It's The Lunchbox Number Two!

My top 10 most useful utensils, the best summer fritters, A LOT of dessert chit chat

What I’m currently consuming

The Ingredient: HLTHPUNK Dijon Mustard

This Dijon-style mustard is an absolute must-try for all you extra-hottttt mustard lovers. Wickedly peppery, made with all-natural ingredients and who can resist the humorous packaging? Not only will they add swag to your shelf, the metal tube is way more practical than a jar and infinitely recyclable.

The Piece of Equipment: Victorinox Tomato Knife

I go into a bit more detail on my feelings on utensils, below, but one of the most life-changing purchases of recent years are these small serrated knives. They come in at around £6.50, are made in every bold n’ brash colour under the sun and can be used for so many things in the kitchen. Whizz through your tomatoes, dice up that peach, show that bread roll who’s boss.

The Cocktail: The Boulevardier

Do you love a Negroni? Do you love a Manhattan? Well then, my friends, try their love child, the Boulevardier. It’s 1/3 Campari, 1/3 Red Vermouth, 1/3 Bourbon. So simple, so harmonious, with each ingredient bringing its best game to the table. It’s a little sweet, a little savoury, a little bitter, all sitting happily together in the same icy glass. Once you try this, 6.30pm on a Friday will never be the same again. Salty nuts ESSENTIAL.

The Ice Cream: The Monumintal from Happy Endings

I’m going to confidently say that the infamous ice cream sandwich champs Happy Endings don’t have as single dud among them. But the Monumintal, OMMMMGGGG. The coolest, most assertive mint stracciatella ice cream (made by infusing Estate Dairy milk overnight with fresh mint) and the deepest, richest bourbon-style chocolate biscuit, all dipped in Original Beans chocolate. Truly, birds sing when you bite into one of these. Terri Mercieca uses only the best ingredients, and you can really taste it. These are pure joy. Find them at these stockists.

The Dish: The Cendol @Mambow, Peckham

Cendol, an icey dessert from South East Asia is not something I’ve ever encountered before, but it stopped my mouth in its tracks when I first ate it the other week at Mambow, Peckham. I believe there are many variations, but this one with coconut granita, sweet aduki beans, gula melaka syrup and the most peculiarly wonderful pandan jelly noodles was utterly thrilling. An absolute texture bonanza with just the right amount of sweetness, this was my kinda dessert. And my first ever bean-for-pudding experience.

---

Something to fill you up

Courgette Keftedes

This recipe is a game-changer for the courgette. It harnesses its subtly nutty flavour and juicy texture and transforms it into a snazzy little fritter that makes the perfect, easy-going lunch with a big bowl of tzatziki, some bread and a green salad.

Make extra to have in a sandwich the next day. They also re-heat like absolute troopers.

Watch my how-to video here.

Serves 4 as a lunch

6 medium courgettes
A big handful of parsley, chopped
A small handful of mint, chopped
A bunch of spring onions, chopped
200g feta
75g plain flour
2 eggs, beaten
Lemon wedges, to serve
Olive oil, to fry
Tzatziki
½ cucumber, grated
1 small garlic clove, grated 
200g Greek yoghurt
A handful of mint leaves, chopped

Grate the courgettes and place them in a large bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt, mix well and set aside for a few mins while you get on with the rest.

Next, make the tzatziki. Mix together all the ingredients and seasoning well. Chill in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.

Return to the courgettes and place in a clean tea towel. Squeeze them vigorously to get out as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid and return the courgette to the dry bowl. Add the herbs and spring onions and crumble in the feta. Season well.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and flour, then pour this into the mix. Stir well.

Warm up a nice heavy frying pan over a medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil so the bottom of the pan is generously covered.

Shape heaped tablespoons of the mix into rounds and add to the hot pan. Press down lightly with the back of your spoon and add as many fritters as you can without them touching.

Cook until golden brown and crisp underneath, then confidently turn them over and cook the other side. The mixture on top will be still quite wet, so flip them with gusto. If you find them falling apart, don’t worry about adding a little extra flour.

Eat warm or room temp with the chilled tzatziki, some fresh bread and a big squeeze of lemon. Perfect summer food.

---

Something to finish you off

This Mango Shrikhand Pavlova by Gurdeep Loyal is truly a thing of beauty. The pink-tinged meringue is made with rosewater and cardamom and it’s filled with thick, mango-spiked yoghurt. It’s also a brilliant way of making the most of the late-season mangoes from Pakistan.

---

Photo by Caroline Attwood on Unsplash

10 Things I’ve Learnt About Kitchen Kit

1. You only need 3 knives (but they must all be sharp). Bread, serrated paring/tomato knife (see, Snacks, above) and 20cm chef’s knife.

2. Those hand blender sets with an immersion blender for soups, small chopper for herbs and sauces, beaker for smoothies, plus a whisk attachment are ALL you need. They’re versatile and economical and I’d argue, do the job of a food processor without the bulk, fuss or mess. Get one.

3. A pestle + mortar was one of the earliest kitchen tools and it’s still the case that no kitchen should be without one. There are certain jobs - crushing garlic/making aioli/grinding spices/smashing herbs/making spice pastes - that cannot be done as successfully or beautifully as with this bit of ancient kit. Granite not marble though.

4. I think we can agree that wooden chopping boards are by far the most attractive option. I always grab these every time I go to Ikea to sit neatly on my work surface. But they aren’t super hygienic, so I’d suggest you get some accompanying plastic boards to sit on top for bacteria-heavy jobs such as raw meat and fish. And garlic! And onions! Otherwise you’ll be tasting them in your apple for days.

5. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Julienne peelers. Same price as a veg peeler but means coleslaw is a cinch and they’ll significantly up your salad game but giving you beautiful long strips that are near impossible to do by hand.

6. A really good peeler. Doesn’t need to be pricey, but it does need to be sharp. Will transform veg prepping.

7. Stick proof pans. Hmmm. Maybe for scrambled eggs, pancakes and fish, but they’re useless at most other things. Deliciousness is found in those sticky, caramelised bits at the bottom of your stainless steel (I like Crane) or cast iron (Netherton Foundry are pretty ace)

8. Scales and measuring spoons. Yes, measuring is a bore, but only the select few can really wing it when baking. 

9. Spatula. You don’t need one until you really do. They get those hard-to-reach areas and means you get every bit of that cake batter into the tin. I’ve just discovered mini ones for jars.

10. Tongs. Not just for the BBQ! Like extensions of your hands. These are extremely versatile and essential for turning over and moving food when frying or grilling. But please, not the clumsy silicone-tipped ones, you’ll be there all day.