The Cottage Smallholder


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Cheesy Crackles snack lunch recipe

toasted cheese with croutonsThis summer has had its high points, weather wise. Recently the winds and the chill that heralds torrential rain have prevailed. I think of soup and warming savouries if I can get back home for lunch.

Planning lunch is a tricky, think on your feet, task while Jalopy and I are rumbling home through the driving rain. Whilst Jalopy copes with the elements, I am considering what I might discover in the fridge, if I can drive though the flood water that stands to the south of the village when it rains hard.

Yesterday I rushed in, hung up my dripping rain jacket and threw open the fridge door. The first thing I spied were croutons. At least three airtight boxes of them. We have been perfecting our crouton recipe recently (don’t ask) and had a handfull of varieties to choose from. The best ones are baked in cold pressed rape seed oil, with our own fresh garlic and loads of chopped herbs.

As rape seed oil is packed with far more Omega oils and health giving benefits than most other oils, I reached for a box with a happy trill. I cut two slices of fresh bread, grated 2ozs of cheddar and scattered a small handful of crushed croutons over them. These were grilled for five minutes under a low grill as I raced down the garden to change the water for the keets.

Danny basked in the chair beside the warm grill. He sampled my experiment and instantly dubbed them Cheesy Crackles. They were delicious. The herby croutons gave them a mellow meaty taste. Perfect for a light lunch with a salad or as an appetiser.


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4 Comments

  1. Fiona Nevile

    Hi KJ

    When I am working near home I can come back for lunch. This is a joy as I can play with really fast to prepare food. Sandwiches are fiddly.

    Hi Pat,

    I want to have loads of quick tasty snacks up my sleeve. Danny is working from home at the moment and this makes it more fun.

    Hi Amanda,

    Why on earth would they be perfecting their crouton recipe?! I know that this sounds more dotty than our craziest posts but all will be revealed in the autumn.

    I hadn’t realised how useful they are, crushed and scattered over a sauce they add texture and pizzazz.

  2. Amanda

    Super idea! One I’m sure we will try and replicate. The crouton perfecting sounds interesting? Sorry you said not to ask.

  3. That sounds yummy!!!

  4. This is my kind of lunch. It sound delicious.

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