A Proper Meal

A bunch of peonies from a friend's garden to cheer up the tabel

Ready to cook

Ready to dip

Fresh from the garden ....

Marinate with lemon juice and herbs

Get set

It sometimes seems that in one generation we have gone from being grateful to having something to eat to being paranoid about pesticides. Some people can get into quite heated arguments about the quality of our food. One of my friends will only buy food from organic sources. She only goes to the supermarket for toilet paper and even that she says is bad for us having been bleached or treated with something suspicious. Another friend happily chomps away on a doughnut a day and never gets so much as a cold.
When I was growing up my mother was always concerned about us having what she referred to as a proper meal. This usually meant meat and two veg followed by dessert made with fruit, banana custard, apple crumble. If she caught us munching a chocolate bar she would frown and say, 'Is there any goodness in that?'.
Organic, free range, zero miles didn't get a mention, it was always about the goodness in our food and a hot meal a day.
Cook books and magazines are full of wonderful, exotic recipes from all over the world requiring a vast range of ingredients easily found in most supermarkets.

Here is a meal that my mother would have approved of, meat and two veg and easily and quickly prepared and full of goodness.

Lemon Chicken with Peas, carrots and potatoes

Serves 4

2 - 4 chicken breasts, marinated overnight in lemon juice and herbs to draw out the toxins.
1 eggs, beaten
fine breadcrumbs

peas, boiled and drained and topped with a knob of butter
carrots, peeled and thinly sliced and cooked very slowly in butter until tender
potatoes, peeled and boiled then drained, add a knob of butter.


Prepare the chicken breasts by cutting away any fat and then put them in a glass bowl, cover with lemon juice . Sprinkle over some dried herbs and cover with cling film. Leave in the fridge overnight.
The next day drain the chicken breasts and dry with kitchen roll.
Dip in the beaten egg and then the breadcrumbs.
This can be done in advance. and left covered in the fridge for a few hours.
Fry gently in a non stick pan with olive oil.


Buon appetito