For these two sisters, summer means beach! Agnese and I were raised in Pescara, a coastal town by the Adriatic sea and, as children, we used to make the most of our summers at the sea-side. Three full months of sun, swimming and fun! Later on, life has taken us away from our beloved sea, me in England and Agnese in Germany, but every summer we seize the chance to go back to those magical days of our childhood spending some precious family time at the beach in our native place. And, of course, food is central! Recently I created this very easy-to-make salad and it was a hit with both adults and children. Perfect for those hot days!

INGREDIENTS

• 500 gr Cous Cous
• 1 big cucumber
• 3/4 tomatoes
• 20 olives
• lots of basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt

Bring to the boil 500 ml of water and 5 spoons of oil. Remove from the heat and add the cous cous, leaving it covered for few minutes. Let it cool. In the meantime cut all the ingredients – cucumber, tomatoes, olives and basil – in small pieces.

Mix well adding a good splash of oil and salt. Add the vegetables to the cous cous and mix well again.

Ready for our lunch bag!

We enjoyed the cous cous salad with a dessert of fresh seasonal fruit, a perfect, light, colourful packed lunch!

Agnese recommends…..

No wine this time! A nice glass of fresh, cool water works perfectly.