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People are always asking me what it was like to live, cook and work at the Manor. I thought I would do a post today about that experience in my life. To be honest, it was, to a humble girl from a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, a bit of a dream come true!
When I was a child I used to dream of one day living in a pretty cottage in the English countryside, but I never ever thought that this would be a dream of mine that would come true. When I moved over to the UK in 2000 that dream came a little bit closer to coming true for sure, but it still seemed to be pretty remote to someone like me.
I decided to go to culinary school when I first arrived in the UK. This was something which I had always wanted to do, and the time seemed right. I was an empty nester without any obligations, and so I took the courses I needed to take in order to be able to work in the food industry. I had always been a very good cook, and I had run my own coffee shop at one point in my life, and I had, in fact, worked as a pastry chef (sans training) when I was a very young woman.
After I graduated from Culinary school, I started looking for a job. I did not want to work in a restaurant. At the age of 46, I reallyfelt that was too old for the fast pace of restaurant work. Restaurant work is a young person's game.
There is a magazine in the UK called The Lady. It is one of the primary places that wealthy people advertise to recruit staff. I decided that I would try to find a job working for a private school or a family cooking on a much simpler and easier pace. I began looking at adverts in the magazine and applying for jobs.
I received call backs from several positions but there was one job in particular that appealed to me. and so I went down to Kent for an interview. It was to work as a Chef for an American family living in the U.K. Kent is one of the most beautiful counties in England. It is known as the Garden of England and is host to a lot of beautiful little villages.
I went down by train for the interview from Chester where I was living at the time. This was just about the longest job interviews I have ever had. I was there for the most part of the day. I was given a guided tour of the Estate and of the cottage that would be mine.
By the end of the day I was told that I had the job, which would include a decent wage along with the cottage, which was situated just down the lane from the main house which you see above.
It was a very lovely cottage and would be my home for as long as I worked at the Manor. It was cozy and comfortable and well situated. We had a large eat in kitchen/family room down stairs, a laundry room, and a walk in larder. There was a circular staircase leading upstairs where there was a reception room, two largish bedrooms, a room we called the library/office and two bathrooms.
This was only a small portion of the kitchen downstairs in the cottage. It was quite large, with loads of cupboard and counter space.
My job at the Manor entailed cooking for a family on a daily basis, five days of the week, breakfast, lunch and supper. I got weekends off and bank holidays, unless it was a special occasion and of course I needed to work extra hours when they were entertaining.
As well as cooking, I was responsible for cleaning the kitchen, larder and conservatory.
There was a huge larder just off the kitchen which had slate shelves. It was lovely and cool in there. Stored in there were a variety of specialized dishes/platters/etc. which would be required for specific occasions.
There was a small wine/alcohol section, an area with tinned/packaged goods, and an ice machine. There was also another refrigerator which came in very handy to store things when a dinner party was planned.
The kitchen was huge. I had access to a large sink with a garbage disposal a professional sized electric/gas stove, a gas burning AGA and every electrical appliance you can imagine. On the other side of the cooking area was also a dining area which was never actually used for eating for the whole time I worked there, but served as an area to provide welcome drinks when guests were arriving for a luncheon or brunch.
There were a multitude of cabinets, some of them glass fronted, which held a variety of silver and china, crystal, etc. I was also responsible for the maintenance of these. The ceiling was oak beamed. The walls were lined with copper utensils. I was also responsible for polishing all of the silver and copper. There was not only silver in the kitchen, but a huge cupboard across from the laundry room that was filled with it from the floor to the ceiling.
Working there cured me from ever wanting to have any copper, silver, or crystal for myself. It was a lot of work keeping these things up to par, and during those years I did enough of it to last me a lifetime.
Everything was beautiful however and I have to say it was a wonderful opportunity for me to get to work in a beautiful environment with some of the finest equipment and ingredients.
Every day meals were quite ordinary. Much the same as anyone would eat. In the mornings I would make breakfast for the Mr. who usually had toast and jam, coffee, juice. The Mrs. would have 3 mini bran muffins, a glass of my homemade fruit smoothie and 2 prunes. The recipe I used for the bran muffins was this Refrigerator Bran Muffin recipe. I kept a big jug of that in the refrigerator at all times.
It was only ever very occasionally that they would want anything else for breakfast. Occasionally he would like some scrambled eggs and toast, and if they had guests I would cook full breakfasts to order. Bacon, eggs, sausage, etc.
