This started many moons ago at university when a staple part of my diet was Jacob's Cream Crackers with Shiphams Sardine and Tomato paste. These combine beautifully, allow you to vary the size of any meal easily and are a quick snack when the hunger monster strikes.
When I was in the process of moving up to London (from Dorset) I spent a few months living out of a dingy hotel on the Strand and had to eat as cheaply as possible. I soon settled into the routine of going to Pizzaland (subsequently merged into the ugly Pizza Hut chain) and having a standard pizza with a pot of tea to maximize the volume for the price while still having something nice.
More recently while working at home, cheese on toast became my usual lunch, enlivened by an assortment of chutneys from the local delicatessen (the Blistering Hot Salsa is something special!).
But I've seen and read too many things lately about how bad bread and cheese are for you so I have moved back to where it all started.
However, things are a little different now. I am older, wiser, richer, snobbier and a vegetarian so cream crackers and sardine and tomato paste do not cut it any more.This is where the local delicatessen (Ham Pantry) scores again.
They stock a wonderful selection of Dr. Karg organic crispbreads.
They have this big advantage over other crispbreads that I have tried in the past in that they actually taste nice; you can eat them with nothing on!
The Elemental Cheese and Pumpkin Seed is probably my favourite but they are all good.
Even better, they come in two sizes. The standard size is ideal for lunches but the bite sized ones are wonderful when you need just a little more or want a small healthy snack.
Ham Pantry also solves the riddle of what to put on them.Cauldron produce a lot of tasty foods including a range of pates.
My favourite is the Organic Moroccan Chickpea Pate but I like to vary things a little and so I also have the Chickpea and Black Olive and the Organic Mushroom pates regularly - I'm not quite sad enough to eat them in strict rotation but it's not far off :-)
Eating at home is one of the pleasures of working at home.
Not only do you avoid the bland Marks & Sparks sandwiches but you also avoid walking in the rain to the shop, queuing up for ages to pay, eating in the public discomfort of your own desk, looking for something to clean your PC with afterwards and trying to find an office bin that still has enough space left for all the wrapping.
All I need to do now is find an appropriate smoothie to accompany my delightful lunches.
Your lunches sound rather special. Perhaps adding a little chopped feta cheese to your pate would take your lunchtime expereince to the next level of culinary pleasure!
ReplyDelete...........Only kidding-but next time Richard is back in K-U-T, point him in the direction of that deli to get me some of those crisp breads and the chutney sounds fab too!
Matthew I'm a crispbread-and-spread fan myself, so read with much interest. You can get the Dr Krag crispbreads at Waitrose on Canary Wharf, too. Oatcakes are another favourite.
ReplyDeleteSheila