A Little Treatise on Liberated Summer meals
On holiday, we forget everything. The meticulously planned shopping list, the three-course menu, dinners at set times... All that is part of everyday life. In summer, we prefer to be as free as the air. Free to swap lunch dessert for an ice cream at teatime, to have a snack on the way back from the beach, and to have a late dinner. Freedom has a salty taste, and it boils down to six rules.
1. Forget the three-course menu
The best thing about summer dining? Discovering the Provençal-patterned tablecloth covered with a whole meal: mixed salads, grilled meats fresh off the barbecue, tins of Sardines just opened, bowls of savoury biscuits already half-empty, and pieces of cheese quickly unwrapped. All arriving on the table at the same time, before the call goes out: “It’s ready!” And the undisguised joy, between mouthfuls, of thinking only about what’s on your plate, and nothing else.
2. Eating straight from the tin
Boldness! Tins of Mackerel and other tinned fish are right up there with the other dishes. Gone are the days when they were hidden away in the kitchen, out of sight. They proudly display their colourful shapes at mealtimes. Everyone goes in search of the one that catches their eye, and happily tucks in with their fork. No need for a five-star presentation – the quality is evident from the very first bite, then the second, and the next. Until you can see the bottom of the tin gleaming, grab a piece of bread and mop up the sauce.
3. Nibble whenever you like
On holiday, we seize every opportunity to have a nibble. Right from the breakfast table, when the early risers join the late sleepers for a second round. Between market stalls, under the cheeky gaze of the good-humoured stallholders. Whilst putting the shopping away, because there’s always a cherry tomato that slips out of the bag. Whilst preparing a plate of shellfish, because it’s so tempting to lick the spoon clean of Mayoz’algues, before leaving it in the sink. During a spot of reading in the shade of a parasol, when a nibble is neither a snack nor an aperitif.
4. Try sweet and savoury treats
An ice cream for afternoon tea. Begged for by the children, secretly looked forward to by the parents. There’s something for everyone, even the rum-and-raisin generation. No one judges. Left out is the person who accompanies the gang to the ice-cream parlour, hands in their pockets. Who isn’t “too sweet”. And who’ll have to wait patiently until they get home to find comfort in a leftover fish spread smeared on a slice of bread. The afternoon snack chapter is officially closed for the whole household.
5. Let Everyone Help Themselves
Tonight, your guests are off duty – and so is the host. As the sun goes down, the aperitif supper turns into a cheerful, free-flowing affair where everyone is encouraged to follow their own inspiration and help themselves.
No need to wait to be served on a silver platter. Instead, let your imagination lead the way: flaked Tuna on a blini, a spoonful of Onion & Anchovy Confit paired with a piece of cheese, a cucumber baton dipped into a Sardine spread, or a breadstick swirled through Hummus with Brittany seaweed. After all, the best combinations are often the ones we create ourselves.
6. Don’t follow any rules
Because on holiday, we don’t need any constraints; we want to savour those special moments: those little things we only experience once summer arrives. A tin of sardines opened for an aperitif, left on the table until dessert. An impromptu lunch, put together with whatever we’ve picked up at the market. A dinner that begins when the sun finally sets. A plate unlike any other.
Could that be the true taste of freedom?
Mackerel Fillets out of stock