White bean dip and roasted broccoli (pictured above)
Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4. Break down 1 broccoli head, peeling and chopping the stem, and toss in ½ tbsp rapeseed oil. Season with salt, pepper and dried chilli flakes and roast for 10 mins. Add 1 handful of whole almonds, more oil and toss. Roast another 8-10 mins, then cool and box up. Blitz 1 tin of drained cannellini beans with 1 garlic clove, 6 anchovy fillets, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 tbsp mascarpone and seasoning, then jar and pack. Serve the dip with the broccoli.
Indian inspired Jersey and chickpea salad
In a food processor, blitz 1 shallot, 2cm piece ginger, 1 garlic clove, 1 pinch coriander seeds, 1 tsp salt, 1 green chilli, 1 large handful each of mint and coriander and the juice of 1 lime into a paste. Fry half the paste in 1½ tbsp vegetable oil for a few seconds, then add 1 chopped tomato, ¼ tsp red chilli and cumin powder and fry for 1 min. Add 400g boiled, chopped jersey potatoes and 1 tin drained chickpeas. Cook for 2 mins, then mix in 2 tsp mango chutney or Indian tamarind sauce . Mix with 1 handful of fresh coriander and scatter over the rest of the green paste. Cool and pack in a tub. Blitz 2 tbsp natural yoghurt with ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp fennel seeds, ¼ tsp cumin and ground cinnamon and pour in a jar. Pour theyoghurt dressing over the salad before serving.
Israeli-inspired pitta with eggs, fried aubergine and sumac tahini salad
Best to assemble this sandwich just before eating it, so prepack the bits and pitta separately, then fill the pitta just before eating – worth it I promise! Salt four discs of aubergine, put on wire rack and allow to give up moisture for 10 mins. Pat dry. Pour 3 tbsp veg oil into a pan, and fry the aubergine until tender and caramelised, turning halfway through – 6-8 mins – then wrap in foil. Finely chop 7cm cucumber, ¼ red onion, 1 tbsp parsley and 1 tomato, then combine in a bowl, season with salt and a pinch of sumac. Blitz 1 garlic clove, 1 handful coriander, 1 green chilli, 1 pinch cumin seeds with tbsp olive oil, 2 of tahini and the juice of ½ lemon. Dress the salad with this sauce and pack, along with a peeled, hard-boiled egg and a lightly toasted pitta. When about to eat, slice the egg, split the pitta and load the salad into the pitta followed by the egg and aubergine.
Pickled kohlrabi and fennel slaw with chilli tinned sardines
Finely slice ¼ bulb of fennel and put in a bowl with a pinch of salt and any fronds. In another bowl, whisk 2 tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp caster sugar until the sugar has dissolved. Add a pinch of fennel seeds. Peel and shave strips from ½ kohlrabi into the vinegar along with ½ finely sliced shallot. Toss to coat, and set aside for 10-15 mins, then combine with the fennel and pack into a tub for your lunch. With it, pack a tin of sardines with chilli. When it’s time for lunch, open the tin and drizzle some of the chilli oil from the tin over the salad, and toss to dress. Flake over the sardine and enjoy.
