Old school

School lunches needn’t be boring, says Rachel Allen, and a little organisation and pre-planning will go a long way. Photography by Tony Gavin

Back-to-school time is a bit like New Year; we’re all full of good intentions and promises we intend to fulfil. Mine are, yet again, to stop biting my nails while driving (it’s the only time I ever seem to bite them) and to remember that just because I intend to go out for a run or hit the gym, I’m not actually going to get any fitter unless I stop procrastinating and just do it.

This time of the year is always a little bittersweet for me. I have loved the lazy mornings in bed and the long evenings, but my yearning for routine normally hits at the end of August when I’ve had a whole two months of lovely but haphazard disorderliness in the house.

I also crave autumn-winter clothes. Give me a cashmere scarf and boots over silky, light, summery garb any day. I’m normally the first one to rejoice at the chillier mornings and shorter evenings. Candles lighting, red wine and log fires are my idea of bliss.

Anyway, when it comes to school lunches, we all need to shake it up every now and then. Eating the same thing every day gets boring, but it can also be tricky to make lunch boxes that are both tempting and healthy, too. Of course, schools have clamped down a lot on the food that our children are allowed to bring in, and many only allow something sweet on Fridays. I love these chewy, seedy oat, apricot and date bars, right. They’ve got a great bite, so they are brilliant for our digestive systems, while the oats will keep the kiddies full of energy.

Our daughter, Scarlett, loves sausage rolls, and she decided that these are the best school lunch, so here’s the version, far right, that she’s taking to school with her this week.

These crunchy brown scones with seeds, also far right, are super sandwich material, and when they are split, buttered and filled with cheese and ham, they make a packed lunch fit for a little king.

CHEWY SEEDY OAT, APRICOT AND DATE BARS

(Pictured) Makes about 18 bars

You will need:

350g (12oz) porridge oats 50g (2oz) pumpkin seeds 50g (2oz) sesame seeds 50g (2oz) desiccated coconut 350g (12oz) butter 2 tablespoons agave syrup or golden syrup or maple syrup 175g (6oz) brown sugar 75g (3oz) dried apricots, chopped 75g (3oz) dates, chopped 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4. Line a small Swiss-roll tin with non-stick baking parchment — leave a little hanging over the edges of the tin for easy removal of the cooked bars later. Put the porridge oats, the pumpkin seeds, the sesame seeds and the desiccated coconut in a large bowl and mix them together. Melt the butter, the agave syrup or golden syrup or maple syrup, whichever you’re using, together in a saucepan, then mix in the brown sugar, the chopped dried apricots, the chopped dates and the vanilla extract. Pour this mixture into the bowl containing the oats, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and desiccated coconut mixture, and mix everything until it is evenly combined.

Press the mixture into the prepared tin and bake it in the centre of the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is a rich golden colour. Allow it to almost cool in the tin, then remove it, still in the paper, and cut it into 18 bars (or cut them depending on whatever size you want them to be). Store the bars in an airtight container for up to a week.

QUICK SAUSAGE ROLLS

Makes 6

You will need:

350g (12oz) minced pork 1 small clove of garlic, finely grated or crushed 2 teaspoons tomato relish or chutney, (such as Ballymaloe country relish) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 1 teaspoon chopped thyme or sage Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 225g (8oz) puff pastry Flour for dusting 1 egg, beaten Put the minced pork in a bowl and add in the finely grated or crushed clove of garlic, whichever you’re using, the tomato relish or chutney, whichever you’re using, the

chopped fresh parsley and the chopped thyme or sage, whichever you’re using, and a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a small frying pan on a medium heat and cook a little bit of the mixture to taste it for seasoning, adjusting it if necessary. Once you’re happy with the seasoning, using damp hands, roll the mixture into sausage shapes and place them on a baking tray in the fridge for a few minutes while you roll out the pastry.

Roll the puff pastry on a floured worktop, with flour dusted over the top of the pastry, into a long, thin rectangle approximately 60cm (24in) long and just 10cm (4in) wide. You’ll need to regularly dust the top and underneath the pastry with flour to prevent it from sticking. Position the pastry in front of you, with the long end facing you, and using a sharp knife, trim all round the edges of the pastry.

Place the sausages along the length of the pastry, quite close to the side of the pastry that’s nearest you. Brush the far end of the pastry with a little beaten egg. Roll up the pastry, binding it with the egg-brushed end. Turn the roll over so that the join is underneath, then brush the top with some beaten egg. Cut the roll into sausage rolls about 10cms (about 4in) in length. I like to score the pastry every 2cm (less than 1in) with a knife too. Put the sausage rolls in the fridge (or the freezer) until you’re ready to cook them. They’ll sit happily in the fridge for 24 hours, and they’ll freeze well, if they are kept covered, for three months.

To cook the sausage rolls, put them in an oven preheated to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6, for 15-20 minutes until they are golden and cooked through. Serve them warm, or at room temperature.

CRUNCHY BROWN SCONES WITH SEEDS

Makes 12 scones — see my Tip, above left, if you’d like to make a dairy-free version of these scones

You will need:

225g (8oz) wholemeal flour 225g (8oz) plain white flour 25g (1oz) sesame seeds, plus extra for sprinkling 25g (1oz) pumpkin seeds, plus extra for sprinkling 25g (1oz) golden linseeds or hemp seeds, plus extra for sprinkling 25g (1oz) sunflower seeds 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon bread soda, finely sifted 25g (1oz) butter 1 egg, whisked (you may need extra) 400ml (14fl oz) buttermilk (you may need extra) Preheat the oven to 220°C, 425°F, Gas 7. In a big bowl, mix together the wholemeal flour, the plain white flour, the sesame seeds, the pumpkin seeds, the golden linseeds or the hemp seeds, whichever you’re using, the sunflower seeds, the salt and the finely sifted bread soda. Rub in the butter with your fingers. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg with the buttermilk and pour all of the whisked egg and buttermilk mixture into the big bowl of dry ingredients. Using one hand, with your fingers open and stiff, mix in full circles, bringing the flour and liquid together, adding more liquid if necessary. The dough should be quite soft, but not too sticky.

Turn the dough out on to a floured surface. Wash your hands, then dry them and flour them. Don’t knead the dough or the scones will be heavy; instead, gently turn it over. Flatten it slightly to about 4cm (1½in) high. Cut the dough into square scones. If you have any leftover whisked egg and buttermilk mixture, you could brush it over the tops of the scones, and sprinkle them with some extra seeds.

Put the scones on a lightly floured baking tray, and pop it into the centre of preheated oven. Cook the scones for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of the scones). Have a look at them after 10 minutes; if they’re already a deep golden brown, then turn the heat down to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6 for the remainder of the time. When they are cooked, they should sound hollow when they are tapped. Cool them on a wire rack. A