How To Make Your Own Pickles

Here's a recipe from Leigh Ann for home-made pickles, a perfect accompaniment to The Ploughman's Lunch

1 doz hardboiled eggs, shelled
1/2 lb whole pearl onions, peeled
2.5 c cider vinegar
4 T honey
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t salt
¼ t each: cinnamon, cloves, mace, dill, tarragon, grains of paradise
a pinch of turmeric

Put a mixture of eggs and onions in hot, sterilized canning jars. Bring all the other ingredients to a boil in a saucepan, simmer 5 mins. Pour the hot liquid over the eggs and onions, covering completely. Seal jars, cool, and store in a cool place.

Source: http://www.elfhill.com/leighann/recipes/lunch.html

How To Make Your Own Tomato Chutney

For those seeking a variation on the standard Ploughman's Lunch, here's a recipe for home-made tomato chutney to set it apart.

Tomato Chutney:
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds
1 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 pounds plum tomatoes, quartered
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup golden raisins
Freshly ground pepper

To make the chutney, in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine sugar, vinegar, salt, cardamom, ginger, mustard seeds and cloves. Slowly bring mixture to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, raisins and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until mixture is thickened. (After a few minutes' cooking time, the tomato skins will separate from the pulp. Remove skins with a fork and discard.) Spoon chutney into a clean jar or bowl, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks. Makes about 2 cups.

Per serving: 866 calories; 40 g fat (18 g saturated fat; 42 percent calories from fat); 106 g carbohydrates; 85 mg cholesterol; 2,310 mg sodium; 28 g protein; 7.5 g fiber.

From "The Irish Pub Cookbook" (Chronicle Books, 2006).

Not so nice Ploughman

The Ploughman's Lunch -- "industrial cheese with doughy bread, bottled chutney, old lettuce and pedestrian pickles".

Rule Britannia: Ramsay and gastropubs worth the flight,
JOANNE KATES, Globe and Mail, March 2006

Tommy Cooper chips in on The Ploughman's Lunch

"I had a ploughman's lunch the other day; he wasn't very pleased about it."

-Tommy Cooper, comedian.

EBCB

Eggs, bacon, chips and beans (EBCB) is a popular British breakfast combination which I happen to love, in common with probably millions of others.

Russell Davies, a UK advertising market planner extraordinaire, is the champion of this specific combo, and he has an amazing website which details his travels around London (and elsewhere) searching for the perfect delivery of this plate, in greasy spoons and assorted side street cafes.

His site is witty, comprehensive, and authoritative, and his findings have an incredibly large following.

He has recently published a book of his reviews: "Eggs, Bacon, Chips and Beans: 50 Great Cafes and the Stuff that makes them Great". Take a close look at his exempliary website:

http://russelldavies.typepad.com/eggbaconchipsandbeans/

Given the choice, I'd probably drop the beans (no pun intended), replace the chips with home fries, and add a Cumberland sausage, (or two), a grilled tomato, fried mushrooms (preferably Portobella), some Black Pudding, and turn it into a Full English Breakfast, something I indulge in whenever staying in British hotels or Bed and Breakfasts. From my experience, the quality varies enormously. When you luck out with a great one, I urge you to take a pic and share it with us vultures.

Full English Breakfasts are so much more nourishing than the typical Continental Breakfasts served throughout Europe. They set you up for the day, and often keep you going until Supper time. They may not be the healthiest of meals (greasy stuff), but the timing is right.