#BlingYourPlate – 6 Easy Ways to Eat Watercress
How to squeeze the most out of a bag of watercress, even if you’re the only one that likes it!
Getting through a whole bag of salad on your own can seem quite daunting, especially when it needs to be eaten as quickly as possible after purchase as to preserve its quality. If you’re the only person in the house that enjoys eating a particular leaf, whether that be watercress or spinach, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t enjoy it by yourself. We’re here to show you some simple meals that can slide in to your weekly routine and bling your plate up – no more half-eaten bags of salad at the end of the week!
1. Jacket Potato
The mighty jacket; one of life’s greatest simple pleasures. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, oozing with butter… Whatever you like to pop on your jacket potato, just before you serve it pop a handful of watercress on the plate and the potato on top of that. The heat of the potato will soften the watercress a little and it’s the perfect way to soak up any leftover butter/beans/mayo!
2. Risotto
Make a risotto (or any rice dish, paella, jambalaya…) as you normally would but when you serve yourself a bowl, add some chopped watercress leaves and give it a stir. It really is that simple! A delicious dinner for the whole family with a little peppery kick for you.
3. Sandwiches
It’s lunchtime, and you've only got time for a quick sandwich. How are you going to get some extra nutrition in here? It couldn't be simpler! Get that sandwich ready and stuff a handful of leaves in at the last minute – this works for all sorts of sandwich fillings, even jam!! (We're not joking, see Mary Berry’s Jam & Watercress Sandwich <link>) The peppery crunch of watercress compliments a huge range of flavours AND is packed with so much more nutrition than your average lettuce leaf.
4. Pasta
A family favourite. Whether you make it rich and creamy with chicken & bacon, tangy and healthy with a pesto (watercress pesto, naturally) or a little bit spicy with an amazing arrabbiata – you can bling it up with a bit of watercress. It takes minutes, seconds even, to roughly chop a pinch of watercress and stir it through your bowl of pasta. Not only does it add a pop of colour, it also provides you with some added vitamins and nutrients.
5. Mash Potato
Is mash the ultimate comfort food? Possibly, and for this reason you might think that it doesn’t need blinging (if it isn’t broken…) Most of the time we’d agree with you on that, but not when it comes to watercress mash. A little bit of leafy green goodness will elevate your mash to a new dimension. Simply chop a handful of leaves before you serve and stir them through your mash. If you prefer to keep things simple, a little melted butter and pepper is delicious but for a real treat try it with cheesy mash… the flavour is sensational!
6. Pies
Beef & ale, veggie, chicken & leek, cottage... whatever your pie preference, it's so easy to slip a handful of watercress on your plate just before you serve for an extra pop of nutrition. This way, the watercress will wilt slightly from the warmth of the pie and won't be overcooked, meaning you're getting the very best out of it. Such a simple step that not only provides amazing health benefits but also blings up your plate!
So there you have it, 6 simple ways to add watercress to your daily diet. Can’t see your favourite way to eat watercress? Tell us in the comments how you bling your plate!
Photography by Lara Jane Thorpe