Basic, But Always Delicious - and a Bit of Home Style Cooking Later On

When I first came to England, I remember being surprised at what a tuna sandwich meant here - simply tuna mixed with mayonnaise, spread on bread and served with some cucumber on top. Compared with my idea of a tuna sandwich (my Mom's recipe), these were pretty boring, and frankly I still find them disappointing. So just in case you are bored with your usual tuna sandwich, try this one instead. (As a bonus, it's also full of anti-oxidants and low fat.)

My Mom's Tuna Salad

Serves 2 - 3

1 tin (185 grams) tuna (preferably white albacore tuna or light tuna)

2 tablespoons chopped red pepper

2 tablespoons chopped yellow pepper

2 tablespoons celery

1 teaspoon lemon juice

2 generous tablespoons Hellmann's Extra Light Mayonnaise

pinch of celery salt

pepper to taste

Drain the tuna and put it in a medium mixing bowl. Add the chopped vegetables and the mayonnaise and stir together, breaking the tuna up a bit if necessary. Add the lemon juice, celery salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary. You can add a bit more lemon juice if it needs it.

Serve in sandwiches - try bread, toast, rolls or wraps - topped with a bit of lettuce or cucumber. They are all delicious. Yesterday we had tuna salad stuffed into toasted pittas with slices of cucumber - yum! This is also great served on savoury crackers as an easy and delicious hors d'oeuvre.

For dinner after a trip to the cinema (to see Mamma Mia - which was excellent), we went out to our local Bella Italia in Reading. It was good, but not spectacular. I find their menu has a lot of things on it I could make myself. I did find their fish special (Dory cooked in a tomato sauce with roast potatoes and courgettes) delicious and the Tiramisu Guy and I shared for dessert was definitely yummy. Guy enjoyed his chicken pasta bake, but it was definitely something I could make easily at home. Having said that, the service was wonderful and it's a very friendly atmosphere - and sometimes it is nice to have home style food you haven't had to cook yourself!