Cruz Out-Cooks Brooklyn

Cruz Beckham Steps Up in the Kitchen, Rivaling Brother Brooklyn

While Brooklyn Beckham has been making waves in the culinary world, his younger brother, budding musician Cruz Beckham, recently proved he's no slouch in the kitchen himself. On Thursday, the 20-year-old showcased his own impressive cooking prowess by whipping up a Beef Wellington, a dish his older brother had recently detailed step-by-step.

Cruz took to his Instagram Story to share his culinary achievement, posting a video of himself meticulously brushing egg wash over the golden pastry before sliding it into the oven. This display comes just a few weeks after Brooklyn, 26, shared his own detailed process for creating the classic dish.

Brooklyn's Culinary Masterclass

Brooklyn's earlier Beef Wellington creation was a thorough affair. He began by carefully cutting his fillet beef to the ideal size, seasoning it generously, and then wrapping it tightly in cling film. The eldest son of David and Victoria then moved on to preparing the duxelles, finely chopping and sautéing mushrooms before searing his beef in a hot pan and coating it with a layer of Dijon mustard.

The next stage involved laying out a bed of spinach on cling film, followed by layers of prosciutto and the mushroom mixture. The seasoned beef was then carefully placed in the centre and rolled tightly within this encasing.

Finally, Brooklyn wrapped the entire creation in puff pastry, ensuring a neat seal. A final egg wash was applied to the pastry's surface for that signature golden sheen before the dish was placed in the oven to bake to perfection.

Upon revealing the finished product, Brooklyn appeared absolutely thrilled. The pastry was beautifully golden brown, and the reveal showed a perfectly pink, succulent beef fillet inside. He accompanied the dish with a side of Bisto gravy, and his satisfied nod and thumbs-up clearly indicated his approval of his own handiwork.

The quality of Brooklyn's Beef Wellington even caught the eye of the formidable Gordon Ramsay, who took to Instagram to share his appreciation. Ramsay commented, "Looks delicious @brooklynpeltzbeckham great job," a significant endorsement from the celebrity chef.

Family Matters: A Knighthood Missed

The recent culinary showdown between the brothers comes at a time of heightened family attention, particularly following David Beckham's recent knighthood. While David was honoured with a knighthood of the British Empire for his significant contributions to sport and charity, notably his two-decade impact on football and his ambassadorial role with UNICEF, Brooklyn was noticeably absent from the ceremony.

The rest of the Beckham children – Romeo (23), Cruz (20), and Harper (14) – were present to witness their father's prestigious achievement. However, Brooklyn's absence was stark, and he made no mention of the milestone on his social media. Sources indicated that he also did not privately reach out to congratulate his father, leading to considerable fan backlash.

Fans flocked to Brooklyn's social media accounts, urging him to reconnect with his family and warning him that he might regret missing these significant family moments. Comments on one of his cooking videos posted on October 29th expressed disappointment, with one user lamenting, "You missed your dad’s biggest moment today !! What a shame." Another commenter added, "Your dad became a “Sir” and you were MIA??? You’ll regret this one day."

Advice poured in from followers, with one suggesting, "Oh Brooklyn, you don’t realize it now, but you will one day regret these decisions. You can’t get these missed opportunities of being present at special family moments back." Another follower implored, "Reach out to your dad Brooklyn. Congratulate him!! Such a special day for him and your mother. One day when they are gone you will regret it. Your father is a humble man."

During the time David was receiving his knighthood, Brooklyn was reportedly occupied with promoting his hot sauce brand, Cloud23. Insiders suggest he remained solely focused on his business ventures and avoided questions pertaining to his family.

The Path to Reconciliation?

Despite the apparent rift, there are indications that Brooklyn and his wife, Nicola Peltz, might be open to mending fences with his family, albeit with a specific condition. A source revealed to the Daily Mail's Alison Boshoff that the situation had become extremely strained. The source commented, "Things got really so bad. There is nothing which Brooklyn or Nicola did that would have deserved this treatment. It is hard to understand the intensity and the escalation [of the media stories]. It seems that they thought they could heap abuse on Nicola without any consequence. They did not let up. There was a public trashing which kept on going."

The insider further elaborated, "Someone should have told them to stop because it was not in their best interest to do this to their own son, but nobody did. It matters what was written. It seemed as if things were being said without any regard being paid to the impact on Brooklyn. He is loyal to his wife."

According to the source, a crucial first step towards reconciliation would be a public acknowledgement and apology from David and Victoria. "There is an obvious first step which would be a public acknowledgement [by David and Victoria] of what they did, and an apology. It cannot be a performative thing. There is no realistic chance of a reconciliation without that happening first," the source stated.