The chef-patron of award-winning restaurant Chapter One on a simple salad that not only tastes great, but also sneaks in broccoli...
For most parents the summer holidays can seem far too long and keeping the kids entertained takes a lot of effort.
My wife and I have a cunning strategy that works… most of the time. Like a trusted alarm clock, the kids wake early and after they create chaos in the kitchen while making breakfast, we set a number of games they can play in the garden, activities around the house and take long walks with the dog. You get the idea; we try to use up all that energy.
In between days like these, sometimes they actually like to take things a little slow and as a family we’ll go on a very chilled picnic.
The kids are old enough now to make their own sandwiches and help me cook our meats, sauces, and condiments. Granted, I don’t always make everything from scratch if I don’t have the time but when I can I will, as it tastes so much better.
Our typical picnic will include a home-made pork pie (my favourite) piccalilli, sliced meats, a salad and of course some great British cheeses with crispy celery.
This month if you’re looking for fun ideas to do with the kids, why not organise a little picnic? It doesn’t need to take up a lot of your time in order to make the food delicious.
Remember, you can make your condiments and sauces ahead of time, any quiches or pies the day before, so you’ll only have to prepare make your meats and sandwiches on the day.
This month’s recipe is a very simple broccoli, bacon, red onion and pine nut salad, a dish I picked up from my wife’s friend Fi on our recent trip to New Zealand. I’ve never had any luck with getting my kids to eat broccoli until we tried this. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as we did.
Recipe
Broccoli and bacon salad (serves 4)
Ingredients
- 1 head of fresh broccoli
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 2 rashes of back bacon (dice and fry until golden brown)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Chardonnay vinegar
- 25g pine nuts (toasted)
- 30g grated mature cheddar
- 1/2 lemon for seasoning
- Salt and pepper
Method
Cut the broccoli into very small florets about the size of your fingernail. Give the broccoli a wash under cold water. Drain and pat dry. Add to a bowl. Then add the chopped onion, mayonnaise and bacon.
Mix well then add the grated cheese and mix again. Season with a squeeze of lemon juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.
Place in a bowl and sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.
