Sussex weekend and new favourite coleslaw recipe

I think it's a sign of a good weekend away when you get back home, download the photo's and notice that a big old leaf has been obscuring most of them. 

We'd safely delivered H to her new home Tuesday evening followed by another late drive back from London. It was good to pick her up again Saturday morning on our way ( a very circuitous way) to visit family in Sussex and continue A's birthday celebration with brother-in-law. Despite London traffic and eternal road works, we managed to meet them here in the nick of time before lunch stopped being served. 

A nice dawdle-ie catching up walk with everyone back to sisters home for an afternoon of board games, talking, and to try out their new wood burning stove, even though it was at least twenty degrees...Evening of R's great home cooking, lots of music...her famous retro coq au vin, creamy mashed potatoes and yellow french beans that we picked from their garden. Followed by lots of cheeses including a local Sussex cheddar that tasted like veined cheese, even though  there wasn't a vein in site.

Sunday morning after hearty breakfast we almost got lost in the woods. No-one minded, especially me I just took millions of photos of the local fungi, acquiring the lens leaf in the process. We eventually climbed up to the awesome view over the South Downs...and just drank it all in. 

Back (by way of a pub garden and a quick drink) at theirs, five out of seven of us helping in the kitchen. I love when everyone helps out and realised that whether with my part of the family or A's, that always happens...Everyone grabbing an apron, male or female doing there bit in the kitchen. Getting in each others way to begin with, until a kind of rhythm takes over as each moves from one job to another. There was lots of shredding and chopping and counting out spoons of toasted sesame oil and vinegar; with a good helping of dancing and laughter as we all did our bit to help make crostini, followed by Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's 

stuffed peppers with new potatoes, feta and pesto with Asian style coleslaw. Then ate in the garden as Sunday wound to an end...

This is one version of an Asian style coleslaw salad:-

Asian Style Coleslaw

This is great if like me you aren't too keen on mayonnaise dressings.

Ingredients:

• Three handfuls of shredded cabbage
• One large carrot, ribboned or grated
• Half a cup of spring onions/scallions, finely sliced

Dressing:

• Two tbs of sesame seeds
• Two tbs white whine vinegar (also nice with cider vinegar)
• Two tbs soy sauce
• One tbs clear honey
• Two tbs grated or finely chopped ginger
• One crushed or finely chopped clove of garlic
• Two tbs toasted sesame oil
• Two tbs of a plain vegetable of seed oil
• One cup of chopped fresh coriander
• Fresh lemon or lime juice

1. Once the vegetables are all washed and chopped place in a large serving bowl.
2. In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning. I don't like dressings that are too oil heavy and so would use less oil to vinegar/lemon ratio than suggested in the recipe.
3. Pour over the vegetables. Toss and then serve.

This is a new favourite salad. It works really well with oily fish like pan fried mackerel fillets with ginger, chilli and lemon. I love the dressing too and will use it with lots of other things maybe adjusting one or two of the ingredients depending on what it's accompanying. 

...that was a bit of my weekend...hope yours was good too...joining here to find out...

...coming?