A simple lunch for hot summer days

I've been suffering from a severe case of the post holiday blues since returning from the Asturias. Lazy mornings, long lunches and late nights, cliff top walks, kicking up sand along a wide open beach and afternoon siestas, you would be inhuman to prefer a day in an office over the freedom of travel. How best to soothe such sadness? Knock up a quick and easy lunch, kick off your shoes and poor a large glass of cold wine before settling in the garden with a large dose of sunshine...

Cypriot Halloumi with fresh tomatoes, garden herbs and chilli @bighomebird

You don't need a recipe for this, just good ingredients and a greedy appetite (plus about 10 minutes of time). Don't forget to add some summer weather.

Cypriot halloumi with fresh tomatoes, garden herbs and chilli - serves 2

Halloumi cheese, 1 block, normally 200g (use full fat for the best flavour)
Fresh tomatoes, a mix of colours and sizes (Isle of Wight tomatoes are fabulous right now)
Handful of garden herbs (chives, basil, marjoram, mint)
Red chilli (deseeded if you don't like too much heat)
Sherry vinegar, a splash
Extra virgin olive oil, 3-4 tbsp
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of sugar

Slice up a handful of tomatoes on two plates, mixing up colours and sizes. Keep your tomatoes out of the fridge, somewhere in the sun, so they are really fragrant. Splash a little sherry vinegar over each plate, plus a good drizzle of olive oil and a generous pinch of sea salt and sugar. Roughly chop some fresh herbs and the chilli and set aside. Slice the halloumi into 8 slices and place in a preheated dry frying pan on a medium heat. Cook for a few minutes, then flip over. They should be nice and brown on each side. Place 4 halloumi slices on top of each plate, sprinkle with the herbs and chilli and drizzle generously with olive oil. Serve with a slice or two of really good bread to mop up the juices.

I can't promise this will cure the post holiday blues but it is delicious (and you could always combine your after lunch siesta with some travel reading for your next adventure).

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