Lunches were also very simple affairs. He might ask me to make him a sandwich, or sometimes I would make a pizza and have it in the refrigerator that he could eat whenever he wanted. A tray of Deviled Eggs was kept in the refrigerator at all times and I would often make a homemade soup for him to enjoy with his sandwich. He also liked to munch on cold chicken and there was also always a tray of crisp vegetables with homemade dip in there for snacking.
Every day suppers were also very simple. Usually just some sort of protein with some vegetables on the side. They did not eat carbs such as rice, pasta or potatoes on a regular basis. Dinner would be simply some beef, pork, chicken, duck, or fish (usually salmon), and 3 or 4 simply cooked vegetables as well as a salad. Dessert was also not an every day thing, although the Mr. did like me to cook my Chocolate Chip Cookies and Fudge Walnut Brownies on a regular basis.
On Chocolate Chip Cookie days, all the staff made a visit to the kitchen. They all adored my cookies, and would pop into the kitchen, one at a time for a freshly baked cookie.
The Ladies' Luncheons were a different matter. These were much more involved and required a lot of work in preparation. The Mrs. would entertain ladies for luncheons several times a month. They would consist of drinks served in the kitchen upon arrival, usually Elderflower cordial as well as an assortment of finger foods. Not too many, only one or two because the ladies were always watching their weight. Small nibbles only.
There would usually be a soup course to begin, with perhaps some cracker breads or tiny muffins on the side. It would only be a simple soup like Potage Crecy.
The soup was often served in these vegetable shaped ceramic soup dishes which each had their own lids to keep them warm. They were all different shapes and very pretty.
The main course would usually be a salad of some sort, sometimes grilled chicken with a few vegetables, or salmon. All very dainty, and of course, beautifully presented.
There would be a dessert to finish. A favorite of the ladies was the Frozen Lemon Souffle which would have been prepared by myself as small individual souffles and served with some berries or a coulis.
There would be iced water and a variety of wines to serve with each course and chocolates and coffee to finish.
I loved doing the luncheons. Sometimes they would be held outside on the patio, but more often than not they were held in the conservatory, which was just off the kitchen. (See photo above.)
I did all of the planning, shopping, prepping, cooking and serving. I was also responsible for setting and dressing the table, an example of which you can see above. Plus all of the clean-up afterwards. I tried to pick dishes that I could do in advance for the most part for the first and dessert courses. That way I had only to really concentrate on the main course on the day.
They involved long hours of preparation, and many hours spent on my feet on the day, but I loved the challenge of being able to pull it all together and I can tell you, they were always very happy with what I had prepared. I was right in my element, and, as tired as I would be at the end of it all, I always felt a great sense of accomplishment when it was done, and really enjoyed all of it. They were considered to be quite casual affairs.
As fun to plan and prepare as the luncheons were, the dinner parties were what I loved doing most of all! I planned, cooked and served dinner parties for as few as 6 or 8 people and as many as 25. Usually six courses, including the coffee's and chocolates afterwards.
Dinner parties were always quite a bit more elaborate and involved a lot more in terms of preparation and effort. They were silver service and consisted of appetizers and drinks upon arrival, usually served in the main reception room. I would usually prepare 3 to 4 different appetizers. Some favorites were this delicious Smoked Salmon Spread with crisp breads, boiled Quails Eggs, Toasted Cheese Rounds, Smoked salmon on little rounds of brown bread with lemon, etc.
Another favorite were these Stilton and Walnut Shortbreads which were served spread with cream cheese and topped with a dollop of Mango Chutney and a toasted walnut half. Real party fare.
Following the appetizers and drinks there would be a first course. (This photo above is of the dining room, but dressed for a luncheon rather than a dinner party. Dinner parties were always silver service.) The first course was usually a soup dish or a fish dish. She was very fond of stacked salads. I had special rings to stack things up in. You would set the salads up in the rings, on plates, and then once they were set remove the rings for service. Things like this Layered Cobb Salad would be a prime example.
Following the first course (starter) there would be a main course. This could be any number of things. Lamb, Beef, chicken, fish, etc. Accompanied with a variety of vegetables and of course the special dinner rolls that I would have baked earlier in the day. This recipe on Cooking Classy is very similar to the party rolls I used to make for the dinner parties.
I plated everything very judiciously. Small dabs of each thing, artfully placed, so as not to overwhelm appetites. It took some getting used to. I was used to family service prior to working at the manor and had to really learn to restrain myself when I was plating up. With five or six courses being served they didn't want overly large helpings of anything.
They really were very elegant affairs.
