'salads' your nan used to make...

[trashcanjunkie]

Mine used to do this for my grandad once a week - it would consist of a boiled egg, halved, a massive spring onion or two, some pickled beetroot maybe.... (not entirely sure....) and two slices of corn beef with salad cream on the side.....

DH says his lot also used to have 'salads' like these - he reckons it's 1970's northern thing....

I wish I could remember all of the elements... Did anyone else's family eat these? I bet there are variations on the theme

@MuckyPlucky

Errrm I’m a bit confused as most of the versions of salad above are what I’d still class as salad (and regularly make as salad) today.

I think I’m 30 years behind the culinary times. And I’m only 40!

I don't understand either. These are normal salads that I put together and eat now

Garden lettuce and tomatoes (big ones, sliced, no cherry types), sliced cucumber, ham and cottage cheese. No dressing, sometimes salad cream.

Ooooo yes! To all this!

Dies anyone else remember cheese savory - grated cheese, carrot, onion and white cabbage in salad cream? It was always on the table for a buffet and was standard as a sandwich option in bakers and delis

DPs parents are very traditional and they eat it every Saturday! When we first started seeing each other I was too polite to refuse it but beetroot, sliced ham, pickled onions etc may as well be a bushtucker trial for me 😂🤮

We had it for a lunch today! The DC turned their noses up at it!!

I remember the tinned salads! And rolled up ham!
My mum used to make very off piste saad creations with strawberries and other fruit. She also made blue cheese dressing way before it became a thing. (She’s still with us, she’s just a bit more conventional in her salad choices now)
As an aside, my Nana was a bit thrown by my announcement I was veggie (aged 11) and used to feed me jacket potatoes, with peas on top (rolling around the plate) Ahh, I miss her

We've just had a salad for our tea - lettuce, tomato, hard-boiled egg, grated cheese, spring onion, boiled potatoes (hot) and cold sliced lamb left over from last night's shoulder of lamb. I'm not young, but hadn't realised that this had become 'granny food'! Anyway, we love a nice salad.

My dad would have pickled beetroot with his, but that was a bit much for me and my brother. Liverpool 1970s.

North in the 80s exactly the same. But nana in Lincolnshire used to give us tinned fruit/ice cream for pudding and always put bread and butter with it! Anyone else??

@Butterer

We had lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes as standard, usually with quartered boiled eggs, plus slices of ham, corned beef or chicken.

Pickled onions/silverskins, and beetroot- straight sliced, never crinkle cut.

Sometimes chunks of orange cheddar and always lots of salad cream. This was in the 80's/90's and Up North.

Gosh that brought back memories!

We had boiled eggs (only one each), Sliced ham, cheese, coleslaw, salad cream, and various veggies. I only ever ate grated carrot but occasionally mam would put some raw cabbage on for me (hate lettuce, but I quite liked raw cabbage).

Oh and boiled new potatoes.

@Gancanny

My nana would sometimes use Pek. Spam was posh compared to Pek.

What is Pek? Truly intrigued!!!......

I’d call it a round lettuce too - floppy on the outside and crisp in the middle. I’m not sure there’s another name. It’s a different variety from cos or little gem.

We ate these - South Wales 😋

@MuckyPlucky

Errrm I’m a bit confused as most of the versions of salad above are what I’d still class as salad (and regularly make as salad) today.

I think I’m 30 years behind the culinary times. And I’m only 40!

Same here (although I'm even younger )

@EhUp it was tinned mandarin oranges in our house

My nan would've considered a salad a dereliction of duty From the tiniest of kitchens she would produce, at the drop of a hat, a full-on roast dinner, homemade apple pie for pud, a jelly and ice cream chaser, and a doorstop sandwich and slice of cake about an hour later to stave off any hunger pangs

Ours were more ploughmans-y . Rolled up slices of meat, pickled onions, cheese, green salad, potato salad and scotch pie = Scottish gran

My English nan would make big bowls of different greens, chunky carrots, nuts and strawberries. Weirdly nice. Or basic salad with hot sauce on, not so nice.

@trashcanjunkie

No, I know exactly what you’re all describing. My point is that this is still how I have my salads. I didn’t realise this was now seen as retro or quaint.

My salads (and those of my family) are:

Whole lettuce leaves (fanned out)
Sliced home-grown toms
Sliced cucumber
Hard-boiled eggs (sliced in egg sliver or quartered)
Grated carrot
Pickled onions
Pickled beetroot
A few plain crisps on the side
Salad cream
Bread & butter or a few jersey royals.

I think for a large proportion of the population this is what is meant by ‘salad’.

It’s not all River Cottage and Nigella Bites and Yotam Ottolenghi in the real world.

My Gran made this until she was at least 80.

She would have half of what the rest of us had and sigh "that'll do me". It's now a catchphrase in our house!

My Grandad would eat lettuce with a spoonful of sugar soaked in vinegar to dip. Don't knock it till you've tried it!

Salad at my mum's still consists of a lettuce leaf, a whole tomato and pickled beetroot with cold meat or tinned salmon.

@MuckyPlucky

Errrm I’m a bit confused as most of the versions of salad above are what I’d still class as salad (and regularly make as salad) today

Same here!

My Gran used to do a 'winter salad' consisting of sliced boiled eggs interlaid with sliced pickled beetroot. It was always served with cold meat of some description and bread and butter.