Banish lunchtime boredom and say farewell to food envy!

Have you got ‘déjà-food’?

If you have, you’re not alone. According to new research from The New York Bakery Co, one in three Brits face ‘déjà-food’ on a daily basis by eating the same lunch on repeat.

It’s probably something we’re all a little bit guilty of – grabbing something quick or easy or falling back on old favourites. And there’s nothing wrong with that sometimes – but isn’t it good to mix things up from time to time? The research revealed that 80 per cent of us are bored by our lunchtime choices and one in 10 went so far as to say a bad lunch ruined their day. A tad dramatic maybe, but as food lovers we can sympathise.

Food envy was something the research covered and half of us admitted to suffering from the green-eyed monster. Seeing Susan from accounts tucking into last night’s leftover paella, suddenly your limp salad seems a bit dull. Not that we don’t like a salad, we love them – but you know the kind we mean, all soggy lettuce and no substance.

12.55pm is the time we’re all tucking in. There’s nothing worse than eating your lunch at 11.30am and then realising by 2pm that you’re ravenous again. Apparently three quarters of people take their lunch to work from home. Does that include people who work from home? And one in five admit to munching their lunch at their desks every day – which EVERYONE agrees is never a good idea. You’re never going to enjoy your lunch if you’re eating it one-handed whilst emailing your boss (or even surfing social media). Good food deserves your full attention. Sixty one per cent confessed to skipping lunch on a regular basis because they were too busy, which just makes us sad.

The research even revealed the favourite lunches from different cities around the UK. Who ate all the pies? Leeds apparently.

·        Manchester – just love a jacket potato

·        Leeds – pick up a pie (5 times a month)

·        Birmingham – bound to want burgers

·        London – love last night’s leftovers

·        Nottingham – so into sandwiches

·        Edinburgh – scoff sushi

·        Belfast – perfect lunch = pizzas

·        Cambridge – prefer paninis

·        Liverpool – have a passion for pasta

Helmsley didn’t feature in the list (how rude!). But if it did, we know exactly what would take top spot for lunchtime. Roast Beef and Horseradish deep filled sandwich on brown. Closely followed by our home roasted ham with salad on white. They’ve been our best sellers ever since we can remember. Closely followed by pies, sausage rolls and pasties. And rice and pasta and salads. Or soups. In fact, if you come to Hunters, there’s no need to have the same lunch two days in a month! ‘Déjà-food’? I don’t think so!

Move over Paul and Prue – there’s a new baking partnership in town!

Anyone who knows us knows we love nothing more than collaborating with other local businesses. Whether it’s through the wonderful Helmsley in Business Group, working with bakers and cider makers to create THE best pie available or partnering with ice cream aficionados and Sloe Gin specialists to sell the most mouth-watering soft serve in the North, we know we have some of the best food available on our doorstep and we want to celebrate it.

Selling exclusive products made by talented local businesses using local Yorkshire Ingredients? It’s what makes us Hunters.

So, we are delighted to announce that there’s an exciting new partnership between Hunters of Helmsley and Bakehouse in the Barn which will see us creating seasonal products using local ingredients, to be sold exclusively in our deli. We’ll also be giving our customers the recipe so they can try a spot of baking for themselves!

Bakehouse in the Barn, which is based in Hovingham, launched earlier this year to great acclaim, with award-winning baker Sophie Smith at the helm. Some of our regular customers might recognize Sophie, as she sometimes works with us in store.

The first item created specially by Sophie for Hunters is Pecan, Date and Banana Muffins, made with Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil from Thixendale. The bright yellow flowered rapeseed, highly visible across the region, is usually harvested around August and September in the Wolds. We’re going to be selling the muffins throughout September and October.

These lovely autumnal muffins are absolutely delicious – anyone who knows Bakehouse in the Barn and Sophie will know what a talented baker she is. They are dairy-free, making them suitable for those with a dairy allergy or vegans, and they are also free from refined sugar.

We asked Sophie what made her want to get involved: “It’s always a pleasure to work with Christine at Hunters, and I know they feel as passionately as I do about using wholesome and local ingredients where possible. These muffins are incredibly moist and moreish, with the lovely autumn flavours of dates and spices, but without being tooth-achingly sweet. It’s nice to be able to enjoy a cake without feeling like you’re being really naughty! The Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil is an excellent alternative to butter to make the muffins dairy-free, making them suitable for even more people to enjoy.”

Jennie Palmer at Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil added: “It’s always great to see our product being used in a wide variety of ways. People aren’t always aware of the multitude of delicious uses rapeseed oil has – and these muffins are some of the best we’ve tried! We were delighted when Hunters of Helmsley and Bakehouse in the Barn got in touch, as it’s always great to work with other local businesses to support each other. There’s so much great food in Yorkshire, and we’re always happy to be championing it!”

We’ll be introducing a new product every couple of months, with new local ingredients, so there will be lots of lovely new things to try over the coming year. Apparently Sophie is already thinking about the next idea – perhaps something festive for the run up to the Christmas season. Watch this space!

Recipe: Pecan, date and banana muffins

200g pitted dates

80g toasted, chopped pecan nuts, plus extra for topping

60g Yorkshire Rapeseed Oil

200ml water

200g very ripe bananas (3-4, depending on size)

100ml almond milk, unsweetened

2 tsp lemon juice

2 eggs, lightly beaten

130g wholemeal plain flour

1 tsp mixed spice

1½ tsp baking powder

2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp honey

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.

In a saucepan, cover the dates with the water and bring to the boil. Simmer until all the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda; the mixture will froth as you stir it in.

In a separate bowl, mash the banana. Add the honey, oil, almond milk and eggs. Whisk to combine.

Pour the sludgy date mixture into the banana bowl. Sieve in the flour, spice and baking powder, add the nuts. Mix well.

Divide the batter between the muffin cases. Scatter the remaining pecans over the top of the muffins.

Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown and springy on top.