Following the main course there would be a dessert course. Typically I would prepare two to three different desserts. Usually a chocolate one, a light one and then a cake of some sort. I tried always to pick desserts that I could make well ahead of time that I wouldn't have to do for when it came to the actual day. These Baby Sticky Toffee Pudding Cakes were very popular.
Lemon Possets were another favorite.
After dessert there would be a cheese course. Prior to cooking at the manor I had a very timid cheese palate. I soon learned that in order to put together a delicious cheese tray I needed to know what I was doing and so I learned to love cheese.
I would prepare a large silver tray holding a variety of cheeses and fruits with special silver scissors meant to be used to clip off little sprigs of grapes. Normally there would be a hard cheese, some semi hard cheese, a soft cheese, a conversational cheese and a variety of fruits. Perhaps some wedges of apple, grapes, ripe figs, etc.
A silver biscuit barrel would also be passed at the table for the guests to enjoy a variety of crackers and biscuits with their cheeses. Small bread and butter plates with special silver knives would have been laid for them to spread their biscuits, cheese and fruits on.
As they were enjoying their cheese course I would be preparing the coffee course.
We always used a large wooden antique tray for this with handles. A hand crocheted antique lace cloth would be places over top and then the coffee things would be placed on top of the cloth. Small demi-tasse cups with silver spoons, and a silver basket covered with a doily and filled with a variety of quality chocolates.
By that time my work would have been almost done for the day. I would be busy clearing, cleaning and washing up. Leftovers, if any, would have been covered and refrigerated. The silver and crystal hand washed and put away and the dish washer would be humming.
Normally I would clean up the coffee things the next morning. That way they were free to socialize as they wanted and I could go home and get a well deserved good night's sleep before work the next day.
All did not always run smoothly. I remember the first Thanksgiving dinner I cooked, the turkey burned. It was a really large turkey and I had it in the electric oven. I went back to our cottage for a wee break and when I returned it was to discover that the bottom of the turkey was burning. It was so large that it was too close to the bottom element . We quickly ran to the shops, picked up two smaller ones and the first one was used as a show piece (elaborately garnished with plenty of parsley) and the guests were served meat from the other two. We did have a great laugh over that one.
The Mrs. said that it wouldn't be Thanksgiving if nothing happened to the turkey!
All in all I really enjoyed my years working at the Manor. I got to work in a beautiful environment with the finest equipment and ingredients. I got to stretch and expand my culinary skills more than I had ever thought myself capable, and I left there with a really good reputation intact.
So much so that a few years ago, they contacted me from their home in the Bahamas asking me could I come to work for them again. They said I had been the best Chef that they had ever had working for them. The offer included a cottage on the beach, etc. I had to turn it down though. I was very content now to just do what I am doing and to be near my family. I do admit I was very flattered to have been asked to return, however, and I was really chuffed that they thought so highly of me.
It really was a great experience and one that this simple girl from rural Nova Scotia had never thought that she would ever get to live. Living and working in a beautiful spot in the Garden of Kent. If I had my life to live over again, this experience would always be a part of it. Through it I learned a great deal about fine cooking and dining, proper service, and entertaining on a grand scale. This I will always be grateful for.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
One thing which I really fell in love with when I was living in the UK was Indian Food. I had of course experienced curry prior to moving over to England. As a young army wife living on a British Army base in Southern Alberta, I had been introduced to it by some British friends. It was love at first bite.
Then when we were living in Fredericton, New Brunswick a number of years later we were introduced to Vegetable Samosas at the Fredericton Farmer's Market which was held every Saturday. I fell in love with those also!
My oldest son and I both loved them and I used to make Samosa deliveries to him after he had grown up and left home and was living in an apartment in downtown Fredericton. Good times!
When I moved to the UK I belonged to an International Women's group in Chester. One of the ladies was Asian and used to make the nicest Indian appetizers. Samosas, pakoras, onion bhaji, etc. They were all fabulous.
A friend of mine, Joy, also made the most beautiful beef/lamb samosas. I enjoyed them at her house many times. You can find her recipe here. We met on Food.com when it was known as Recipezaar and actually spend loads of time in person as well. We share lots of happy memories of time spend together and good food eaten.
My favorite samosas are vegetable ones. I could gobble up a whole plate of them. The recipe I am sharing with you today is a mixture of two recipes. The filling comes from a cookery book entitled World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey.
The method of putting them together has been adapted from a samosa recipe on BBC Food by Anjum Anand from her book Indian Food Made Easy.
There is nothing out of the ordinary except perhaps for the phyllo dough. This is readily available these days in most grocery stores.
