Cocktails and Eggs Royale bring festive cheer to brunchtime
In this period of festive fun, many people are needing spirits to keep up their good cheer. Drake and Morgan At Home are on hand to help out with their Merry Weekender brunch home meal kit which will get your day off to such a good start that you may need to return to bed after for a lie-down. Two fabulous cocktails – a French Martini and an Aperol Spritz are just the things to start off a Sunday pre-Christmas brunch. I love an Aperol Spritz, preferably overlooking the lagoon in Venice, but since travel is off the agenda at the moment, I can but dream into my orange-hued glass.
All this alcohol in the morning makes me very hungry and I tootle off to my stove, albeit very briefly, to assemble Eggs Royale, a dish fit for royalty certainly. An English muffin is toasted and topped with generous slices of good quality smoked salmon – I like mine not too fatty and with a marked smoked flavour – and then finished off with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. They say it is good to start the day on an egg and this is egg luxury. Drake and Morgan use beautiful brown Burford eggs. They have attempted to ease the poaching process by partially pre-cooking the egg, thus simply requiring one to crack and peel off some of the shell before pouring the half-cooked egg into boiling water. It doesn’t quite work and I would suggest that providing simple instruction for how to poach an egg – which only takes two minutes after all – might give a more satisfying result. The Hollandaise sauce is reheated in a pouch. Garnishes of watercress and edible flowers are a colourful touch.
The Drake and Morgan Merry Weekender box came with Santa hats and two cards on which suggestions were provided for how to get the brunch party rocking. The first card gave tips on decorating in D&M style with the Merry Weekender Playlist. For those more accustomed to The Archers Omnibus and a pot of tea and toast on a Sunday morning, this certainly rings in the changes. I can’t say I got as far as using lipstick to write Christmas quotes on my mirrors, but I did follow instructions about donning the Christmas hats and putting out candles and fairy lights which certainly added atmosphere.
The second card suggested three games to keep the mood festive. A Festive Quiz provided 10 questions, Beer or Prosecco Pong involves a ping pong ball and cups, while the Post-It Note game is based on a much-loved party game that is a hoot after two cocktails.
Drake and Morgan have 23 venues across the UK and is known for quality cocktails and food served in large, elegant dining spaces in which to eat and party. Sadly, these venues are now closed for the festive season, but the fun does not have to end there. If your Christmas isn’t over yet, D&M at Home will deliver its Merry Weekender boxes to your door next weekend (8th January) too. Diners can choose from three brunch menus – Eggs Royale, Smashed Avocado and eggs or The Full Works. Each box is for two people, costs £40 and includes two cocktails per person.
Once the festive boxes are finished, deliveries on 15th January and going forward will be just a little different. The £40 box (including delivery) will include the same range of classic brunch dishes and a new playlist and games sheet along with a video link to cook-along.
All the boxes come with four cocktails – Bloody Mary, Aperol Spritz, French or Pornstar martinis. And, you have three meal options to choose from. Smashed avocado on sourdough with Burford brown poached eggs, radish, chilli & herb oil which is served with 2 Aperol Spritz & 2 Pornstar Martinis. Or, there’s the same Eggs Royale menu I enjoyed, with Eggs Royale made with smoked salmon from Chapel & Swan smokehouse, Burford brown poached eggs, English muffins and hollandaise sauce. That will be served with 2 Aperol Spritz & 2 French Martinis. Finally, The Full works, with smoked streaky bacon, sausages, black pudding, roasted tomatoes, D&M homemade baked beans and sourdough which comes with 2 Aperol Spritz and 2 Ultimate Bloody Mary Cocktails
Delivery – Order by 11:59pm Wednesday for delivery on Friday (each week).
Delivery radius – Within the M25
To order go to the Drake and Morgan online shop
Looking for more festive cheer? check out our roundup of Christmas cocktails to make at home
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