Fabulous foodie gifts from Eleven98

London

Eleven98

I’ve had Eleven98’s Hackney-based supper club on my “must go” list for some time. So I was delighted to have the chance to review products from their new online shop, which are featured in their delicious menus.

I received their herb oils & salts gift box plus a box of their infamous truffle-scented truffles. Both were carefully packaged with a gift label and tied with string to make a lovely foodie bundle. The 3 oils come in super cute bottles with cork stoppers and the 3 salts in screw top containers. All of the herbs used for the oils and salts are either organically cultivated or foraged in Hackney, which is all in keeping with chef Aidan’s philosophy about sourcing local, sustainable produce. There’s a much welcomed leaflet with suggestions on how to use these tucked under the bottles. Here they are along with how I tried using them: - Fennel oil: Drizzle over cooked fish or seafood, or pair with vodka. I was intrigued at the thought of vodka and oil, so added a few drops to a cocktail. My mixology skills need some work, but I enjoyed seeing the droplets floating around and the additional savoury scent and taste. - Sorrel oil: Great in a vinaigrette. I’m planning to use in a sauce with some Greek yoghurt. - Celery leaf oil: Add to a Bloody Mary. I drizzled this over some homemade leek and potato soup, delish! - Sage salt: Use with pumpkin and squash. I added some to homemade pumpkin risotto, yum! - Basil salt: Pair with all things tomato or burrata. Any excuse to buy more burrata :) - Chive salt: Use to season recipes centred around onions or leeks. I sprinkled some on the leek and potato soup. And now for the turn of the truffled truffles! The scent of the premium white truffle oil explodes when you open the packaging. I just breathed it in for a few minutes - lovely! The truffles come in boxes of 6 or 9 - I was fortunate enough to have the latter. Each one is coated in 70% dark chocolate and then filled with a white chocolate and porcini ganache. I love the contrast between the dark outside and translucent centre. The ganache melts so easily on your tongue and before you know it you’ll have eaten another one, or two… I would definitely recommend these gift boxes as pressies for the foodie in your life. That could even be yourself! If you want, you can buy just the oils or just the salts. Delivery is available nationwide, or if you live locally, you can also collect. I’m even more keen now to attend the supper club and see how these herb oils and salts are used by an expert. In the meantime, I think I may be ordering more of those truffled truffles. Check out their website and Instagram for more info!

More Info: Eleven98 Website