LEON x Mindful Chef

Moroccan Meatballs have been on the LEON menu since we opened our very first restaurant on Carnaby Street in 2004. Back then we wrote that they were "the result of many loving arguments between the Leon family about what makes a perfect Leon meatball. Grass-fed lamb, Moroccan herbs and spices in a Leon tomato sauce."

And since 2004, the Moroccan Meatball has been subject to more loving (and some less-loving) arguments in our search for the platonic, perfect meatball. We switched out lamb for beef, and removed the flatbread crumbs to make them gluten-free. Over the years we’ve dialled the spice mix up and down, served with and without slaw, and had many 'debates' over whether we serve five big or six slightly smaller balls.

We think you'll love this LEON x Mindful Chef recipe, made with grass-fed beef from Farmison & Co., recently named the UK's 'butcher of the year', rolled in a Moroccan spice blend simmered in fresh tomato sauce, served with a seasonal kale and red cabbage slaw and a free jar of LEON Garlic Aioli for a liberal dollop on top.

Meatless Meatballs came onto our menu in Spring 2018, the same time we first scintillated your tastebuds with vegan garlic aioli.

We created these to show that ball-shaped food wasn’t the domain of meat. That you could, in fact, grow a pair. And that a plant-based diet could be just as interesting, varied, flavourful and filling as an omnivorous one.

Packed with a Sicilian-inspired mix of black olives, aubergine and lemon zest, Mindful Chef have also added beluga lentils to increase the protein content in this recipe. Served in a fresh tomato sauce over fluffy brown rice, and a jar of our vegan Garlic Aioli for drizzling.