London Lunches

One thing that I’ve been really impressed with food-wise here in the UK is the prepared lunches you can buy just about everywhere. There are chains like Eat and Pret (short for prêt-à-manger, or Ready-To-Eat) where you can get meals like the one I ate on my first day in London, and the one I ate yesterday, but you can also buy the stuff in grocery stores, department stores like Marks & Spencer and even Boots (a major drug store chain).

There is a real focus on fresh, local, organic ingredients and with some very exotic flavour and ingredient combinations. The boxed sandwiches are all made fresh daily and you can certainly tell.

This was my falafel, tomato, red onion and arugula (called rocket here) sandwich at Pret yesterday. And here’s what it says on the sandwich box:

EAT WITH YOUR HEAD
We interviewed loads of French women (of all ages). A few Spanish and a couple of Italians as well. Here’s their advice on eating well (and keeping a good figure):

• Insist on nutritious, fresh, natural, quality food (like ours) without any nasties in it.
• Eat three times a day and don’t pig out. No grazing. Don’t count calories. Simply eat with your head. Think about what you’re eating (before you eatit"
• Lay the table, sit down, get a plate. And when you’re nearly full, stop eating.
• Don’t diet…diets are rubbish. Being on a diet is a constant losing battle.
• Crisps, cookies and candy are not "treats". Eat them at your peril.
• Drink lots and lots (and lots) of water every day and, dare we say it, less alcohol?
• If you hate exercise, don’t worry (don’t feel guilty). Eat and drink properly and you’ll be fine.
• Behave slim and you stay slim. Slim is a state of mind.

So there you have it. Real, freshly prepared, good food the ‘continental’ way. It’s always been our passion.

Another really impressive thing is the fruit stands you find everywhere. And I mean everywhere…in the W.H. Smith at Waterloo Station, there are stands of crisps and sweets, but there is also a large stand chock-a-block full of apples, oranges, bananas and grapes. Today at Westminster Abbey I grabbed a coffee and an apple from the food concession on the grounds. And I really appreciated it, too. In fact, I was so pressed for time trying to fit in all the things I hadn’t yet seen of London on my last day, that that apple became my lunch.

Luckily my sister and her fiancé met me at the train station (I didn’t get home until 7:00!) and we went to the pub for dinner and to watch the footie. I had a steak pie (with the ever-present chips) but – can you believe – I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE! Anyway, it was yummy and hearty and savoury and the perfect traditional English meal to polish off what has been the holiday of a lifetime.

Parting Shots:

View of Parliament (with Big Ben), Westminster Bridge and the Thames from the London Eye

A view of Big Ben (sorry, it’s just one of those landmarks you can see from everywhere) from Trafalgar Square. This is a really iconic shot of London, because you can see an old London taxi, a double-decker bus and an old red phone booth!

For more Farewell London pictures, check out This Is Kat.