MADE IT: Bang Bang Chicken Salad

For some salads are a curse. A nasty diet requirement. Rabbit food. Tasteless. For me salads excite me to what some might think is an unhealthy level! So when it came to a tiring Friday afternoon and I wanted something light this salad got my tastebuds banging!

A big bowl of Asian salady delights

A simple Bang Bang chicken salad satisfied my buds and was nothing but easy to make. I found the recipe in a magazine or book. To be fair this house is laden with folders full of recipes, books, you name it any cuisine, any obscure ingredient and we would have a recipe for it.

 Bang Bang Chicken Salad

From what my foodie mind can recall the tasty dressing was a concotion of crunchy peanut butter, hot chilli sauce, garlic, soy and veg stock. All whisked together and drizzled over a crunchy mix of iceberg lettuce, raw carrot and a few bits of celery. Topped off with a sliced cold roasted chicken breast, this made a refreshing treat for a Friday evening.

The only downside? Always resourceful, I stored my excess salad for lunch at work the next day, transporting an individual Tupperware pot of dressing to drizzle over. Sadly the dressing doesn't refridgerate well, so unless you want a Peanut and chilli yoghurt to accompany your salad the next day, keep your dressing outside of your fridge!

FOUND IT: Best Sandwiches in London - Valentinos, N1 OHQ

I'm a sucker for a good sandwich. I came across sheer unadulterated sarnie heaven when I recently went up to London for the Graduate Jobs Fair. Alas, I found no jobs there, zilch, nada; nothing for a recently qualified Journalism graduate anyway. I was told by the media related stands I was over qualified for what they were offering and that they didn't have things 'suitable' in relation to my qualifications. 

I was utterly disheartened. I have applied for well over 200 odd jobs since graduating in November last year, and have never once been told the reason I can't get one is because 'you're too qualified' I felt slightly relieved that it wasn't just me. My fabulous bessie friend of 11 years, hugely brained, intelligent Chemistry extraordinaire from Oxford University, can't find a work either. It sickens me her intelligence is going unnoticed, so all in all we were pretty bummed by the whole trip.

But there are reasons why certain people are better friends to you than others. How someone can just know you and do something to lift your mood and lose your worries. So Emma, this one's for you. Gagging for grub, she pointed out a quaint sarnie bar across the road. So tottering over in our interview best, we entered ready made sandwich utopia. Every filling out? Salads, meats, dressings. THE-ABSOLUTE-WORKS.

Chicken, Bacon and Lettuce Roll. Hello lunchtime!

I made a decision in haste, and now can see I perhaps should have deliberated my deli decision more, but even a simple combination of Chicken Bacon and Lettuce came up trumps. Check out the size for starters! It set me back a measley £2.80 something? Bargain and not a salty ready made sarnie additive in sight!

When I was studying at University, I had to complete compulsory work experience. Living in sleepy Hampshire didn't offer much in relation to Journalism apart from the mundane local newspapers and free handout publications. So, searching for pastures greener, I commuted to London daily, to work at some of the countries top selling women's consumer glossies. Ok, so I'd be the first to admit it wasn't all glamour, and yes it was more Devil Wears than me wearing Prada, but I can vouch for one valuable skill I learnt; where to find the best delis, sandwich bars and eateries in the West End. There were numerous times I was sent out on a round. "Sophie can you please go across the road?" "Yeah sure" "I want one slice of wholemeal toast with marmite cut in half" "Ok...."

So in my time I'd been to some pretty good and pretty abysmal cafes, but this one topped them all, for sheer value for money and quality, not to mention gut busting sizes. I don't think I ate for at least three hours after this. A personal record.

Valentinos

345 Upper Street

Islington

London

MADE IT: Chicken Terrine Cold plate

There's no two ways about it. When the weather is scorching hot, salad is quite simply the only thing I fancy. Great for diets, sadly not mine. This was last night's offering. A freshly made picnic terrine made from streaky pancetta and a lovely medley of chicken, flavoured with Dijon and a sprinkling of Pistachios for the filling. It seems like a culinary mountain to climb, but with a loaf tin and a bit of patience this is a truely yummy picniccy treat.

Yesterday's dinner, homemade terrine with a watercress and rocket salad medley, coleslaw, pork pie and gherkin

The recipe for the Chicken Terrine comes curteousy of firm food favourite Marks and Spencer, from their own book, Picnics & Outdoor Eating I bought the book on a whim, and quite frankly for £5 think it's an absolute steal!

 
Finishing it all off with a dollop of Chilli Jam and a glass of red. Yum!