We all have memories of day trips with our families from when we were young. In my case, a number of us squeezed into the back of my father’s VW Beetle and coughed all the way to our destination through my father’s pipe smoke that toxically married with my mother’s cigarette smoke. We emerged from the car spluttering and relieved, as if we had been immersed in a Dickensian fug for the duration of the journey. It cured me of any desire to smoke in my later life so in a way they were doing me a great favour.
We never ventured too far. Having their own business meant that they were wedded to it. Sundays and half day Thursdays were the only times they could take us away to visit cousins at the home place, Fallagh, the farm outside Kilmacthomas, or visit my father’s friends, who happened to be monks in Mount Melleray Abbey. Despite being indifferent towards religion, I still have a great fondness for that unique place.
We spent endless summer days camping and getting sunburned on Clonea beach, eating soggy tomato sandwiches and grilling sausages. I still love a rough and ready picnic. Sandwiches pulled out of a rucksack after a hike always taste like heaven, especially if there’s a view. Egg sandwiches predominate in our house. We never tire of them. Coupled with a packet of crisps, a few biscuits and tea out of a flask, it’s a taste of the summer.
Today I’m going posher. I possess a very nice picnic basket, full of nice glasses, cutlery and china. It’s a once in a blue moon sort of thing, but the food needs to compliment it.
The Thai noodle salad is packed full of flavour and a world away from soggy tomato sandwiches. I’m mixing dainty everyday frozen prawns with avocado, herbs and creme fraiche, too. Paired with a brioche roll it’s luxuriously delicious. I’m also giving you a recipe for some soft white rolls if you fancy a bit of an extra challenge. The other salad is a pared down panzanella, where the bread soaks up the roasting juices of the peppers. It’s an upmarket version of the tomato sandwiches of my youth.
Recipe: Thai chicken noodle salad with peanut and cucumber sauce
Recipe: Prawn and avocado rolls
