Nothing Lost and plenty gained from Lost In The Lanes
Sick of lockdown? Of course we are, life has never felt to strange, so bleak and so lacking in the things that we all love to do, whatever they might be. And for me the things I love to do are headed up by eating out. For thirty years now I have been dining out and writing about it but for the last twelve months all that came almost to a stop with just a few pandemic induced treats along the way.
This week one such treat came my way and it came in the form of the new trend of ‘Finish at Home’ meals. Not so much a take-away which for the most part arrives in container for you to flop out onto a plate. Finish at Home requires a little more effort, not necessarily cooking as such but certainly heating, combining and plating.
Lost in the Lanes are offering a weekly brunch box, with changing menus from week to week. My box arrived bang on schedule and was beautifully but thoughtfully presented, the bulk of the packaging clearly recyclable and one or two parts I can easily repurpose. The menu was spicy beans on sourdough toast and there was plenty there to make it more appealing than your standard beans on toast so, let’s get down to it…
The instructions are very clear, I toasted the bread, heated the beans and finished them with the pot of olive oil. The toast was buttered, butter included and plenty of it too, and I mounded the beans on top. There were three kinds of bean in there in a vibrant tomato based sauce that had both a sweet and a sharp end and a gentle hint of spicy heat.
Next the grated smoked cheddar was piled on top, again plenty supplied and the whole was then popped under the grill until it was sizzling hot and starting to brown.
Finishing touches next, crispy onion bits, micro-herbs and those delicious tiny red peppers that add a piquant zing. And on the side crushed avocado, supplied in a vacuum sealed bag like the beans so that it had not suffered from oxidisation and gone brown. It looked great!
The brunch also came with freshly squeezed orange juice and two rather clever coffee filter devices that looked complex but proved to be both simple and effective – and the coffee was excellent too, a strong fruity blend that for filter coffee packed an unexpected punch.
As a meal for two it was both delicious and satisfying, and there were other benefits too.
How often do you find yourself buying ingredients, particularly perishable ones, in quantities that far exceed your needs. Here I had just the right amount of those minor players that lift a dish from work-a-day to special.
To top things off the box also included two sweet treats in the form of excellent chocolate brownies. So let’s go over things, two juices, two coffees and two cakes, now by my reckoning in a cafe that would probably come to about £18 maybe a little less but often a little more. Now given that box costs £26 that leaves £8 for the two main course dishes that even in a greasy spoon could cost you a fiver each! And this is no greasy spoon offering.
At the end of the day I felt that this was a great deal and a real treat in these frugal treat free days. It was simple to do, generous and very tasty. It also struck me that it would make a great gift for friends or family.
I loved my finish at home brunch but I was also reminded how delicious the food at Lost is and I look forward to going back when all this COVID catastrophe ceases.
Lost in The Lanes special finish at home brunch boxes change weekly and are available to order for a Friday pick up or Delivery in the Brighton & Hove area. To order email info@lostinthelanes.com by Thursday 5pm. Complimentary delivery slots are available Friday (10am-12pm) or pick up instore (all day Friday).
Lost In The Lanes, 10 Nile St, Brighton BN1 1HW
Currently closed for dine-in customers
01273 525444
