Mediterranean Feasts

With the bank holiday coming up on Monday, many of us may be looking forward to a long weekend with family and friends and hopefully some delicious food. However, for those lucky enough to have gone abroad this summer, maybe you’re not quite ready to forget about that delicious chorizo paella, or tasty lamb souvlaki. Whilst your holiday may have come to an end, who’s to say you can’t still pretend you’re there by bringing those holiday flavours back home. If you like the idea of recreating some of those classic mediterranean staples with some brilliant British produce, you are in the right place!  

Whilst the British bank holiday can’t compete with the Mediterranean temperatures, it looks like we will enjoy some sunny moments if we’re lucky. Hot summer evenings in mainland Europe call for fresh, simple ingredients, and who does it better than the Greeks. To bring those tastes to our tables at home, you can rely on the flavours of olive oil, lemon, garlic and herbs like oregano, as well as classic side dishes such as Tzatziki or Greek salad with feta cheese. A classic holiday favourite is the lamb kofta, an ancient Greek dish made from ground meat (the word ‘kofta’ actually comes from the Persian word for ‘to grind’).

Lamb is central to the Greek cuisine due to the Greeks’ hilly terrain which is highly suitable for sheep farming. Greeks often serve the meat inside a warm pita bread, perfect for holding salad and sauces. This is a holiday favourite which is so simply to recreate – it’s quick, easy, and customisable so all the family are happy. The fresher the produce, the closer you’ll get to that mediterranean taste. Our Lidgate kebabs do all the work for youand are made from free-range minced shoulder of lamb, and are mixed with spices, onion and parsley.

An equally stress-free option could be our Greek lamb chops which we pre-marinate for you. Here’s a fantastic recipe for the Greek salad to go with it.

Spain is another heavenly holiday destination that is partly so dreamy because of its brilliant cuisine. Perhaps most famous is the mighty paella, originating on the east coast, in Valencia. With its name derived from the old French word ‘paelle’ for pan, this rice dish is a great option for the bank holiday as it is designed to feed large groups. Paella has its roots in Valencia’s thriving rice cultivation and was paired with whatever food was readily available such as vegetables, rabbit, or chicken. Now we see a wider variety of paella, with seafood and chorizo being incredibly popular for holiday goers. The benefit of using a meat like chorizo is its abundance of flavour which seeps into the rice as it cooks. We recommend our cooking chorizo or our Red Devil Sausages which are a British take on the chorizo using free-range pork. If you want to really look the part too, you could always invest in a ‘paellera’, the large shallow pans that Spaniards cook the dish in.

The pairing of fruit and meat may seem like an odd one, but if you’ve ever had ‘prosciutto e melone’ on holiday or at home, you’ll know what a dependable duo they are. This Italian dish dates back to Ancient Rome, with the Romans pairing the saltiness of the cured ham with the sweetness of the melon to create a perfect starter or snack. In present-day Italy it is often served as an antipasto, and with perfectly ripe, juicy melons. This is one of the easiest dishes to recreate in your kitchen as it doesn’t involve any cooking at all! Our sliced Parma Ham is the perfect blend of salty and sweet – click here to have a look.

Over in Italy, there’s almost too much choice when it comes to food. The pasta, the pizza, the risotto, and the simple yet mighty ‘cotoletta alla Milanese’. This dish from Milan is a staple for Italians and is typically made from the bone-in veal chop, although pork or chicken can be used too. The meat is pounded flat, the bone is left in to add flavour, and it is then breaded and fried. The veal is usually then fried in clarified butter which gives it that unique texture and flavour. Our breaded veal or breaded chicken would be great for this dish and does half the job for you, accompanied with a wedge of lemon and either fried or roasted potatoes, salad or vegetables. Paired with a crisp Italian beer, you really can’t go wrong.