Few people can afford a trip to the southern hemisphere for some winter sun. We might gingerly venture to European destinations in search of a fleeting ray, but more often than not we are punished with rain on holiday and news of a record-breaking heatwave back home.
Meanwhile, we are doomed to languish for a few more weeks in our pasty skin waiting for some sun. What better way to bide the time than to transform lunch into a holiday-themed feast. And be thankful that you don’t have to shake sand out of your shoes …
• Start your imaginary Grand Tour with a Greek-style grilled prawn and halloumi salad. Slice the halloumi and griddle with prawns until golden and charred in parts. Make a dressing of plenty of olive oil, lime juice, honey, lime zest, a touch of fish sauce and sliced red chilli. Add the cooked halloumi and prawns to chopped avocado, sliced little gem, coriander, and drizzle over the dressing.
• If simplicity is what you’re after, send your tired ham sandwich on a French exchange and upgrade it for a baguette jambon beurre. If you can get your hands on a fresh baguette (those bake-at-home jobs are also good and perfectly sized for sarnies) and some good cooked ham from the supermarket deli counter, you’ll remember why the country is so obsessed with ham sandwiches. Slather the bread with plenty of unsalted butter and freshly ground black pepper.
• You may be sipping your cup of soup contemplatively to the sound of rain dashing against your window, but swapping it for tacos will almost make you believe it’s summer. Stuff hard corn taco shells (from most supermarkets) or top soft ones with finely shredded iceberg, tinned sweetcorn (roasted in a hot oven with a good pinch of dried chilli and a glug of olive oil until it starts to char) and avocado mashed with lime juice.
• Sometimes the nicest lunches are the ones that aren’t lunch, but rather simple things you nibble with wine. Replicate this laissez faire attitude – sans booze – with an easy tapas snack: cut a small baguette in two, then halve it down the middle. Toast lightly and rub with the cut side of a clove of garlic. Pack into a large container. Finely chop a large tomato, add salt, pepper and a splash of olive oil, and pack into a separate container. Come lunchtime, top your garlicky bread with a spoonful of tomato. A few slices of serrano ham would not go amiss.
