When staff were bemoaning the inadequacies of the management of the school at which I used to work (quite often, as it happens), one particular phrase could be frequently heard: ‘plan early, plan twice.’ Clearly this spoke to management’s propensity to ‘manage’ on the hoof, taking account neither of established procedures nor of published deadlines and calendars, seemingly ignoring staff wishes and basic common sense; just a knee-jerk reaction to a situation or opportunity that had arisen, poorly communicated to all concerned. I say this not to draw parallels with our current situation and as a comment on government response to Covid, though I dare say there may be some who might be thinking that there are similarities, but rather as an observation about the summer holiday period and how it is affecting us. Do we honour long-held bookings? Do we gamble on a recent booking to go abroad to somewhere ‘safe’ three weeks ago? Or do we look for a late-booked break in the UK?
When we moved, I looked forward to welcoming friends for a meal and glass or two as they passed through to, or back from, holiday in the deep south-west. As the summer continues it has been lovely to do just this in a slightly impromptu way over the past couple of weeks, catching up face-to-face, socially distanced for a chat, some food and wine – a chance to re-connect, update on news and remind ourselves of shared memories from summer holidays gone by. One set of friends, at the end of a late-booked week on the Jurassic coast, were about to go to France – brave, we said, but enough time left after their return to self-isolate prior to a return to work, a real example of the new norm. Another family, on their way to their annual pilgrimage to Cornwall, wetsuits at the ready, kids plugged in to devices for the journey – same old same old.
Given the nature of a ‘light lunch’ stop, with driving on the agenda, and with a variety of tastes to cater for, I have defaulted into tarte à l’oignon, with slow roast tomatoes and lardon sprinkles as a starter, followed by two or three large salads: tuna niçoise, beef satay, avocado or roast vegetable and lentil, all served with roast new potatoes. These can be prepared on the morning of any visit, so minimal time away from guests and are flexible enough to deal with traffic delays or early arrivals!
And let’s be honest, what is better in this new norm, staycation summer period, than an old-fashioned, simple, tasty meal enjoyed with friends in the garden over a chilled glass of white, rosé or a cold beer?
Eating: Of the salads mentioned above, top left, the slightly mis-named avocado salad (a great combination of squash roasted with cumin, feta, beans and avocado, served with a honey-soy dressing and nut and seed sprinkle), top right, the tuna niçoise and underneath, the beef satay. The recipe for the fourth salad mentioned above will soon be appearing in the recipe section.
Drinking: In my long quest for ‘different’ whites, Viognier has been one of my preferred grapes and this one, brought down by friends is an absolutely lovely example – totally hit the mark on a hot afternoon.
Listening to: A different social occasion with a widower in the village ended with a long session listening to some of his favourite music and the tracks he played by the Jacques Loussier Trio were a revelation. A jazz take on classical music which works really well. Current favourites are their version of Air on G string and Prelude and Fugue No1 in C Major.
Reading: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, lent to me by child #1. Emma wasn’t an unqualified success, so trying a very different tone/tome!
Cook.Eat.Blog.Repeat. 