I crave this 00s working-class summer meal we all loved as kids for the memories

• My mother would always make a salad whenever there was a hint of sun
• The budget-friendly ‘working-class’ salad included; pork pies, slices of ham, eggs and more
• It will always remind me of spending quality time with my family as a child

Now that we are experiencing a bit of hot weather, I find myself craving a specific meal my mother would always make whenever there was a hint of sun in the early noughties. 

‘The Summer Salad’ is what I’ve decided to name it, and it turns out my family weren’t the only ones to enjoy this specific working-class salad during the summer months back in the day. 

It was ultimately a cold salad, with plenty of picky bits added to it to fill our stomachs - and it was absolutely delicious. 

Easy to make and incredibly affordable, The Summer Salad included iceberg lettuce, beetroot, cucumber, celery, and cherry tomatoes, as well as hard boiled eggs, cubes of cheese, pork pies and slices of ham. 

If we were feeling fancy, a French or Caesar Salad dressing would be added, but most of the time we had a big dollop of either mayonnaise or salad cream. 

The Summer Salad will always remind me of summers at home with my family, and whenever the sun is out I always fancy whipping it up for myself. 

While it is incredibly easy to put together, and I could certainly make The Summer Salad myself, it is the memories attached of quality time with my family which is why I look back so fondly on enjoying it in the sun in the early noughties. 

My mother has ‘upped’ her salad game since then making bistro-style salads with the likes salmon, and in her words; “wouldn’t dream of going near an iceberg lettuce now or a pork pie for that matter.”

However, I still prefer the classic, budget-friendly summer salad from my younger days, and the memories this specific meal holds in my heart.