A spring lunch menu
A dip, a salad and a dessert
A heartfelt thank you to Firehook® Crackers for generously sponsoring this week’s newsletter. Their support keeps this edition open and free for all to read!
Science tells us the seasons shift according to the directional tilt of the Earth, and the calendar echoes that rhythm — marking time with quiet authority. But more often, it’s the body that knows first. Appetite becomes a kind of barometer. Now, the days balance on a seasonal threshold: the sun lingers a little longer, hesitant but insistent, while morning air still bites at the skin. Spring doesn’t arrive all at once — it slips in sideways, unsettling and invigorating. It’s a season that stirs an appetite for contrast: brightness cut with richness, something raw softened by warmth. Today’s menu leans toward the lengthening light with dishes that echo the slowly emerging clarity of the season - fresh, simple and lively with the promise of days that luxuriously stretch just a little further.
These recipes weren’t made for white linen-draped tables or the stiff choreography of a formal dinner party. They’re for something looser, lazier — the kind of spring lunch that unfolds slowly under dappled light on a wonky wooden slated table, where the clock is forgotten and the wine sweats in its glass. A dip to share, a salad that takes 10 mins to prepare, and a dessert that doesn’t whisper restraint but hums with delicousness. This menu isn’t about precision — it’s about pleasure.
I’ve always been a little picky about my crackers. They need the right bite - sturdy but not brittle, with a clean snap and just enough salt. When it comes to flavor, I lean toward herbs, a touch of garlic, something subtle and well-balanced. I’m fussy, but for good reason. Firehook gets it. They’ve been baking since 1992, their organic crackers rooted in old traditions—named for the iron tool once used to pull bread from the hearth. I’ve been purchasing and enjoying them for a few years now - piled onto cheese boards, scooped into dips, crushed into pie crusts, and scattered over yogurt parfait bowls or ice cream for a salty finish.
Whenever you can, gather your produce from local farmers’ markets. There’s a quiet kind of pleasure in bringing home food that has been shaped by the season and grown with care especially when this is not far from home.
Beyond the satisfaction of supporting local farmers, visiting a market can be a lovely outdoor family activity that provides the opportunity to select, touch and learn about the ingredients you plan to prepare and eat. It’s also a wonderful way to meet friends, chat with vendors, and contribute to your community’s well-being. But whether your ingredients come from a bustling market stall or a corner store, one truth remains: when a recipe leans heavily on a single element (for example, our radish salad), quality should always be the foundation.
A small tip (if you need one): I try to spend as much time outside as I can each day. Sometimes it’s a walk through the neighborhood, other times a trip to the beach. The point is to actively notice details about your natural environment. There’s a mulberry tree not far from my house and not so long ago the berries were small and green, tight as beads. Now, day by day, I catch a glimpse of pink creeping in, a slow shift toward ripeness. It’s a subtle change, easy to miss if you’re rushing by. But that’s the thing, when you give yourself time in nature, you start to see the seasons not just as dates on a calendar, but as living, breathing changes. Quiet ones. Worth paying attention to.
The Radish Salad is a quietly adaptable dish — light enough for lunch, particularly when paired with a baguette, but sturdy enough to accompany grilled sausages, spatchcock chicken, or a seared minute steak. A scattering of crisp bacon lardons adds a little decadence, and if you’re in the mood for something heartier, try folding the salad through warm pasta and letting it rest in the fridge until the flavors develop.
The Caesar Salad Dip is the sort of recipe that rewards a little forethought. Make it a few days ahead, pack it for a spring picnic, include as part of a relaxed buffet meal with friends, or enjoy with crudités and Firehook crackers whilst watching your favorite show. It also happens to make an excellent sandwich filling.
If you’re hosting, double the recipe and set out small bowls, surrounded by a generous plate of Firehook Garlic Thyme Crackers. I particularly like it paired with a dirty martini (freezer cold gin, 3 olives!).
The Passion Fruit Pie — no pastry required. The crust is a simple blend of sea salt Firehook crackers, brown sugar, sweet crumbly biscuits, and butter. The addition of the sea salt crackers adds deep, toasty notes to the crust. The filling, is a bright, fragrant passion fruit and lime curd that comes together in minutes.
The pie will rest happily in the fridge for up to three days. The filling (which can be baked in individual ramekins) is also lovely served as individual desserts (as you would a posset or pudding), finished with a soft cloud of whipped cream and a scatter of biscuit and cracker crumbs. Call it a deconstructed pie.
