It was a stroke of good fortune to spot a new foodie business opening up for the food review this week.
There are only so many ways to describe a takeaway, after all!
Lockdown has had us all fondly reminiscing over the times we used to go out for dinner, head to the pub or meet at a cafe for a drink and something to eat with friends and family.
But it has also sparked some great ideas from some very creative entrepreneurs. Amongst them is ‘A Board By Rozi’.
This is a lockdown foodie dream, and, so it turns out, is also a long held idea made possible by being made redundant in lockdown.
Rozina Henderson told me she had lost her job as a digital marketing person in January, but said, on delivering a beautifully presented box to my door, wrapped with string and adorned with a tulip, that this was something she had always wanted to do.
Let me describe the concept. First off, it is currently only advertised on Facebook or Instagram - which is where I spotted a list of glowing reviews.
There are choices of different types of boards, and they can be sized according to numbers in your party or appetite. The box for two people - at a very reasonable £35 - was actually enough for four people.
It was an absolute delight from start to finish. Lovely attention to detail on the stylishly presented box certainly set up the store for a classy experience with the food.
That was more than the case. The box, once opened, was like a gift - covered with layers of white tissue paper.
On lifting the veil, a stunning display of different nibbly bits had us oo-ing and ah-ing.
It was like a work of art to look at, and the delightful smell, aided by a sprig of fresh rosemary on the top, has us diving in to the wonderful array of meats, nuts, fruit, cheese, biscuits - and even some individual chocolates.
The ingredients were what you would expect to get from a top class delicatessen, and a lovely combination of different types of cheese and meats.
As I said, the box of delights kept on surprising, with three different types of chutney and several shapes, sizes and colours of biscuits to pile up.
This is the sort of thing a fancy picnic would be made of. Just add a bottle of something nice - in my case a Berry Brothers and Rudd ordinary claret.
The cheeses in my box were brie, blue stilton, goats cheese and cheddar.
The meat, salami, chorizo salami, el albeullo maragato cured beef, beef salchidon. The chutneys were quince, chilli jam and red onion.
But what made it so surprising were all the other bits and bobs - such as walnuts, raisins, apricots, figs, olives, sundried tomatoes and edible flowers.
This was a real tonic - and a perfect takeaway/delivery for a wet and windy Saturday afternoon watching the rugby.
I’d highly recommend it, and will be ordering another one once I can have people round to the garden for a picnic. A very generous board for two was £35, but different sizes can be ordered to suit.
NIKI HINMAN
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here