A Girl Called Jack supports Big Lunch
With the sixth annual Big Lunch taking place in thousands of communities in the South West on Sunday 1 June, celebrity cook Jack Monroe has shared a scrumptious selection of affordable recipes perfect for any Big Lunch.
The Big Lunch - the UK’s biggest get-together for neighbours - is a very simple idea from the Eden Project, encouraging people across the UK to have lunch with their neighbours once a year, for a few hours of community, friendship and fun.
Single mother Jack started creating nutritious recipes to feed herself and her son, after finding herself with a budget of just £10 a week for food. Jack soon began to share her recipes with local foodbanks and the world via her website and blog, helping others in similar financial situations.
Using her budget savvy cooking style, Jack has served up five recipes - a combination of savoury and sweet options, perfect for sharing at a Big Lunch. Each recipe requires minimum preparation, so all you have to do is invite your neighbours to get involved on Sunday 1 June!
Taken from Jack’s latest cookbook, A Girl Called Jack, the recipes for the following dishes can be found on The Big Lunch website: www.thebiglunch.com
- Mumma Jack’s Best Ever Chilli
- Peach and Chickpea Curry
- Penny Pizzas
- School Dinner Days Jam Swiss Roll
- White Chocolate and Pear Traybake
Jack said: “The Big Lunch is a fantastic opportunity to get local communities together over a bite to eat. I hope my recipes will help show that everyone can take part in a Big Lunch and bringing something to the table doesn’t have to cost much at all. It’s not too late to get involved on Sunday 1 June – all you need is a few neighbours and some delicious food and you’ve got the ingredients for a great day!”
Sir Tim Smit KBE, Founding Director, Eden Project and co-Founder The Big Lunch said: “The Big Lunch is all about getting together and having fun. A Girl Called Jack’s low cost, mouth-watering recipes are perfect for every Big Lunch. It doesn’t have to be a big event, even a small get-together in your garden or on your street is a great way to get neighbours talking sharing conversation, skills, resources – and, of course, the vital ingredient – food!”
There is still plenty of time to organise a Big Lunch, as events can be any size or shape and can work for any community. They needn’t be expensive, as everyone brings something to the table. For more information on how to hold a Big Lunch on a budget, visit The Big Lunch website and download ‘The Funding Doctors: ‘10 tips to a Big Lunch on a Budget’.
The Lottery-funded Big Lunch, supported by Halifax, ASDA and ‘StreetClub’ by B&Q, is an annual event led by the Eden Project and takes place annually on the first Sunday in June.
Recent research from The Big Lunch showed that more than 60% of organisers say having an event in their community made them feel less isolated and 86% of the 3.65 million people that took part in last year’s Big Lunch reported a positive long term effect in their neighbourhood as a result.
This year’s Big Lunch takes place on 1 June and packs including posters, invitations, an inspiration booklet and other materials to help organise a Big Lunch, are available from www.thebiglunch.com
RECIPE
White Chocolate and Pear Traybake
This was initially a use-up recipe for half a tin of peaches I had lurking around in the fridge following making a smaller quantity of my Chickpea and Peach Curry, but I’ve adapted it and it has grown since then into something I’ll make for its own sake. It’s a homely traybake that keeps for days in an airtight container and can be popped into lunchboxes and picnics, or idly nibbled on during the day.
250g butter, plus extra to grease the cake tin
200g sugar
3 eggs
200g tinned pears (drained weight)
100g white chocolate
200g plain flour
1 heaped teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or baking powder
Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and lightly grease a square cake tin or small roasting tin.
Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl with a fork or wooden spoon until well combined. Break in the eggs and mix together, beating until smooth.
Drain and chop the pears into chunks – fine chunks will ensure a subtle distribution of fruit throughout the traybake, but larger chunks give a delightful sweet, juicy bite. Add to the mixing bowl and stir through. Using a sharp knife, chop the chocolate into small chunks – or you can put it in a freezer bag and bash it into chunks with a rolling pin – and fold into the mixture. Add the flour and bicarbonate of soda or baking powder, and mix well to combine into a soft, sweet-smelling batter.
Pour the batter into the tin and bake in the centre of the preheated oven for around 45 minutes – depending on the size of your tin. A shallow tin will cook faster, whereas a deeper tin will take its time. To check, insert a sharp knife into the centre of the cake. If the knife comes out clean, the traybake is ready.
Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out and chopping into squares.
Tips: Instead of the pears you can use peaches of course, apricots, mandarins or berries – anything you fancy really.
