Here's what's in the Gordon Ramsay beef wellington box - enough for a wellington for two with mash and gravy (aka red wine jus).
So Gordon's getting into the meal kit business?
He's been very quiet on the delivery front throughout the various lockdowns (despite getting ready to open new pizza and burger restaurants) but now he's put his toe in the water with a kit that's based around one of the dishes he's particularly famed for - the beef wellington. Catherine, our other founder/writer, has always used Gordon's recipe when making a wellington, but I have never actually made one. We were given the chance to try one of the first kits - let's see how it went...
So what kind of kit is it?
It's one where all the finickity prep work has already been done for you. So elements like the pastry, crepe and the mushroom duxelles are pre-made. You're just putting it all together.
In general, the instructions are self-explanatory - with step-by-step photos showing pretty much every stage of the wellington creation. It's really very easy to follow and there is, of course, a demo of Gordon himself putting things together. That doesn't mean that there's an opportunity for you to mess things up a little by not paying attention though - something we certainly put to the test.
So how did it turn out?
In the end, very good, but there were a few hiccups on the way (which were, to be fair, entirely our fault). Here's a snapshot of our process:
In this part, everything went very smoothly. You sear the steak (a lovely piece of fillet steak) and then brush with mustard and chill for 20 minutes (1). Next, lay out the pastry and brush on the egg wash (2).
Then you lay out the crepe (3), then the mushroom duxelles (4) and plonk the steak on top. So far, so good. Very easy to follow and having everything prepped makes this a breeze.
So this is where it started to go a little pear-shaped for us. The process of taking the photos (and the video you can see on TikTok) ever-so-slightly distracted us (that's our excuse anyway).
First off, wrap up your parcel and brush with more egg wash (5). This wasn't our finest hour, but serviceable.
Then the small disaster. The instructions say "Using the back of a knife, score with the desired pattern". What we've done here (6, 7) is actually to use the sharp side of the very sharpest knife we have in the kitchen. Oops. Don't do this. Gordon would not be impressed.
Next up - it's in the oven for 20-25 mins, and the kit comes with a meat thermometer that ensures you only take the package out at the exact right time. it then rests for about 10 mins while you do the sides. Yes, it doesn't look particularly pretty here (8), thanks to the events of pics 6 and 7, but all is definitely not lost...
In the end, it all comes together well. Once actually cut through, the mess-up with the scoring really isn't noticeable. And we were very pleased with the way the meat came out.
Also in the box is a package of potatoes and a LOT of butter. Just warm it up in the bag and mash (or use a potato ricer like we have here) and you have the butteriest of mash with next to no work. Finally, warm up the red wine jus. Again, someone has done all the hard work for you here, reducing down the jus to the richest sauce possible. We've never managed to make gravy/sauce that's this good, frankly.
Overall thoughts.
Yes, we messed up in one step but, in the end, the wellington turned out very well (and we'll never make that mistake again). Even taking that into account, we'd highly recommend the kit. It was very easy to pull together, slight mishap aside, and we were rather pleased with the end result. It's actually made us want to try the recipe from scratch, something we've avoided until now.
So if you've really fancied making Gordon's wellington but have been a bit put off by the prep work, this is an easy recommendation.
Hot Dinners received this kit as a gift. Prices are correct at the time of writing.
More about Gordon Ramsay's Beef Wellington kit
How much? £75 (feeds two)
Delivery range: Nationwide
How to order: Order online
Find out more: Visit the Restaurant Kits website or follow Gordon on Instagram @gordongram.
Subscribe to be the first to get the news from Hot Dinners
