Super Snacking.

Dolce or Feisty?

As we bid farewell to the long month of January, a light touch spot of snack-based inspiration today. Somerset has mostly been under water so I’ve worked from home this very busy week and had to grab what I can by way of snacks to keep me going in the nano-seconds that I typically have between meetings.

I’ve thus feasted on every available category of snack-based trash from scones to hula hoops, mini pasties, peperami, toffee crisp bars, cheese and chive primula squeezed into the cavity of raw mushrooms (this is a surprisingly good combination) and the occasional “chicken flavoured” cup a soup that’s never been anywhere near a chicken.

But my favourite and slightly less injurious snack is this one. One of the things I love most about food is its ability to connect you to time, space and memory in a way that few other things can do. This one conjures up my school friend and fellow Latin A-Level anarchist Becca, who served it to me about thirty years ago and I have never forgotten it, or her. She is utterly stunning, funny, charming and smart, so whenever I eat these I like to channel every beautiful part of her.

Take a leaf of chicory (white or red), top it with a slice of gorgonzola and drizzle with honey. This bite sized morsel is indescribably delicious. The combination of the crisp crunch of the chicory with the salty, slightly bitter yet creamy hit of the gorgonzola, combined with the sweet and sticky unctuousness of the honey, just hits every sense and taste bud going.

For the sweet entry-level version, use a dolce gorgonzola and a plain old honey. For a feistier one, go with a gorgonzola picante and top with a hot honey. I discovered this one in a farm shop recently and it not only packs a punch but is also ethical. I am unsure in what way, but it sounds good and I like bees, so I’m in. Apart from the stinging.

These bite sized morsels also make for fabulous very low-faff canapes, and if you do a combo of red and white chicory and normal and hot honey, the colours look incredible too, particularly when served on a contrasting dark platter.