Matt and Cat\'s Isle of Wight Eating Out Guide
Something Yummy ‘Yummy Box’ Something Yummy ‘Yummy Box’
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Something Yummy ‘Yummy Box’

The weeks grind on and we’re still here, continuing to participate in our own version of Big Brother during the Covid19 lockdown. Thankfully we don’t have any budget celebrity self-publicists on our team (speak for yourself, Cat – Matt), nor any has-beens, wannabes or nearly-weres. Others among you may be struggling to share your space with the Isle of Wight’s answer to George Galloway, Maggot or La Toya Jackson.

To stave off boredom and hunger, many people are getting intimately acquainted with their kitchens; dusting off their recipe books and blowing the cobwebs from long-archived appliances. But some of our lockdown kitchens will be scenes of desperation as the last tin of chickpeas is puzzled over, and your resident armchair survivalist suggests grinding acorns to create bread flour (not at all recommended).

If you can’t face another variation of crisp sandwiches, many established restaurants are offering a takeaway or delivery service. Producers are also getting in on the act by selling their goods online.

Local businessman and Come Dine With Me winner Paul Thorley has decided to ramp up his Something Yummy supper club – which we enjoyed last year – to bring us Something Yummy ‘Yummy Box’. Much like Delish Indian, the menu at Something Yummy is set each week, and ordering must be done in advance. With little else to occupy us, even we managed to get our order in in good time for the weekly delivery.

Self-styled Mr Yummy himself, Paul Thorley, delivered our meal in person. There was everything we needed for a three course dinner, nicely presented with comprehensive cooking instructions. We even forked out extra for an optional bottle of white Sauvignon, curated by Wight and Wessex Wines – which was introduced with a little video from local wine expert Matt Rogers, explaining why it was paired with the supper.

Matt and Cat’s bill
Something Yummy yummy box 2 @ £25 per person
Sauvignon blanc £8.50
Total £58.50

Paul takes his cooking seriously. After his success on Channel Four’s cookery game show, he has been inspired to cook professionally. The current pandemic has given him a captive audience and we were delighted to try his Yummy Box.

We’ve had Something Yummy’s goats cheese cheesecake before. Surprisingly light and moussey for something created with cheese and marscapone, the goatiness was matched with the earthy beetroot slices and purée, which we poured onto the cakes with a slightly less dexterous hand than the chef probably intended. We dressed the accompanying salad with balsamic vinegar – also supplied. An excellent starter. To go with this we cracked open the New Zealand Nika Tiki sauvignon blanc which, nicely chilled, was a sensational addition to the meal, and at a bargain price.

The standout dish was the hoisin beef main course. Pre-cooked, this slow-cooked short-rib just needed about quarter of an hour in Matt’s oven to bring it up to the required temperature. The sweet plummy sauce was perfect for this rich soft meat. Served with rice and green vegetables, and decorated, by us, with the pre-prepared freshly-chopped coriander, spring onion and chilli, it was a delightful unfussy dish, oozing with flavour.

Our dessert was lemon tart. Something Yummy must have used the lemon motherlode to create these magnificently acidic flans. Our mouths juiced up with the citrus burst, which was then tempered with the sweet meringues. Somehow all of these dishes survived the delivery and preparation process, and the meringues still looked as pristine as if they had just come out of the chef’s oven.

Having started with a delicious loaf of bread – which came with a serving each of butter too; nothing was left to chance – we finished our meal with ‘A little treat from Mr Yummy’: a substantial and nutty chocolate and nut praline petit four.

We’ve had a few deliveries so far during lockdown, and this one really worked for us – the meal wasn’t too complicated to get ready (for us anyway) but it certainly was enjoyable – and the extra touches and excellent wine that went with it certainly gave us that restaurant feel. For inexperienced chefs like us, the Something Yummy supper gave us the chance to enjoy some delicious and well-prepared food at our own table.

During lockdown, Something Yummy will be doing home delivery on Wednesdays. For the week’s menu and to order visit Something Yummy.

Restaurant quality food from home chef Paul Thorley.
  • Delicious well-prepared food
  • Fabulous flavours
  • Easy-to-follow instructions

4 of 5

4 of 5

3 of 5

4 of 5

  • Mike E says:

    We are only three miles from Yarmouth but across the water near Lym. But regular readers! We wish we had this over here. Sounds wonderful. Hmmm.

    Off piste question if I may? Are you both on the new I of W NHS app pilot scheme? Any reaction or feedback?

    Stay well! Mike

    • Matt and Cat says:

      Hi Mike,
      Thanks for your comment. We’ve enjoyed Something Yummy food a couple of times and it really is… something yummy!
      As for the app, yes, we have both downloaded it onto our phones. It goes about its business, while we go about ours – nothing much else to report! We hope it helps everyone stay safe,
      M&C

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