TWO weeks ago the ‘grand daddy’ of quality dining in Sussex told how his restaurant is still serving his loyal clientele, so editor Arron Hendy found out what it was like to try his restaurant food at home.

Jeremy Ashpool has been helping to give Sussex its reputation for producing fantastic food for 30 years. He and his wife Vera at Jeremy’s restaurant and the neighbouring Cafe Elvira in Borde Hill near Haywards Heath were not going to let the coronavirus pandemic stop them.

They quickly came up with the idea of serving up their high end food as a takeaway with a difference.

The food comes chilled with simple and quick instructions on how to cook it.

I thought that surely the food wouldn’t be as good as if it was finished off by their head chef, the award-winning Jimmy Gray? I was wrong.

First of all a good look at the takeaway menu was reassuring. Their three courses for £35 did not provide a ridiculously long list of items. It’s a good sign that to me, if the quality is right, you don’t need choice. Trust in what the chef has chosen and the fresh produce he has got his hands on.

Arriving at Jeremy’s to pick up the food in the sun did make me wish we could eat in their beautiful garden but sadly that’s not possible at the moment.

I was particularly impressed with their pick-up procedure though. You can park right next to the restaurant and then sit at one of the socially distanced tables to wait for your food to be brought out.

Jeremy and his team are on hand to advise on what to do with your food, but the instructions on each pack were simple, quick and easy to follow, as I was about to find out once we got home.

For starters we went for the burrata (the milky cheese akin to mozzarella), with quinoa, tomatoes, artichoke and spring onion, which was lovely, as was the tiger prawns.

They were both ready to eat with no cooking or heating up required and the standard of the food set the tone for the meal. The lobster stock gave the huge, fleshy prawns a great taste in combination with the mango, radish and coriander. Obviously a well thought through dish with the right combination of flavours - that’s Jeremy’s all over.

My Lamb Wellington main course was exquisite. As you can see from the picture of the label the reheating instructions were very simple.

The lamb itself was succulent and juicy. The side dish of new potatoes with capers, caper berries, shallots, mint etc set it off, As it all could be heated in the microwave or oven so quickly, we were all eating top-quality food within half an hour of walking in the door, and with minimal effort. Think Marks and Spencer ready meal effort, but with better food.

The fregola dish - small semolina pasta balls - was also a quick 20 minute in the oven dish. It was another where the ingredients, which included feta cheese, asparagus, pine nut and wild garlic, certainly meant we were eating restaurant food at home.

There are great children’s meals too so you can make it a family occasion if you wish. They have pasta in tomato sauce and sausage and mash.

For dessert my chocolate delice provided one of those moments where you need a quiet moment to yourself.

The sticky toffee, heated while we ate our mains, was the same, making us full and happy.

To see what is on the menu this week visit jeremysrestaurant.co.uk or call 01444 441102.