Sometimes the best things in life are the simplest meals in life

After an extra long day in work followed by a long drive home in the freezing conditions taking hold of the UK at this time all I wanted to do when I got home was sit down with a cup of tea, a biscuit and watch some television.  That decided I set out to do a quick meal instead of taking my time about it.

This made me think about all the quick snacks that I’ve done over time.  In the end I settled for egg and chips with a couple of slices of bread – a chip sandwich is a must when you’ve got them and you can dip it in the yoke as well.

It may not be an extravagant or luxurious meal but when you’re tired and hungry something like this just hits the right spot and takes about 4 minutes to do once you’re oil is hot.

Here’s some other ideas…..

• poached egg on toast (with a little cayenne pepper)
• tuna melt
• baked beans and/or cheese on toast
• sardines on toast (mix sardines, vinegar, ketchup and mash with a fork to make a puree of sorts, spread on lightly toasted bread and heat under grill.
• grilled bacon sandwich

There’s pretty much a theme here with quick snacks involving toast of one form or another.  I remember when I was in college the Breville my parents bought me was indispensable in the first couple of years.  That allowed for all sorts of combinations and I tried a lot of the recipes in the book.

It’s hard to describe the satisfaction that these meals can have but I relate it to a digestive biscuit I once had.  I was on a hike with my old scout troup crossing a Welsh mountain with low cloud and fog closing in, everything was getting damp with the cold air and we’d made it half way.  We all stopped for a drink from our flasks and a packet of digestive biscuits was passed around.  They were slightly crushed, a little bit soft as the packet had been open for a while but at that point in time that digestive biscuit was probably the best digestive biscuit I’d ever had and probably ever will have.

That’s the sort of feeling a nice, quick simple meal can provide.  It’s the equivalent of having a bacon butty when you’ve got a hangover.  It’s a simple meal but the satisfaction gained from consuming it makes it all worthwhile.