Peel review: This upmarket online delivery service is a gourmet solution to corporate catering and team lunches
Peel
Online at peelfoods.com
WHAT? Even in this beautiful weather, there are times when you just can’t leave the office for lunch. Maybe you have clients visiting, or a big group project on. The answer is often a platter of Pret sandwiches – and there’s nothing wrong with Pret sandwiches – but Peel is offering a rather classier solution. Backed by a consortium of culinary experts (including Claus Meyer who founded the legendary 20-course Danish restaurant Noma) the online delivery service is a fancier Deliveroo – only everything is made in-house – that claims to offer Michelin quality food straight to your office.
HOW DOES THAT WORK? Order before 10am and you’ll get a piping hot meal delivered throughout central London, Canary Wharf and Shoreditch from 12pm onwards. Meals cost between £7-£10, which means they won’t set you back much more than a fancy sushi box from Itsu.
WHAT KIND OF FOOD DO THEY DO? All kinds. From tandoori chicken and rice to big plates of spaghetti and gnocchi, most cuisines are generously heaped into recyclable cardboard tupperware. You can go for gourmet decadence, with confit duck leg and potato dauphinoise, or something a bit lighter, such as beetroot and watermelon gazpacho salad. We told you it was fancy.
Tandoori Chicken
WHAT SHOULD I ORDER? Go for the coconut linguine, which quickly became a favourite in the City A.M. office, and is cooked in a light arrabiata sauce with coconut milk and fresh whole datterini tomatoes. The rather ambiguously named ‘Asian-style chicken’ was a hit, too, arriving in a lightly spicy sweet and sour sauce and served on a bed of broccoli and wild rice.
WHAT ARE THE VEGETARIAN OPTIONS LIKE? There’s plenty to choose from here: a rich spinach and kale lasagna, a cranberry-laden garden pea risotto that weighs as much as a brick. Check out the menu, the veggies in your office won’t go hungry.
CAN I GET DESSERT? Within reason. There’s a snacks section with a fresh fruit salad, a gluten-free brownie and an eton mess. Just the classics.
BUSINESS OR PLEASURE? It’s perfect for in-office entertaining, but also perfectly suitable for anyone who just wants to live it up during work hours.
NEED TO BOOK? Yes, by 10am if you want food that afternoon. You can also book in advance if you have an important meeting coming up. Visit the website, enter the postcode you wish them to deliver to, select the dishes you want – all beautifully photographed – and pay. Visit peelfoods.com