Ploughman's Lunch with Quick-Pickled Onions & Apple

Ingredients

• 6 oz aged cheddar, in rough chunks
• 4 slices thick ham (optional but traditional)
• 1 Apple, sliced
• 1 small red onion, sliced into rings
• 3 tbsp malt or cider vinegar with 1 tsp sugar
• 4 tbsp chutney or pickle relish
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, halved
• ½ crusty baguette or cottage loaf
• Salted butter and cornichons

Method

1. Toss the onion rings with the vinegar, sugar, and a pinch of salt; let them pickle while you build the board — 15 minutes takes the edge off.
2. Arrange cheese, ham, eggs, Apple, and cornichons on a board with the chutney in the middle where everyone will fight over it.
3. Slice the bread thick and butter it generously — thin bread is against the spirit of the thing.
4. Drain the onions and scatter them over the board. Serve with pints or strong tea; the plough is optional.