What's the perfect recipe for a Lockdown lunch bunch?
It's been 35 days since I skipped to the Supermarket without a care in the World. Alot has changed since those carefree days when I roamed the Aldi aisles fondling avocados, unafraid of coughs and sneezes and invisible diseases. I think the state of my hair says it all...My hair like my repertoire of Lockdown cuisine is wearing a bit thin! Can you imagine the rush for the hairdressers to rescue our locks after lockdown- it'll make those loo roll marauders with their embarrassments of toilet tissue look quite demure.
I have quite simply retreated into my reclusive lair, fiercely protective of my young ones and old ones for that matter. I am quite feral now, hairy Clarey from tash to toes, I saw myself in the mirror today and thought I saw a badger!! Grey and black and wild looking!
We have had some ups and downs so far, up and down like a bride's nightie to be honest!
James and Lily arrived back from University and within days the washing machine had broken. Miraculously the repair man came, he looked a bit terrified and after fixing it asked if he could use our toilet. He was up there for longer than it took to mend the washing machine and he looked a bit sheepish as he left.
I thought his exit was sharpish because he was scared of catching anything from us. In retrospect I think he had an altercation with the toilet handle , because that night at 1 am ,my gentle James broke it and the flush mechanism ! Water gushing everywhere resulting in me switching it off at the stopcock during a pandemic was not my finest hour!Not good. James has never witnessed my potty mouth, before and I pray he will never drive me to be so crude again but I seriously lost the plot that night. My wonderful plumber Vinnie rocked up the next day in amazing PPE enabling us all to PEE safely and wash our hands a thousand times a day again. My nomination for Mum of the year has been withdrawn, James says if he has children one day he'll never call them an 'Ffing idiot!' Let's hope he doesn't have to bear the responsibility of keeping his mucky brood safe in the eye of an invisible storm!
I know we are all weathering this same storm but we are by no means all in the same boat.
Mine is a Love boat with my gorgeous crew, others are in a leaky dinghy. When poverty walks in, Love walks out.
I've been so lucky to witness true acts of kindness, the best amongst us have risen in the worst of times. All the supermarkets have donated huge amounts of food to us at Manna House, the charity I work for, to be redistributed to those who are not loving Lockdown.
The bravery of the bin men, supermarket girls, deliverymen, teachers, carers, NHS workers has humbled me.
They are the beating heart of our country and the nation's conscience , they need to be cherished and elevated after this. Fortunes must really favour the brave...not irrelevant celebrities singing Imagine and crying in their hot tubs. Same storm, very different boats...
So my children eat vast quantities of hummus and as they are the glue in the love sandwich that has kept Matty and I stuck together for 30 years, I have been making them this dish most days, now that a quick saunter down to M&S is unpalatable!
Quick quarantine hummus
1 tin chickpeas
2 fat cloves garlic
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp peanut or almond butter
Juice of a lemon
Pinch smoked paprika
Whizz this all up in a blender, add salt and pepper and more lemon juice and olive oil if you like. Serve with hot pitta bread .
All you need is love...and a tin of chickpeas.
If you've gone from 10,000 steps a day to 10,000 calories don't worry. Be kind to others and yourself.
Much love xxxx
