Summer Peas and Bees

June is a unique little time, perfect for light lunches and slow walks. The light green colour of the foliage has made its way into our food cravings – we’re thinking pea hummus on a big piece of lovely sourdough, gooseberry fool, maybe a cup of green tea or a glass of good white wine. Terry’s been vibing with William Blake on her walks through London, and revelling in the June light.

Terry says:

You don’t even need food on days this radiant. You can just lie in the grass and live off nectar, read poetry and let butterflies alight and take off around you. It’s the migration season of the painted lady butterfly – a palette of colours so rich it’s like a meal in its own right. The honeysuckle and jasmine are out, brightening up grungy corners of the city with unexpected perfume. And the light: even when you’ve got blackout curtains up, those little fingers of light start to creep in around 4.30 in the morning, creating a sense of anticipation.

This kind of northern hemisphere June light turns me into a Blakean mystic. I love a bit of an overcast summer afternoon, when the clouds are lit up from below: high drama. When the sky is like that, you can take the simplest walk – down the high street, across the road to the offie – and feel illuminated. I like a longer wander when I have time, down along the Embankment or through Lambeth to Archbishop’s Park, humming Patti Smith: ‘So throw off your stupid cloak / Embrace all that you fear / For joy shall conquer all despair / In my Blakean year’.

For me, it’s on these walks that I vibe the most with Blake. His way of capturing big natural symbolism and mystery, the lushness and strangeness of it all, that illuminated palette. If I had a garden, I could also commune with the Blakean energy by sitting outside in the nude – an activity that, anecdotally, he enjoyed on occasion, and which feels like it would be particularly delicious at this time of year.

Obviously I wasn’t serious about not needing food. If you’re lucky enough to have a garden in this city, go the full Blake and enjoy a naked lunch: lightly cooked broad beans with goat’s curd and chives, or pea hummus with lemon and tarragon, and fresh raspberries or gooseberries to finish. I like to make a summer cup by infusing fresh herbs and the beautiful little flowers that are budding at the moment and throwing it into a punch mix with chamomile liqueur – a beautiful drink for these shining afternoons.

PEA HUMMUS

This isn’t really hummus – the name is reflective of the texture. In Oz, we’d call it a dip.

Hummus
100g fresh or frozen peas (if fresh, par cook quickly)
Juice of 1 lemon and 1 teaspoon of zest
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
½ teaspoon dried  mint
Salt to taste

Topping
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 spring onion

Blitz the hummus ingredients with a stick blender until smooth. Finely chop all the topping ingredients and combine. Toast a big thick slice of sourdough, and add the hummus, then the topping. Serve with a little lemon zest and freshly cracked pepper.