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
I like to use fresh coriander/cilantro, but I know a lot of people don't like the taste of it. You can use fresh flat leaf parsley in its place. You will want to toast the spices before you make the filling. This really brings out their flavors.
This is very easily done in a dry skillet. Just pop them into the skillet and cook, stirring, until they become quite fragrant without burning. Set aside to cool.
I really love the simplicity of these ingredients. There is nothing too extraordinary required, but the flavors and textures when put together are fabulous!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SAMOSAS
These only look complicated. The hardest part is probably folding them up in the pastry. Just follow the instructions and they go together very easily. Once you get the first one done, the rest are simple. Baked and not fried. Quite often I will make the filling a day ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator until I am ready to fill and bake them.
To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments. I like chutney with mine!
These really are one of my most favorite things. I could eat a whole plate of these and nothing else and be quite happy. You can sprinkle seeds on them prior to baking if you like. Sesame, poppy or nigella seeds are quite popular.
I love mango chutney with mine, but any jarred chutney works well. I recently purchased a variety of chutney's from Blighty's, which is an online British Food supplier, but if you are keen to make your own, I found some really tasty looking samosa dip recipes here.
If you are as fond of East Indian Flavors as I am, you might also enjoy the following recipes:
COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY - This chicken curry is fabulously fruit and rich, without being overpowering. It is actually a great dish to make when you are first introducing someone to Indian flavors. Its quite simply delicious! Lovely with steamed rice and some naan bread.
LAMB ROGAN JOSH - Lamb lends itself beautifully to curry dishes. This dish starts with a homemade curry paste and is very easy to make. It has a bit of a kick, but not overly so. It smells amazing when it is cooking. It is moderately spiced. The lamb gets melt in the mouth tender. Delicious with pilau rice and crisp poppadoms for scooping up all of that lush sauce.
Vegetable Samosas
Yield: 24 samosas
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
The filling for these delicious samosas has been adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe in her book, World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. Madhur Jaffrey is the Queen of Indian cookery!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
- Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
- Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
- Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
- Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
- Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
- Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments.
Notes
These can be frozen (unbaked), so long as you have used fresh phyllo pastry. Just freeze on a baking tray until frozen solid and then pop into an airtight container. They will keep for up to six months. When you are ready to cook them, no need to thaw. Brush with more butter and bake until golden brown and heated all the way through.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Well, it is officially summer now the kids are all out of school. People are taking summer holidays, the mercury is rising, and many of us are looking for ways to keep things cool in the kitchen. For a lot of us this will mean grilling, picnics, BBQ's.
Here in Canada, we have just celebrated Canada Day, and I know many of my American family and friends will be celebrating the 4th of July tomorrow. One of my favorite childhood memories is of visiting our American family at this time of year and seeing all of the American flags.
Our cookouts may be as simple as hotdogs and hamburgers, or they can be as sophisticated as grilled chicken, fish, lamb, ribs, chops, or that delicious, tender perfectly grilled steak we have been waiting to enjoy since last year!
And I do look forward to all of those things. But let me tell you what I look forward to even more. Its the sides. Truth be told, to me anyways, they are the best part of any cookout, and I have my favorites!
These are dishes which add texture, color and flavor to those meals, complimenting whatever it is that you are planning on grilling. The dishes that turn any summer cookout, BBQ or Picnic into a feast and not just a meal! The dishes that no summer get-together would be perfect without.
Let me share my favorites with you, and not just any favorites, but the best of the best recipes for adding to the side of anything you might be choosing to cook be it veggie burgers, steaks, kabobs, or whatever.
MOM'S POTATO SALAD
For me, no summer get-together would be complete without a dish of Mom's Potato Salad gracing the table. I know that everyone thinks that their mom's make the best potato salad, and maybe it is true. Maybe your mom does make the best potato salad, but this potato salad recipe is a recipe that will blow most of the others out of the ball park!
This is my most often requested summer salad recipe. Whenever I am invited to someone's place for a pot luck or a BBQ they always ask me to bring my potato salad. I am not surprised actually. It is the perfect potato salad with just the right ratio of potato and veggies to dressing.
I am not fond of potato salads that are overdressed in mayo and gloopy. There is such a thing as too much when it comes to potato salad. This really IS the best potato salad recipe. Its secret is a preliminary dressing of a simple vinaigrette. This gets flavor right into the potatoes and prevents them from absorbing too much mayonnaise when it comes to adding the mayo dressing.
I also like to include plenty of chopped boiled egg, crisp chunks of celery and some onion and of course I always add a layer of sliced boiled egg to the top of the salad which really dressed it up to perfection. A dusting of paprika and we are good to go! I also have a very classic small batch recipe which is perfect for the smaller family.
