Mediterranean Picnic
Fancy a trip around the Med? Then take a trip down to your local deli and feast on a sumptuous range of olives, fruit, bread and cheese that will take your taste buds out of this world. By Jenni Muir
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Your support makes all the difference.Organic Little Gem lettuce, £1.29 200g twin pack
Organic Little Gem lettuce, £1.29 200g twin pack
A favourite of salad plates in Spain, especially in the Navarra, Little Gem are generally clean so need very little preparation. Simply cut them into wedges to dip into baba ghanoush, drape them with a marinated anchovy for an impromptu canapé to eat with the fingers, or use to fill a wrap-style sandwich.
Where: Branches of Sainsbury's.
Turkish Ziraat cherries, £9.99 per kg, £2.99 for 400g punnet
Dark red - almost black - these wonderfully sweet and juicy Turkish cherries are at their best now. The Ziraat is large and firm, one of the most popular varieties grown in Turkey, where cherries have been cultivated since before 300BC. Making dessert is no more complicated than putting them in a bowl - they are best served raw.
Where: Branches of Waitrose
Dina white khobez flat bread, 79p for pack of 5
The flat breads of the Middle East are more versatile than their speciality nature may suggest. Cut them into triangular wedges for dusting with dukkah, use for dipping, or slather with baba ghanoush, strew with salad and roll up into a wrap. Leftovers can be used as makeshift pizza bases.
Where: Selected branches of Waitrose. Call 0800 188 884 for local availability.
Egyptian dukkah spice mix, £2.50
Not just a blend of spices, this dukkah includes roasted hazelnuts and sesame seeds for a nutty flavour that is delicious sprinkled over flat bread that's been lightly painted with a fruity olive oil such as Nunez de Prado from Brindisa. Seasoned Pioneers's 30g pack may seem small but serves plenty because just a pinch is needed. An organic variant is also available, for £2.70.
Where: Seasoned Pioneers, www.seasonedpioneers.co.uk, Tel: 0800 068 2348.
Baba ghanoush, £13 per kg
Baba ghanoush (also known as moutabel) is a wonderfully smoky aubergine dip with a velvety consistency that is delicious served with crudité vegetables, flat breads and crackers. Villandry makes and sells its own fresh, garlicky version. Use leftovers as a side-sauce-cum-salad for grilled lamb or chicken.
Where: Villandry, 170 Great Portland Street, London W1, www.villandry.com, Tel: 020 7631 3131.
Boquerones, £4.15 100g tub
If you think you hate anchovies, think again. Boquerones, the plump and juicy marinated fresh white anchovy fillets enjoyed as tapas in Spain, are different from the leathery pink-red variety seen traipsing across pizzas. Serve from the tub with cocktail sticks to pick them out of the piquant marinade.
Where: Brindisa Shop, 32 Exmouth Market, EC1, Tel: 020 7713 1666.
Serra da Estrela cheese, £30.05 per kg
This artisan-produced ewes' milk cheese from Northern Portugal is distinctively wrapped in a shawl of muslin. In fact it helps prevent the crust cracking too much. Another talking point: Serra da Estrela is made with an old-world rennet gleaned from nettles. A very seasonal cheese exclusive to La Fromagerie, it is rich and floral tasting when young, fruity and buttery when older.
Where: Branches of La Fromagerie, www.lafromagerie.co.uk, Tel: 020 7935 0341.
El Navarrico piquillos from Lodosa, £5.95 225g jar
The piquillo peppers of Navarra are quite simply the best in the world, and the locals know it - they even have Denominación de Origen regulations governing their production. Ordinary roast peppers, especially when home made cannot match the intense sweet, spicy and smoky flavour of the Spanish-grown roasted piquillo, which can be eaten straight from the jar.
Where: Brindisa Shop, 32 Exmouth Market, EC1, Tel: 020 7713 1666.
Bolo de arroz, £1.20 each
A quick coffee and cake break is a national pastime in Portugal, where the hard-working locals need regular fixes of caffeine and sugar to keep them going. The distinctive bolos de arroz, or rice cakes, are favourites. Light, lemony, with a soft doughy centre and crunchy sugar crystals on top, they are easy to pack for serving with coffee (Brazilian of course) from the thermos.
Where: Madeira Patisserie, 46A Albert Embankment, London SE1, Tel: 020 7820 1117.
San Miguel Spanish lager, 99p per bottle
San Miguel, one of Spain's favourite premium lagers, is gassy and refreshingly crisp with a lightness of flavour that is ideal for drinking in hot weather. Note, however, that at 5 per cent ABV, the San Miguel that you will usually find on sale in the UK is not quite as strong as the one you may have grown to love in sunny Malaga, which is brewed to 5.4 per cent ABV.
Where: Supermarkets and off-licences.
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