As soon as this time of year rolls around, I get a craving for certain books, just as I begin to hanker after certain foods. As the evenings close in on the ever-shorter days and the air starts to bite as soon as you step outside, home becomes a haven for curled-up-on-the-sofa reading and rich, familiar, homey comfort foods. One of the first books that seems to present itself to my mind, year after year, is C.S. Lewis's children's classic, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. If you read books as a child, you most likely know the story: the four Pevensie children are sent from their home in Blitzed London to a rambling old house in the English countryside, where they wander through the titular wardrobe one rainy day to discover the eternally snowbound land of Narnia. Held in the grip of the White Witch, it's an eerie, frozen landscape where even the trees are spies (think Cold War East Germany, but more Gothic), and the Witch has decreed that it must be always winter, but never Christmas. Lucy, the youngest, stumbles into Narnia before her siblings, and alone in the cold, silent woods, she comes across a friendly young Faun--a sort of woodland spirit--called Mr Tumnus, who invites her back to his home (a comfortable little cave with a roaring fire) for tea. The meal Lewis describes is one of the most comfortingly evocative in all of children's lit: "And really it was a wonderful tea. There was a nice brown egg, lightly boiled, for each of them, and then sardines on toast, and then buttered toast, and then toast with honey, and then a sugar-topped cake. And when Lucy was tired of eating, the Faun began to talk. He had wonderful tales to tell of life in the forest..."
What I love most about Lewis's description of this meal is its simplicity, its humility, and its reserved yet quietly appreciative Englishness. Only an Englishman could have described with such reverence a meal containing three courses of toast, one of which consists simply of "buttered toast". My parents were English, and one of the things my mother instilled in me from an early age was an appreciation for the immense satisfaction offered by a meal of good bread with butter and tea. Say what you will about the English, and about English food--and believe me, much of it is just criticism--but they do know how to take pleasure in simple things (cake topped with sugar, nothing more, for example). Or, for that matter...
Sardines on Toast
I realise the idea of sardines on toast will be unappealing to many of those raised on the other side of the pond, and I really do understand why. Not only is it fish, which unfortunately makes it immediately unpopular with vast swathes of the population, but it's fish out of a tin (at least it is in this case), which of course means there's another significant group who won't go near it. Then there's the "you want me to eat it bones and all?!?!?" contingent. Regardless, this is such a simple, tasty, filling, and healthy snack, I think you should at least know how to do it properly, even if doesn't often occur to you to make it.
What you need:
What I love most about Lewis's description of this meal is its simplicity, its humility, and its reserved yet quietly appreciative Englishness. Only an Englishman could have described with such reverence a meal containing three courses of toast, one of which consists simply of "buttered toast". My parents were English, and one of the things my mother instilled in me from an early age was an appreciation for the immense satisfaction offered by a meal of good bread with butter and tea. Say what you will about the English, and about English food--and believe me, much of it is just criticism--but they do know how to take pleasure in simple things (cake topped with sugar, nothing more, for example). Or, for that matter...
Sardines on Toast
I realise the idea of sardines on toast will be unappealing to many of those raised on the other side of the pond, and I really do understand why. Not only is it fish, which unfortunately makes it immediately unpopular with vast swathes of the population, but it's fish out of a tin (at least it is in this case), which of course means there's another significant group who won't go near it. Then there's the "you want me to eat it bones and all?!?!?" contingent. Regardless, this is such a simple, tasty, filling, and healthy snack, I think you should at least know how to do it properly, even if doesn't often occur to you to make it.
What you need:
- Rye, multigrain or wholewheat bread, preferably unsliced, so you can slice to your preferred thickness. I like either a nice thick slice of multigrain, or a thinner slice of some sturdy, flavourful bread like rye or pumpernickel.
- Good quality tinned sardines (use the ones in tomato sauce if that's your preference, but be warned: if you're a sardine newbie this might put you off--a bit too Sardine Chainsaw Massacre)
- Butter
- A few slices of fresh tomato (at room temperature), if you can still find any good ones at this time of year
- Salt and pepper
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