BASIC MACARONI SALAD
Another must have for me and which makes a change from Potato Salad is this Basic Macaroni Salad recipe. And when I say basic I mean really basic. There is no need for bells and whistles here. This is as basic as you can get.
One thing I like about Macaroni salad is that it goes together a lot quicker than potato salad. You boil the macaroni, drain it and cool it off in cold running water. It doesn't take long. The macaroni I buy takes 5 minutes to cook and about 3 to 4 to cool down. Drain it again and its ready to add the dressing to.
It encompasses many of the flavors of a potato salad, but its faster. You get the crunch of the chopped celery and onion, the richness of the boiled egg, that creamy dressing, along with the bite of al dente macaroni.
This simple salad is about as unpretentious as it gets. Don't let its simplicity fool you into believing that its not really special however. This is the best. It is perfect just as is.
Sometimes my sister will add a can of drained tuna to it. My brother in law likes it that way, and it is very good. Myself, however, I like it just the way it is.
CAKE PAN SALAD
Cake Pan Salad. So called because it is arranged in a cake pan and is frosted with a delicious dressing on the top. Also called 7 Layer Salad, there are a ton of recipes out there for this salad. Most of them are pretty similar. You will also find some Tex Mex versions of it with corn chips and other bits added.
This basic layered salad recipe is a favorite for a reason. Its delicious! It is a beautiful marriage of layers, colors, textures and tastes!
One of the reasons I like mine the most is because I have managed (through trial and error) to reduce the fat and calorie content of it without compromising on taste! My version tastes every bit as delicious as the original. In fact I dare you to tell the difference.
You get the same tasty layers of crisp vegetables and lettuce. Peas, tomatoes, spring onions, cos lettuce. I use a strong cheddar cheese. If you use a strong cheese you need less of it to give you the same flavor impact that a milder one would give.
I use a low fat mayo and sour cream in the dressing. I still add bacon to the top, just not as much, and let me tell you, nobody notices. This salad is so delicious that nobody notices that it isn't slathered in an abundance of bacon. Lower in fat and calories and diabetic friendly. For me this is the best layered salad out there.
CHINESE COLESLAW
For me, every BBQ and summer get together is not complete without some coleslaw and there is no better version than Chinese Coleslaw. This is the perfect blend of crunch and color and flavor without a cloying mayonnaise based dressing. I have eaten far too many mayo soaked coleslaws in my life and if you are already having a potato or macaroni salad with mayonnaise in it, why do you need another salad full of mayonnaise?
Why Indeed?
This salad is the perfect antidote to that. It is a wonderful blend of crisp shredded vegetables. Carrots, two kinds of cabbage, the red and the green. You could use a ready blended coleslaw mix for speed if you wanted to.
Add to that the crunch of toasted almonds and sunflower seeds, and the piece de resistance . . . wait for it . . . a crumbled package of crispy ramen noodles. Crunch perfection.
Add a beautiful sweet and sour vinaigrette dressing and you have a salad that everyone will want seconds of! I always, always, come home with an empty bowl.
There are a bazillion versions of this recipe out there as well. This one uses water chestnuts and sesame seeds.
If you are wanting a slaw recipe that stands out from the crowd, is colorful and tastes delicious, with plenty of crunch then you cannot go wrong with Chinese Coleslaw. This is guaranteed to be the hit of your get-together!
PERFECT DEVILED EGGS
Finally, no cookout, picnic or BBQ would be perfect without a platter of Perfect Deviled Eggs. Again, no bells and whistles here. Just simple ingredients done well.
I don't want to brag or anything, but everyone love LOVES my Deviled Eggs. They are a very simple make. Just three ingredients, including the eggs. Oh, a bit of seasoning as well, according to taste.
When I cooked at the Manor the Mr and Mrs requested that a platter of my Deviled Eggs be in the refrigerator at all times. I wish I had a dollar for everyone that I have ever cooked. I would be a very wealthy woman.
In the above link I give all my tips for cooking eggs perfectly and my hints and tips for making the best deviled eggs ever. For instance did you know that fresh eggs are notoriously difficult to peel, but if your eggs are a bit older they peel much easier. I also like to peel mine under running water.
These are quite simply excellent, and the first thing to disappear on any buffet table, I guarantee!
And there you have it, my five favorite Summer Sides! What are some of yours? I really would love to know. Lets all share. With a bit of cooperation there is no reason why this summer can't be the tastiest one ever!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan@aol.com
Thank you so much for visiting! Do come again!
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