Travelling gifts

I have a friend who has a great job of travelling the world to research and write about fruit.  I thought my job was pretty good, but I think he just out-ranks me!  And I thought when I asked if there was anything he would like me to bring back from Spain that his answer would be 'no', as he no doubt would be visiting there some time soon.
But I was wrong, and I had forgotten his love of wacky things - things like creative tins of food (not the food in them you understand, just the tins themselves!).  Hence I found myself wandering around the market looking for circular (he had been quite specific about them not being oval) tins of tuna.  I became like a twitcher, hunting out the most beautiful round tin I could find - I hope he will not be disappointed.
Once home I needed a taste of Spain to cheer me in this cold grey climate, so one of the tins had to be opened - sorry Chris!











Tuna with Cannellini Bean and Roasted Red Pepper

Serves 4
3 red peppers, halved and deseeded
200g can tuna in oil

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 red onion, peeled and finely sliced
60g cherry tomatoes, halved
380g can cannellini beans, drained
sprigs of fresh parsley

1.  Place the pepper halves under a hot grill, skin side up,  and leave them until they are totally black.
Place them in a bowl and cover with cling film and leave until cool enough to handle.  Peel off the charred skin and slice the peppers.
2.  Drain the oil from the tuna into a bowl and whisk in the mustard, honey and balsamic vinegar to taste.
3.  Using a fork, break up the tuna  and place onto a platter.  Add the strips of red pepper, drained cannellini beans, red onion and cherry tomatoes.
4.  Pour over the dressing and toss very briefly.  Scatter over the fresh parsley and serve.

The pain is finally over!

OK, so it wasn't quite that bad, but it certainly isn't a walk in the park either. By the end of day six we were all feeling pretty knackered and some girls couldn't even lift their forks to their mouths without being in pain from their blistered hands - the things we do for fun. Anybody that tells you that it's just the taking part that counts needs to come on a Mortlake training camp!

Centro Especializado de Alto Rendimiento, La Cartuja did finally feel like home though, once we got into our daily routines of sculling, eating, sleeping, sculling, eating, sunbathing, sleeping, sculling, eating, nightcap (hot chocolate - definitely no alcohol!) and in bed by about 9.30!

Half-way through the week I gave the girls a bit of a talk about nutrition. It's really hard to tell people that they have to eat a rainbow (lots of colourful fruit and vegetables), when that evening all the food was yellow - pasta, sweetcorn, fish in turmeric, yellow tomatoes and pineapple! The lack of vegetables was legendary, with every single one of them out of a can or the freezer, and all cooked to within an inch of their lives. My first job on hitting British soil was a visit to Waitrose for a hundredweight of broccoli, to be LIGHTLY steamed and included

in every meal over the next week!

Now we have to try and put into practice everything learnt, whilst navigating the fast flowing, windy Thames.....it won't feel quite the same.