27 Mar 2017

Hurrah For The First Outdoor Lunch of The Year!

It was certainly a long time in coming, but FINALLY just a week after the first day of Spring, the sun decided to put it’s hat on and come outside for an ENTIRE WEEKEND of blue skies and sun rays!

Now, I for one had been ready and waiting for this moment for weeks…If not months.  I didn’t even care that the actual temperature didn’t quite live up to the visual spectacle of a cloudless sky, and  golden sun.  What mattered was that it was suddenly time to come out of hibernation, escape the cocooning comfort of being indoors, and start breathing in the fresh air again!

In celebration of the weather, I decided to enjoy a weekend of gardening and outdoor eating – especially as it gave me the opportunity to make use of my gorgeous new Laura Ashley acrylic serving dishes and picnicware.

As you know, I’m a huge fan of vintage and decorative
antiques, so one of the joys of decorating and accessorising for any occasion is
mixing up the old and the new to get my own unique eclectic style.  I
particularly love things that have an air of nostalgia or a hint of the retro
about them, and this particular line of Laura Ashley home accessories has all
of that with it’s Murano glass inspired floral shapes.

Coupled with my chippy painted farmhouse
table and mismatched vintage chairs the whole scene looked fabulous against the crispness of
the Laura Ashley Whitby check tablecloth and matching garden Whitby seat pads
in a seaspray grey/green – the perfect mix of shabby and chic!

And if you’re wondering what we had for lunch, my simple menu and a quick recipe can be found below – Enjoy and HAPPY SPRING!! 

EASY SPRING LUNCH MENU!

Prawn & Lime Mayonnaise Sandwiches

Green Salad topped with sliced pears, walnuts and pomegranate seeds.

Halved peaches with crème Fraîche and honey

Paula’s Easy Prawn & Lime Mayo
Sandwiches

150g Jumbo King Prawns, chopped into
small chunky pieces

Handful of chopped coriander (or flat
leafed Parsley if preferred)

1 half of a chopped sweet red pepper

1 half of a chopped sweet yellow pepper

1 chopped celery stalk

Half chopped small cucumber

Salt and Pepper to taste

4 x Brioche Hotdog buns

For the Lime Mayo sauce:

2 tablespoons Mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice

1 teaspoon runny honey

Pepper and salt to taste

Pinch of paprika if you like a spicy
‘kick’ to your filling.

Method:

Mix sauce ingredients in a bowl, add
chopped prawns and diced vegetables to create a thick and chunky, but not too
runny filling and spoon equally into buns. Serve with a leafy salad of your
choice – in my case with the addition of sliced pears, walnuts and pomegranate
seeds – yum!

Until Next Time!

Disclaimer: This post was written in collaboration with Laura Ashley, all words, opinions and views expressed are my own.

The Diaries

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