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| Deli board: Decksteppers, Polzeath, Cornwall |
It’s
time to pay homage to the mother of throw it together meals – the deli board. I
don’t know why this isn’t more of a thing. To start with there’s the
convenience - eating off a chopping board is ideal for student living (think
washing up) and yet the gorgeous colours and fresh ingredients could easily
trick you into thinking you are dining at a posh hotel. I eat this all year
round, for lunch or dinner, and it’s so easy to recreate. I only wish there were more traditional deli's in the UK!
Then
there’s the sharing element. Without fail, my boyfriend and I always talk
ourselves into getting the deli board/share platter on date night if it’s on
the menu. You can pick and choose the bits that you don’t like and squabble
over the last piece of Parma ham, which is so fun. The picture shows him
tucking into some cheese after a morning sea swim. For my (very few!) local
readers I would recommend the Water Witch in Lancaster for their six item deli
board. Their chutney is wonderful and there are some really great cheeses in
our area.
Whether you
are a health freak or a cheese fiend the deli board is for you (I like to think
I am somewhere between the two!). The ingredients look so rich that people may
have their reservations, and when I use the taboo word ‘fat’ it used to send
people running to the hills. But finally the world is coming to its senses and
realising fat is not the enemy – sugar is (see the cook book I Quit Sugar). Fat
that you eat does not equal fat on your body and in small proportions it is good
for you! Hallelujah! Fat-rant aside - you can trust the deli board because it
is so fresh and interchangeable that you know exactly what’s what. Don’t even
get me started on how great the protein is for your energy levels.
So
embrace the cheese and meat, like the French, and say au revoir to plastic
white bread sarnies for lunch.
Ingredients to try:
Chorizo, Ham selection, Smoked Salmon, Pate, Local cheeses, Mozzarella,
Chutney, Olives, Salad, Tomatoes, Avocado, Ciabatta or Focaccia Bread
