Warm Salad Series: Fresh Fig Salad with Cured Ham and Mozarella

“Fresh figs 3 for £1,” how do you walk past a market stall with a sign like that? I certainly couldn’t!

The first day that I attended law school I noticed a fruit market just on the corner by the tube station. They sell allsorts from big fruit salads for just £1 which are perfect for lunch, to other fresh seasonal fruits – like figs!

Every morning the stall is already set up with lots of customers grabbing something to eat on their way to work, and it’s only taken me a week to be swept up by the stalls popularity. This may have been my first purchase, but I know it won’t be my last.

I’ve only eaten figs a few times (always in restaurants) and I have never cooked with them myself, so it was a pretty bold move to buy some. However, with my warm salad series underway I knew I could muddle something together.

Pizza East, Shoreditch

Ground beef pizza, Pizza East

Just a few weeks ago I visted a lovely curry house down Brick Lane in East London. Last week I have been checking out the food and drink in Shoreditch! I've not even started working/studying in London yet and already I'm getting out and about.


I ended up in Shoreditch as I was thrown in at the deep end on an evening out with Jon's work colleagues! He has been working at a local council for just over 6 months and he finally thought it was time to unleash me on to his work friends! I like to think I'm quite an acquired taste - my sense of humour is terrible and I never know when to stop talking, but hey...my friends love me so why wouldn't his?!


We met up with them first of all at a sports bar in Shoreditch - but not any sports bar, Bar Kick. It's an international bar that sells a wide variety of international beers, has a row of table football tables which you can reserve along with tables in either their bar area, or their food section. We didn't stop for a bite to eat as we had reservations at Pizza East but the grub looked like perfect American style sports food - I saw nachos, burgers, and amazing looking hot dog but the menu suggested there was so much more on offer! Perhaps we will have to return soon to give it a review.


We did however sample quite a bit of their drinks menu. I had a couple of cocktails including a Caipirinha made with cachaça and an El Mexican a blackberry and tequila cocktail -yummy! The bar staff weren't bad either...


Afterwards we moved on to Pizza East, the real star of the evening.