I’ve been hopping on trains up and down the country over the past month. Most journeys were to take or pick up Millie from training in England, but a couple of weeks ago Violet and I set off on a little adventure of our own.
Sarsons invited us to spend a day at their cookery school exploring recipes that feature vinegar. The event was hosted by Nick Coffer, whom I met early in my blogging days. Nick’s book My Daddy Cooks is a firm favourite in our house, and his follow-up, The After School Cookbook, was due out at the end of that week.
There were six bloggers with their children attending, and we were encouraged to get the kids as involved as possible. We made a wide variety of dishes—all using vinegar—and yes, there were chips too.
One of my favourite bakes at the event was pavlova. I usually use white wine vinegar when making pavlova, so I was surprised to find that Sarsons worked just as well—you can’t actually taste the vinegar. We were encouraged to experiment with different fruits, but since the day was child-friendly I let Violet choose. She decorated ours with strawberries in the shape of a V.
One standout recipe was the breaded salmon bites. They were so quick and easy to make that I doubt I’ll ever buy fish fingers again. It was also my first time using shop-bought breadcrumbs for this sort of thing—why hadn’t I tried that sooner? (Recipe is at the bottom of this post.)
I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy making popcorn—at the cookery school we made salt-and-vinegar popcorn. Give it a try; it’s delicious and addictive.
Photo courtesy of Pete Jones
We had a brilliant day. It’s rare I get a full day to spend with Violet—the curse of being a middle child—so I relished the time together. After the class we wandered into London for an essential trip to Harrods Toy Department and left with the most grotesque doll as a souvenir. I love the photo below; we were thoroughly in the cooking zone. Violet clearly enjoys food and cooking—her idea of heaven is lying in bed watching baking programmes on her iPad.
Photo courtesy of Pete Jones
| Serves | 2-3 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 3 minutes |
| Total time | 8 minutes |
| Allergy | Egg, Fish, Wheat |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Serve Hot |
| By author | Nick Coffer |
INGREDIENTS
- 2-3 salmon fillets, cut into 2–3 cm chunks
- 100 g breadcrumbs or matzo meal
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 beaten egg
- 3–4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons plain flour
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS
| 1. | Mix the breadcrumbs and lemon zest in a bowl. Stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes. |
| 2. | Put the beaten egg and the flour into two separate bowls. |
| 3. | Dip each salmon chunk first into the egg, then into the flour, and finally into the breadcrumb mixture, ensuring each piece is fully coated. |
| 4. | Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the salmon pieces. |
| 5. | Cook for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden, crispy and cooked through. |
| 6. | Serve immediately with plenty of vinegar. |