One of East Anglia’s leading restaurants has turned up the heat with a new culinary venture. Pascal Canevet of Maison Bleue in Bury St Edmunds has spent the winter months fitting out his new new state-of-the-art Country Kitchen - a space to craft his own-brand products and dine-at-home collection.
Based in Thurston near Bury St Edmunds (home of his and wife Karine’s award-winning restaurant Maison Bleue) Pascal’s Country Kitchen is the cooking hub for his brand LÉA, with a new team dedicated to preparing all the dishes from scratch.
It’s also the perfect stage for Pascal to entertain, enlighten and share his expert knowledge. Watch this space for details of cookery workshops, where groups of six will join in the fun, and eat what they cook for lunch.
A concept devised by Pascal and Karine during the first lockdown, the unique LÉA range of ready meals (named after Pascal’s mother) are available to buy exclusively from the new LÉA shop on Churchgate Street, weekdays and Saturdays from 10am daily.
“LÉA is freshly prepared and additive-free with a variety of seasonal dishes to tempt you. We have five starters, five main courses and five puddings,” says Pascal, listing off boeuf Bourguignon and chocolate mousse as just two of the options.
The new shop stocks the full range of LÉA and has its own frontage, right next to Maison Bleue. "We’ve had people frustrated they can’t get a table in the restaurant,” adds Pascal. “So, they come to the shop and buy dinner to enjoy at home; then come back again and again.”
Can’t be bothered to cook? Working lunch, entertaining or trying to impress your date? You can buy three courses for just £19.95 per person or simply pick and mix with dishes starting at £4.95 and sides from £2.50. Most of the dishes are ready to eat from their glass pot (return 24 for a free main course) while main dishes are ready after just two minutes in the microwave or 20 minutes in the oven.
In addition, Pascal has launched the Maison Bleue Collect & Dine service of fine dining four course menus. They're priced at £39.95 per person and are available to pre-order online for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter, with collection from the new shop. Everything is fully prepared, ready to cook. All you need to do is set the table...and maybe buy a dozen roses.
“For our Valentine’s Day Collect & Dine we have a superb menu including an amuse bouche to begin, then smoked salmon, for the main course chicken stuffed with apricot and smoked duck with a vegetable gratin dauphinoise, for the pudding a stunning vanilla and mango yuzu dessert that when you cut in half, it will be gorgeously runny inside, finishing with petit fours” adds Pascal.
There are already plans to further expand the offering.
“In the future we hope to offer some exquisite patisserie and creative desserts we showcase in Maison Bleue for example, our exclusive glossy red apple, a mirror glazed apple shaped dessert."
That will definitely excite food lovers, who should also visit the new shop for a concise selection of fine wines to take home, chosen by award-winning sommelier Karine to pair with the LÉA range of ready meals and Maison Bleue Collect & Dine.
Local businesses can order LÉA in advance for meetings throughout the year with monthly subscriptions, find out more in store.
“We are so excited to expand our brand and start new ventures. We wanted a rural location for our new kitchen to complement our renowned restaurant, enhancing our team’s wellbeing whilst supporting rural regeneration," says Pascal.
At the heart of this new venture remains the multi-award-winning Maison Bleue restaurant, going from strength to strength, with Pascal and Karine annually scooping TripAdvisor ‘Best of the Best’ awards and recently the renowned Michelin ‘Sommelier of the Year’ award in recognition of Karine and the celebrated Maison Bleue's wine list boasting over 300 fine wines.
Find out more at leaburystedmunds.co.uk
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