London lunch box: a recipe inspired by Le Beaujolais restaurant

Chef Laoise Casey creates cheap, easy-to-cook lunch boxes inspired by things she has eaten in some of London's best restaurants #LeBeaujolaislunchbox
The London lunch box: chef Laoise Casey has created a recipe inspired by Le Beaujolais on Litchfield Street (Picture: Laoise Casey)
Laoise Casey27 January 2015

Le Beaujolais lunch box: pickled quail eggs with saucisson, cheese and baguette bread

Living here for a while now I realise that there is a London for tourists and then there is a London for Londoners.

When I first moved here I gorged myself on the tourist sites. Taking the bus tour, wandering by the Thames. I saw the changing of the guards four times. Craning my neck to look up at Big Ben. Checking in on Facebook at Covent Garden (cringe). Getting lost on the Tube. Enduring Oxford Street on a busy Saturday (why). Mooching around the Tate.

Then after a few weeks I discovered the other part of London. Those ‘hidden-gems’ that have you feeling like a proper Londoner. Or at least a little smug that you’re not queuing for an hour. Do you have your secret London places?

One of my secret places is the Le Beaujolais. Around the corner from the swarming crowds in Leicester Square I stumble across it on Litchfield Street. As you walk in ties, dozens of them, dangling from the ceiling catch your eye. You hear the French bar tenders shouting out orders and you start to feel like Amélie Poulain on the steps of Mont Marte. Or maybe that’s just me dreaming. Sitting down at a little table I eat beautiful boiled eggs. Too many. And I pick at saucisson and cheese. A glass of wine. Followed by more cheese. I pass the afternoon feeling happy in my city. Slipping back out onto Leicester Square I push onto the Tube. It’s busy and I’ve an inch of space to myself. But it’s OK. London feels cosy. This week’s lunch box recreates a slice of Le Beaujolais to enjoy at your desk.

Cost to make per portion: £3.40

Preparation and cooking time: 10 minutes

What you will need:

100ml white wine vinegar

½ tsp. fennel seeds

½ tsp sea salt

3 quails’ eggs

6 slices saucisson

Selection of cheese – I like brie and gruyere

3 slices baguette

Water to boil

Equipment:

Saucepan

Bowl

Knife

How to make it:

Mix the white wine vinegar, fennel seeds and sea salt in a bowl.

Cook the quails’ eggs in boiling water for 4 minutes. Cool and peel.

Place the eggs in the vinegar mix and marinate in the fridge for 24 hours. To assemble your lunch box, slice the saucisson and cheese.

Serve with the baguette and pickled eggs.

Follow Laoise Casey on twitter @cuisine_genie

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