It was in a small sun soaked dusty country school, thirty years before, that Mrs Longbottom* had taught. She probably should have retired ten years prior, but she hadn’t though and her young class of country folk kids were paying the price for that.
Instead she was committed to the little darlings, well at least until the end of the school year anyway.
The highlight of her long and tiring day was lunch time. Not because the pint sized ones were off running outside on the red sun baked dirt. Or because their muffled childish shouts were a little more muted when they hid within the pepper tree’s branches.
But because she really enjoyed eating her lunch.
Each day, it would be exactly the same thing, no matter what. Fresh white bread, thinly sliced crispy apple, thickly sliced cheddar cheese and walnut halves.
With an enthusiasm unmatched in the rest of her day, she would eat that sandwich. With walnut crumbs gently retrieved and her last mouthfuls slowly savoured.
Lunch time indeed was the best part of the day.
Reinvented Apple and Cheese Sanga
(one to make a teacher look forward to lunch, and *not her real name.)
the best sourdough bread you can find
the best crispiest seasonal apple in all the lands
and your favourite tasty cheese
cityhippyfarmgirl 
So funny, my latest snack on the run is alternate nibbles of parmesan pecans and apple. Great minds my friend.
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It’s a winner I tell you Rachael. Always a winner with a variation of that combo.
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Yum! I think this might have to be lunch today!
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Yes! I think you should 🙂
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I’m going to have to try this! Sounds yum, and a little bit fancy.
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Caramelised onions does that Sam, fancies up the whole lunch time thing.
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I could bite the screen!
I did go to school with the Longbottoms, a big indigenous family from Little Bay and La Perouse.
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Don’t bite the screen Rose, it will only lead to disappointment and dental problems 🙂
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Hehe the highlight of my day is definitely lunch and dinner! 😀
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Mmm, I love sandwiches like this for lunch! The pairing between a crisp apple and a sharp cheddar is such a great one!
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Ha! I can just imagine that teacher, especially since both my children and I attended one of those tiny little country schools 🙂 one of my best friends has that combo every work day, on rye bread. He loves it 🙂
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Yummo! That looks seriously delish. The caramelised onion sounds like something of an improvement on walnuts.
Rightio! I’m off to bake a baguette…
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I used to have marmite, walnut and cheese sandwiches. I don’t know about taking sliced apple in a sandwich to school – surely it was brown by lunchtime? I do love your reinvented version with the caramelised onions and I’m imagining your bread is better than what the teacher had as well xx
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What a great flavour combination to be sure Brydie! We used to take lettuce and vegemite sandwiches, but they would go revoltingly soggy in 30+ degree moist Queensland heat 😦
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Yum!!
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She’s a funny one Mrs Longbottom. 30 years ago in an inner west primary school, my lunch was lebanese bread with Moujadra (lentils and rice) and yoghurt spread. Today, we enjoy the simple ingredients you’ve paired here, after a shop at our monthly farmers market. Your food always gives me mad cravings!
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Long in the bottom, long in the tooth methinks but those teeth certainly did good service with that sandwich!
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That was such a sweetly evocative story. I could perfectly picture Mrs Longbottom and her sandwich. Loved it.
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Mrs Longbottom had style & taste when it comes to a good sanga tho – gotta give her that.
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