For over two years now, Amélie’s father-son duo Régis and Alex Crépy have been regaling customers in their Cambridge restaurant with Flam-kuche, their take on the 14th century Alsace dish known as Flammekueche (a super thin flatbread with crème fraîche and fresh toppings, baked in a very hot oven until the edges are crisp and the top is golden). I wrote about Amélie here, soon after the exciting launch of the restaurant in 2018.

Lockdown meant Régis and Alex had to adapt Amélie to these challenging times so they created the DIY Flam-kuche Flatpack for local delivery. It soon garnered praise as a quick and easy home kit that’s several notches above fast food. And now they have launched their UK-wide delivery service for more people to enjoy preparing and eating this tasty meal in their own kitchen.

In the Amélie Store, there are 7 flavours of build-your-own Flam-kuche Flatpacks: Authentic, Goat Cheese & Beetroot, Margherita, Mozzarella & Pepperoni & Olives, Mushroom & Mozzarella, Parma Ham, and Pulled Pork Shoulder – each with 4 rectangular bases, 5 toppings and the choice of their signature crème fraîche or deep red tomato sauce. Other options in the store are beef short rib, cheese fondue, homemade hummus, homemade pesto and packs of 4, 8 or 12 dough bases (for adding your own toppings or baking separately to use in dips).

I chose to receive the Authentic Flatpack and it came in a cheerful yellow and white rectangular box with dark blue lettering for the restaurant’s name, phone number and website. The brand colours and font took me back to Amélie’s stationary Citroen H van in The Grafton. The box was sealed and cleverly identified with the label “Authentique and on fleek!” and once open, I was greeted by “Bon Appétit!” printed on the side. A good start, non?

I was impressed with the slim, well organised packaging – and all of it recyclable. The cardboard insert, which firmly held all 6 round containers, popped out in one piece to reveal 4 thin, yeast-free Flam-kuche bases (sealed in their own bag), cooking instructions and several branded liners. I love how the A in their logo looks like the Eiffel Tower.

The flatpack was kept cold with frozen reusable gel packs and I could tell the ingredients were fresh. They smelled so good when I opened the containers! It’s clear they haven’t skimped on the flatpack’s ingredients – it’s the same high quality food served in their restaurant.

We wanted a more substantial meal for dinner so we made all four (two each). For lunch or a lighter dinner, one base per person would do… and the flatpacks can be enjoyed within 4 days of delivery.

It took only minutes to make the Flam-kuches. The ingredients came pre-measured, chopped and ready to spread on each medium-sized dough base. The ingredients were the right amount so we didn’t feel as if we were going to run out. The cooking instructions for the Authentic were clear, with step-by-step descriptions and illustrations. The process wasn’t complicated at all though. We simply laid out the base, spread the already seasoned crème fraîche and added the toppings in their proper order: sliced onions, smoked bacon (lardons), Gruyère cheese and finely chopped chives.

A good trick was to prepare the Flam-kuches on baking paper so there was no spill over on the oven tray. We then carefully moved them onto the tray (the bases are thin but still sturdy). This was also a good way to prepare all four bases at once. We baked two Flam-kuches at a time and after we ate those, the other two were already prepped for baking.

The Flam-kuches are baked at a high temperature (230˚C) in the middle of the oven. The recommended baking time is 6 minutes but ours took 8 and a half minutes and we could have left them a bit longer for a more charred, crispy finish.

We then transferred the Flam-kuches to a chopping board and sliced them into squares. They tasted as good as the ones in the restaurant!

Amélie are the first UK brand to specialise in Flammekueche and it’s a source of pride that their food concept was launched here in Cambridge. It’s exciting that the DIY Flam-kuche Flatpack is now available for delivery throughout the UK, so more people can appreciate preparing this unique, delicious dish at home.

I was sent a complimentary flatpack. I did not receive compensation for my review. All views are my own.

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