I had a fantastic day on Wednesday, this week is turning out to be one of the best ever and of course the sunshine has played a huge part in all of this. I love all of the seasons, I love watching the countryside change but what I love about this time of year is just how easy everything is, from drying the washing, walking the dog, to arranging outdoor events. The sun makes me happy.

Olly doesn’t have college or work on a Wednesday and it is our day to spend some time together, so this week we went for a three hour walk across the fields from Old Oxted, through Tandridge and into Godstone. I love this walk, because even though I love our house in Old Oxted, I still feel Tandridge is home, when we moved here 19 years ago this is where we first lived, we were a part of the Farming Community and it was far nicer than being in Oxted, I miss be immersed in the countryside and farm life. I miss the lambs being hand fed in my kitchen in Spring and I miss the rural life, I still live by that style here, but I do dream of the day when the Children have finished school, can all drive and we can move back out into the sticks.

Anyway, back to our walk, we stopped off at The Green Rooms in Godstone for lunch, it was our first time there and it was lovely. The service was so friendly, the lovely guy even offered Pups a bowl of water and the food was amazing and you all know, I am a harsh critic.

The menu is vast and it all looked delicious, they even offer a full afternoon tea, the building which was originally an office has been beautifully renovated and I can not wait to go back again, this time to try some cake! https://www.facebook.com/creamedapplecakes

I have digressed, time to get back to the recipe. I mentioned in recent posts that I was making four salads/sides from ‘a Perfect day for a Picnic’ as part of this weeks meals, this is number 3, spiced citrus couscous and it is my favourite so far. I love the texture, the zingy citrus burst and the sweetness of the onions, its marries together beautifully and as with the previous dishes works wonderfully as a side for any BBQ meats, perfect to take to a party and again is a good all year round dish as the ingredients are always available.

So the sunshine is still with us for now and is set to stay for at least a few more days and I hope you have all been able to enjoy it as much as I have.

Buon appetito

Serves 6

For the couscous
250g couscous
250ml boiling water
100g dried ready to eat apricots, finely chopped
a handful of raisins
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
a small handful of fresh coriander, finely chopped
a small handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil
freshly squeezed juice & zest of 1 lemon
freshly squeezed juice & zest of 1 orange
85g flaked almonds

For the crispy onions
175ml sunflower oil (I used Rapeseed Oil)
1 onion
1 tablespoon plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the crispy onion garnish, pour the sunflower oil into a shallow frying pan set over a high heat.

Slice the onion in half, then slice each half into half moons as thinly as you can.

Put the flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper, then toss the onion slices in the flour to coat generously.

In small batches, fry the onions in the sunflower oil until they are gorgeously brown and crispy.

Remove from the hot pan using a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen towel.

Leave to cool.

Put the couscous in a shallow bowl and pour over the boiling water. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 10 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all of the water and puffed up nicely. When the couscous is ready, mix with a fork to loosen all the grains and then stir in the dried fruit, spices and herbs until mixed through thoroughly.

In a separate bowl, combine the olive oil with the juice and zest of the lemon and orange, beat well, the smell is amazing. Taste, if it is a little to tart, just add a little more oil until it suits your taste buds.

Gently pour the dressing over the couscous and mix well.

Lastly, just before serving, scatter over the crispy onions and flaked almonds to garnish.