The Spanish Ploughman's — A Casa Adora Evening

There's a particular kind of contentment that comes with a Spanish Ploughman's. No cooking, no timing, no stress — just good things arranged on a plate and eaten slowly. It's one of Britain's great contributions to the table, and one I'd been craving for days.

For something warmer, my Warm Goat's Cheese Salad with Honey and Walnuts turns the same cheese-and-bread idea into a proper starter.

Tonight the temperature has finally dropped to something approaching comfortable here in rural Andalucía, and I'm eating in my patio andaluz — the kind of quiet, shaded courtyard that makes you understand why Spanish houses are built the way they are. A glass of something cold, the sound of the village settling into the evening, and a plate piled high with everything good in my fridge and from the village.

This is not a traditional Ploughman's. There is no Branston — a source of mild and ongoing grief, made all the more ironic by the fact that I have my own Nearly Branston Pickle recipe right here on the site. I simply hadn't made a batch. Lesson learned. What there is instead is Dijon mustard and my own Mango Ember fermented hot sauce — and frankly the pickle situation is better than it sounds.

What's on the board reflects where I actually live: jamón cocido, pickled green chillies, stuffed sweet peppers, feta alongside the mature cheddar, and a scattering of things that make a Ploughman's a Ploughman's wherever you are — cornichons, baby onions, beetroot, a soft-boiled egg, crunchy apple and good bread with proper butter. The tomato came from Martha's village store – ripe, local, exactly right. The bread is integral from the village panadería, the kind of crusty, honest loaf that makes you wonder why you'd ever buy anything else.

I also used the very last of my fermented baby pepinos — a small batch I'd made earlier in the year. They were good enough to remind me I need to make more.

No recipe needed. This is assembly, not cooking. And sometimes that's exactly right.

The Spanish Ploughman's — What's on the Board

• Mature cheddar
• Feta
• Jamón cocido
• Soft-boiled egg, halved
• Beetroot
• Tomato, chopped
• Stuffed sweet peppers
• Baby onions
• Cornichons
• Pickled green chillies
• Fermented baby pepino, sliced
• Apple, sliced
• Crusty integral bread and butter

In the ramekins:

• Dijon mustard
• Mango Ember fermented hot sauce

A note on the Branston situation

Branston Pickle is one of those things you don't miss until you can't get it. Branston is theoretically findable in Spain, but not in rural Jaén. The good news is that I have my own Nearly Branston Pickle recipe on the site — deep, sticky, spiced and very close to the real thing. Next time I'll be prepared. This time, Dijon mustard and a scattering of cornichons, pickled chillies and baby onions covered most of the same flavour territory. And the Mango Ember added something Branston never could.

This Spanish Ploughman's recipe is part of my Cheese Recipes collection — the complete guide to cheese dishes, ideas and adventures from The Flexible Chef.
It also features in my Spanish Recipes collection — regional classics, tapas, seafood, rice dishes and food cooked from Andalucía and the road.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef