Is it something to do with it being a bargain?

Lunch: Mozzarella, rocket & balsamic fig toastie

Mar 06, 2025

A plate of crepes and rocket outside. A dog stands behind the plate. A pair of legs and feet are next to it, indicating they are sat down. The floor is tiled with concrete slabs, showing they are in an outdoor space like a patio.

This has nothing to do with this week’s post, but the first alfresco lunch of the year is a little everyday something to celebrate. Yesterday, leftover pancakes filled with cheese and ham were eaten while sat on the back step of the house. It was just about warm enough to sit there with my face towards the sun. There is hope. We should always celebrate lunch, especially when it’s eaten outside.

Given the title and premise of this publication, I expect that most readers also work from home, like me.

Is that you? Do you work from home too?

If you don’t, don’t worry, you’re still very welcome here. But those of you who do work from home will know where I’m coming from when I say that it’s great, it is isn’t it. There are so many upsides. I wouldn't change it, but…

But, if you’re not careful you can go days without talking to anyone outside of your family. You can go days barely leaving the house.

We’re not popping out to lunch with colleagues or chatting by the coffee machine, are we? We’re sat in front of our screens tapping away relentlessly — it’s a very intense and isolated way of working at times.

It can take its toll. We need that connection and perspective. As I can’t get that social side of work from work most of the time, I have to work it into my working week myself with un-work-related things.

A daily walk helps. I also go for a midweek run with a friend, meet another for coffee or take a trip to a local market.

It’s the last one that brings me to this week’s lunch via a bargain box of fresh figs*.

Just a sandwich

Mozzarella, rocket & balsamic fig toastie

Because you can’t go far wrong with bread and cheese

Sweet, sharp, peppery, crispy, stringy and tasty, this toastie rings the changes from the usual cheese ones.

If you can’t get balsamic fig jam, another fruit chutney or balsamic glaze would do the trick.

A cut side of three pieces of sandwich on a white plate. In addition to the bread, there is white melted cheese, green rocket leaves and some fig jam.

Ingredients:

Serves 1

Two slices of sturdy bread of choice. I’ve gone with white sourdough
1/2 ball of fresh mozzarella
Fig jam
Butter
Handful of rocket

To make:

Warm a skillet or frying pan on a medium heat while you make the sandwich.

Butter both sides of both slices of bread.

Assemble the sandwich by layering up the jam, mozzarella and rocket.

Press the top layer of bread on firmly.

Gently ‘toast’ in the pan until the bread is crisp and the filling is beginning to melt.

*It’s something to do with it being a bargain or that I hate the thought of food waste that this big box of not-quite-at-their-best figs found its way home with me. I like to push it gives me to do something different in the kitchen.

What do you do with that many figs? I made a little batch of balsamic fig jam (by loosely following this recipe for Balsamic Fig Jam with Black Peppercorn, keeping it chunky) and halved and roasted the rest in a little honey and lemon juice to put them in the freezer to serve with yoghurt or pressed into frangipane tarts.

Share The Working Lunch

Not feeling the love with this week’s lunch?

How about mozzarella and sun-dried tomato panini, mozzarella in carrozza, or goat’s cheese, figs and honey on toast?

P.S. ICYMI here’s last week’s post.