I find you can’t go far wrong for a satisfying, healthy feeling, simple English meal than a ploughman’s lunch.
Really, it is fresh, simply prepared vegetables, with cold cut meats, possibly a pork pie, with a good piece of cheddar, a big crusty piece of bread, maybe with a pickled element in their like pickled beetroot, gherkin, egg or onion.
Today’s bento, I call the Child’s Mini Ploughman’s, since it’s really a child’s portion compared to the hearty serving you would usually receive.
I used my Winnie the Pooh Bento Box for the first time, further cementing the idea of a child eating this lunch, not that it stopped me eating it all!
From left to right I have some young mild cheddar cheese with dried chives, really the chives had next to no taste so fresh is best!
Pickled beetroot, sliced into strips, a great staple to have around and really the only way most of us English people eat beetroot!
In the middle I lay some cherry tomatoes, halved, face down in the box and placed a couple cut into flower like shapes on top, an idea you might want to try if your child is a vege-phobe!
A little sprinkle of salt is perfect for these flavour wise I find.
Underneath is spring onion, the whole onion, the green leaves are not only edible but very tasty and are a fantastic raw topping for all sorts of things.
I mixed in some salt, pepper and some English mustard for a real kick!
Lastly but by no means least, Brunswich ham, my favourite type that can be brought at a supermarket.
It has a slightly smoky flavour but nothing to overwhelm so it can be used in anything other hams would be.
I freshly ground some mixed peppercorns over the strips for an added spicy bite!