1. First and foremost, food. Yes, comfort food but a more balanced, healthier one.My go-to recipe to smuggle a little sunshine into my life is a Traditional Greek salad. Its proper name is Horiatiki salad, which means “village” salad. It’s a simple, rustic dish—you need good quality ingredients, but just a few. Your taste buds will thank you for this refreshing and colourful Mediterranean heaven.
To make an authentic Horiatiki—just like one you’d find in Greece on your holiday—don’t cut your veggies too small. Large chunks, please!
Never compromise on the cheese! For a truly authentic salad, your feta should be good quality and Greek; if you want to be posh: try a barrel-aged one (available both in Waitrose and M&S)
Regarding the olives, I must repeat myself—great quality is best. I personally like the Kalamata variety (Sainsbury’s has own brand too) or if you prefer green olives, go for the Halkidiki ones. Please try not to add “ripe” black olives that have been cured in alkaline solution and iron salts. Home-cured olives without added salt will be brownish and mottled but have no harmful additives and taste just as good or even better.
Ingredients (for a large bowl):
Seasonal and fresh is best!
2-3 juicy (preferably local) tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 fresh, crisp cucumber, sliced into thick semi-circles
1 medium or small red onion, cut into rings or half-rings
1 green pepper, sliced
10-16 olives (tangy Greek if possible)
5-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Dried oregano (or “Greek salad” herbs-mixture if you bought some on your last Greek holiday)
Sea salt
150-200g authentic Greek feta cheese
Wash, dry, and cut your veggies and put them into a large bowl. Add the olives and put the feta cheese on top. I like to pour the olive oil in after I’ve placed the cheese on top, as it looks nicer, and the oil will add some extra taste to the feta as well. Sprinkle with the oregano or Greek salad mixture, but be careful with the salt as the feta is a salty cheese.
Some people like to add a little wine vinegar or a drizzle of lemon too, but I like mine with just olive oil. Simplicity at its best. Enjoy as a light meal or as a side dish with some grilled meat or fish. Freshly baked bread is also a great addition.
This salad is deliciously healthy and can be a complete meal, including good carbs, beneficial fats, and protein. It’s rich in vitamin A, C, and iron, bringing the taste of summer to you, even on a rainy day.
A large bowl will provide approximately 300 calories, 10 g carbs, 7 g sugar, and 11 g protein. 25 g fat, 2 g salt, and 4 g fibre. It also contains a lot of micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin A and K, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin B6.
2. Grab a “beach book”, something that you would typically take with you on holiday. I recommend Mandy Baggot’s Desperately Seeking Summer for a romantic heart, Jennifer Saint’s books if you are into mythology, Anne Zouroudi’s murder mysteries for crime enthusiast, Stephen Fry’s Heroes or Mythos for a very entertaining but still educational, interesting read or Sara Alexi’s Greek village series (I got genuinely addicted to them during lockdown).
3. Listen to some ‘summer-vibes’ music. I like to put on the Greek Summer Hits 2022 playlist on Spotify but if you’re not into Greek music go for any other summer hit playlist according to your taste.4. Learn a bit of your favourite language. I adore my Greek lessons because it just makes me feel so content every time I learn new words! Greek is not the easiest choice, though. It can be any language you like—just not the one you must learn (for school or work). If you don’t have a favourite language, just learn the basic words and expressions of the country you are planning to go to on your next holiday. It will give you a sense of achievement, a bit of confidence, and stimulate your mind, not to mention the welcoming smiles when you try them out on your trip.
5. Do some breathing exercises, a bit of mindfulness or yoga. A little stretching will do good to not just your body, but also to your mind: yoga is a great tool to manage stress, it relaxes you and can help you sleep better. It can also increase your energy and brighten your mood.Deep breathing (when you use the whole capacity of your lungs not just the upper part), decreases stress and increases calmness. It slows down your heart rate, meaning more oxygen enters the bloodstream, signalling for the brain to relax. It can also elevate your endorphin level, which is the “feel good” hormone. Just what we all need on a cloudy afternoon.
