Bread, Butter and Honest Snacks

Some of the best food in a country kitchen is also the plainest: a heel of bread with butter, an apple and a bit of cheese, a handful of nuts. Nobody writes recipes for these things, and yet they hold a day together.

This article is about the small things between meals. It covers how to keep bread and butter well, what makes a snack honest and how to put one together in a few minutes. There are no rules about what you may eat, only a few ideas to make it easier.

Keeping bread well

A good loaf is worth looking after. Store it cut side down on a wooden board for a day or two, or keep it in a bread box or a cloth bag. A paper bag works for crusty loaves. Plastic traps moisture and softens the crust, though it can help soft sandwich bread stay moist.

Avoid the fridge. Bread goes stale faster in the cold, even though it feels like it should keep longer. For anything you will not finish in two or three days, slice it and freeze it. You can toast slices straight from the freezer.

If you see any mold, throw away the whole loaf. Mold threads can run deeper than what you can see, especially in soft bread.

Butter, kept simply

Butter is a gentle food to store. Many people keep a small dish on the counter with a lid, so it stays soft enough to spread. This is generally fine for a day or two in a cool kitchen. On a warm day, or if you will use it slowly, put it back in the fridge.

Keep the rest of the butter in the fridge in its wrapper or a covered container, and it will last for weeks. Butter also freezes well for months if wrapped tightly. Because it picks up smells, keep it away from onions and strong cheese.

What makes a snack honest

An honest snack is plain food that tastes like what it is. It tends to be simple to make, not much packaging and not trying to be something else. Think of what you might find in an old pantry: bread and butter, apples, nuts, cheese, boiled eggs, carrots, cooked beans with salt and a seed bar you made yourself.

There is no need to count anything. Notice instead what satisfies you. Many people find that a snack with a little crunch, a little fat and something fresh holds them longer than something sweet alone, but your own hunger is a better guide than any rule.

Snacks you can put together in five minutes

• Bread and butter with radishes. Slice radishes thin, sprinkle with salt and lay them on buttered bread.
• Apple and cheese. Slice an apple and eat it with a few thin slices of cheese.
• Toast and honey. Spread butter, then a thin drizzle of honey. Add a pinch of salt.
• Nuts and dried fruit. A small bowl from your pantry jars. Keep nuts in a sealed jar to stop them going stale.
• Carrots and a bean dip. Mash a can of white beans with oil, lemon and salt.
• Boiled egg. Cook eggs for 10 minutes, cool in cold water and keep in the fridge for up to a week.

If you stock your shelf as in a farmhouse pantry in twelve jars, most of these need no shopping at all.

Common mistakes

Storing bread in the fridge is the most common. Keep it on the counter for a couple of days, or freeze it.

Leaving cut fruit and cooked eggs out for hours is another. Fresh-cut fruit and cooked foods should not sit at room temperature for more than two hours. Keep them cold until you eat.

A third is buying snacks you do not really like, because they were on offer. If you do not enjoy it, it will sit there and then be thrown away.

Make it tonight

A little planning

Honest snacks go best with a loose plan. If you know you will want a bite at four, wash the apple and cut the bread in the morning. The week plan can help you slot those bites in alongside supper. If you bake or buy a big loaf, cooking once and eating twice shows how to turn the last of it into breadcrumbs or croutons.

Keep going

Good bread, real butter and a few plain snacks make the day easier without much effort. Next, learn how to use up the odds and ends in less waste from the vegetable drawer.