Alternatively, for something more relaxed and interactive, set out the components and let everyone build their own dessert: a bowl of baked passion fruit curd, a platter of biscuits and Firehook crackers, a generous heap of whipped cream, and a bowl of fruit and toppings — chocolate chips, toasted nuts, whatever you like. A playful, unfussy way to end a meal, and one kids, in particular, seem to adore.
Caesar Salad Dip
Ingredients
5 slices streaky bacon, finely chopped
450 g cream cheese
1-2 tbsp Greek yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (more if needed)
1 tsp cracked black pepper
Pinch of salt
1 tsp capers
40 g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
200 g cooked chicken, shredded or chopped into small chunks
Handful of chives, finely chopped
To serve
Firehook Garlic Thyme Crackers
Instructions
Set a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until crisp. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender, blitz the cream cheese, yoghurt, garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, vinegar and a generous amount of black pepper until smooth and creamy.
Spoon this mixture into a mixing bowl then fold in capers, ¾ of the bacon, ¾ of the chicken, ¾ of the chives and all the Parmesan.
Serve on a plate or in a bowl of your choice, top with the reserved bacon, chicken, chives, and extra Parmesan before adding cracked black pepper.
Notes
Storage: Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days.
Ingredient swaps: You could swap the cream cheese for a mix of sour cream, labneh and goats cheese if you prefer.
Lemon Radish & Feta Salad
Ingredients:
1 small bunch French breakfast radishes, washed and finely chopped (keep the leaves)
1 small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked
1 small lemon, zest and juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4, small Persian cucumbers, cubed
30-40 g toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Yoghurt dip
350 g Greek yoghurt
150 g feta, crumbled
Flaked sea salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
To serve
Firehook Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers
Method
In a bowl, combine the yoghurt with the crumbled feta, lemon zest, and a generous pinch of flaked sea salt. Stir until smooth, then refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Toss the radishes, mint leaves, and cucumber with the lemon juice, olive oil, and a little salt. Give everything a gentle mix.
Spread a generous layer of the yoghurt dip mixture onto a serving plate. Pile the salad on top, then finish with the hazelnuts and a good crack of black pepper and any reserved hazelnuts. Serve with Firehook rosemary sea salt crackers.
Passion Fruit and Lime Tart
For the sea salt and brown sugar crust
120 g slightly sweet, crunchy whole wheat biscuits
50g Firehook sea salt crackers (they add the perfect salty, toasty bite)
115 g unsalted butter, melted
1 ½ tbsp light brown sugar
Pinch of salt
For the passion fruit and lime filling:
100 ml pure passion fruit pulp (without seeds)
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
397g/ 1 can sweetened condensed milk
15-20ml of lime juice + zest of one lime
1 pinch of salt (don’t be shy)
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Place the Classic sea salt Firehook crackers and biscuits in a food processor and process until they resemble fine crumbs. Alternatively, seal them in a ziplock bag and bash them with a rolling pin! Place the crumbs, melted butter, light brown sugar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly. Press the mixture firmly into the base and sides of a 23 cm (9-inch) pie bowl or tart tin, using the bottom of a measuring cup to smooth out. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool completely.
Whisk the egg yolks, condensed milk, passion fruit, lime juice, zest and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour into the cooled crust and bake for 13–15 minutes until just set whilst still maintaining a slight wobble in the center. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature (approx. 20-30 minutes), then refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
Top the pie with lemon vanilla whipped cream and, just before serving, decorate with fresh passion fruit and pulp.
Lemon Vanilla Whipped Cream
Serves 6
Ingredients
150 ml cold double/heavy cream
125 g cold mascarpone
1 tbsp icing sugar (add more to taste)
Zest of 1 lemon (or lime)
1 tsp vanilla paste
Pinch of salt (optional)
Method
In a stand mixer or large bowl, whisk the mascarpone, icing sugar, and vanilla on low for 10–15 seconds, then increase to medium-high and mix for approx. 1 minute until smooth.
Add the cream and lemon zest. Start mixing on low for 10–20 seconds, then increase to medium-high and whip until stiff peaks form, be careful not to overwhip.
To serve:
Lemon vanilla whipped cream
Fresh passion fruits
Edible flowers
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YUM!!! All of these recipes sound so light and refreshing!! I want to host a lunch in the next week or so and make them all!
Can confirm radish salad is amazing but I paired with the everything like the bagel flavor- INSANE !