Food Review Deli-licious
A new deli in Roundhay is revising what we thought we knew about fast food. Ben Johnson enjoys a Friday night in with his dumplings
Food Review: Deli-licious
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We all know the feeling, when a hard day at the office turns into late evening and by the time you get back to the house the only thing left in the fridge is some mouldy brie in cling film and a Christmas pudding from 2004. You’ve been eating so many take away pizzas that you know the name of the delivery man, and the last time you had time to cook anything was when you were a student in Derby and you lived off cheesy pasta and toast. Well, what if I told you that you could enjoy luxury, honest, healthy and hearty meals at the same cost as a kebab and with just as much effort? It’s not as crazy as it sounds.
Haley & Clifford Delicatessen is Leeds’ latest alternative eaterie. ‘Alternative’ in the sense that they have just hit a proverbial nail directly on its big round head and come up with a concept so gloriously simple that you wonder why no one else has thought of it yet. For between £4.50 and £5.50, you can savour joyous meals as part of their Friday night supper range, aimed directly at the workaholic-slash-lazy bones that don’t have the time or energy to chop their own veg or boil potatoes, let alone cut up a chicken.
I take home a delicious beef stew with Newcastle Brown Ale and dumplings, locally sourced and made directly from their deli on a recipe rota system which alternates week by week. Simply pick up your dinner from the deli anytime after 2pm, stick it on the hob or put it in the microwave, and enjoy a delicious home cooked meal without ever having to lift a finger. The deli also provides wine to accompany the meal, plus breads, puddings and nibbles if you fancy a real feast.
Not that the portions aren’t big enough. In fact, for about a fiver, the stew will happily serve two, and it beats a Big Mac any day. Despite being reheated, the stew still possessed succulent slices of beef and the dumplings were quite magnificent, a filling mix of suet and rosemary which makes for good, humble, and very enjoyable eating. Fast food doesn’t have to be bad for you.
Of course, this whole issue could be solved if perhaps we all didn’t have to work so hard, and took a bit more time to prepare our own dinners using locally sourced, natural ingredients. That’s in an ideal world, clearly, but it’s nice to know that somewhere like Haley & Clifford is nicely bridging the gap in the meantime.
Posted on Wednesday 7th January 2009
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Comment by Caroline Lindley
Posted on Mon 16th Feb 09 1:47 pm
Since the shop has been revamped the prices of everything has gone up substantially- the shop layout is very confusing also. Not impressed.
