London lunch box: restaurant-inspired recipes to eat at your desk

In the first part of an ongoing column, Laoise Casey creates cheap, easy-to-cook lunch boxes inspired by things she has eaten in some of London's best restaurants. #TheShipFishandChips
The London lunch box: chef Laoise Casey has recreated one of the signature dishes from The Ship in Wandsworth (pic: Loaise Casey)
Victoria Stewart16 June 2014

Less than two years ago Laoise (pronounced Lee-Sha) Casey was working as an HR Manager in Ireland. When her father became critically ill and, after a terrifying roller coaster, survived, the cliché that life’s too short suddenly rang sharply true. In late 2012 Laoise moved to London to live with her French boyfriend and to follow her childhood dream to become a chef.

Casey completed a six-month professional culinary diploma at Leiths School of Food and Wine, before taking on various kitchen placements at The Ship in Wandsworth, a stage at L'Autre Pied before continuing to work at The Ship whilst doing private catering, food styling and pop up events. She is currently chef de partie at The Dairy in Clapham where she says she has “never been happier.”

Dream job: Laoise Casey left HR to work in kitchens

Inspired "by the fight against soggy sandwiches at work", and wanting to show him some of the dishes she was cooking during the day, Casey began to create a daily lunchbox for Jeremy. The result was a series of special dishes, from fish and chips to salads and spiral sausage rolls. All of her lunchbox ingredients are purchased in London, have a friendly price tag and simple cooking methods.

Today is the first of a series of weekly columns called The London Lunchbox, with dishes inspired by restaurants Casey has either worked or eaten at, including Duck and Waffle and L’Autre Pied to Opera Tavern and Meat Liquor.

THE SHIP LUNCH BOX by Laoise Casey

This week’s London lunch box is Fish and Chips, one of the signature dishes at The Ship and one of the first things Casey learnt to make in its kitchen. Over 10 months of working there part-time, she made 21543 burgers, 9380 fish and chips and 3787 Scotch eggs. Here is how she put this into a lunchbox:

The lunch box: flaked cod salad with golden breadcrumbs, potato crisps and crushed peas

What you will need:

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 potato

1 small cod fillet

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

2 tbsp peas

1 tsp crème fraiche

Slice of lemon

Vinegar

Water to boil

Fork

Saucepan

Baking tray

Frying pan

Cost to make per portion: £2.80

Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

How to make it:

Preheat the oven to 220 C/GM 7.

Thinly slice 1 potato.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a baking tray and scatter the potato over it evenly. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan, lightly fry a small fillet of cod until it flakes through with a fork. Remove from the pan.

Add 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs to the frying pan and cook until golden brown.

Add 2 tablespoons of peas to a pan of boiling water and cook for 3 minutes or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Add 1 teaspoon of crème fraiche and mash with a fork.

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the flaked cod, with potato crisps and crushed peas on the side, and a slice of lemon.

Don’t forget the vinegar.

Bon appétit!

Follow Laoise Casey on twitter @cuisine_genie

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