpiece - a hearty Braised Short Rib Pie ‘Bourguignon’ - just had to be baked for around half an hour while I stirred up the Mushy Peas with Fried Shallot and Green Onions. As someone who misses really good quality meat pies, I could not have been happier - the beef was beautifully tender and the brown gravy that accompanied it was some of the best I’ve ever tasted. I was born and raised in meat pie country, so, you know, I have high standards. 

Dessert took me all the way home - Eccles Cake originated just a few miles from where I was born, close to Manchester, England. They’re small, round cakes made from flaky pastry filled with dried currants, served here with Potted Cheese. For a regularly-homesick Brit, this meal ticked a lot of the right boxes. 

Jewel of the South gets a lot of deserved praise for Chris Hannah’s bar program, and a small cocktail accompaniment does come with the meal - we just had to add some rum and we were toasting in no time. Whitmarsh’s skills shouldn’t be overshadowed, though - he’s doing some of the most interesting food in town. You can still order this amazing dinner (Moveable Feast change their ‘host’ restaurant every month), but if not, I’ll see you at the actual restaurant soon - this meal reminded me of how good they are. (PO)

You can still order the Jewel of the South - it runs through the end of October, with Thursday October 26th being the last deliver date. Click here for more details and pricing.