As coleslaws go, my Mum’s is my favourite, It certainly is not high end gourmet, but it is her recipe and was duly prepared for the local cricket club’s (Diggers) after match weekend bbq’s during the summers of my youth. It comes complete with processed cheddar cheese, gherkins and bought coleslaw dressing, all of which make it uniquely my Mum’s.

Ingredients

• ¼ cabbage, sliced shredded
• 1 cup grated processed cheese
• 1 grated carrot, scrubbed and grated
• 234 gram can crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 small white onion, peeled and finely diced
• ¼ cup chopped gherkins
• ½ cup coleslaw mayonnaise
• 2 tblsp brine from gherkins

Method

1. In a large bowl toss all the ingredients together and season well with salt and white pepper. Cover and stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Variations

1. Add chopped chives in place of the onion. Add the grated rind of one orange and the flesh of two chopped oranges in place of the pineapple. Use red onion in place of white, but never brown (according to Mum).

Cooks Tips

COLESLAW TIPS Shred the cabbage finely to that the final salad is easy to eat. Large bits of cabbage are inelegant. Once the dressing has been tossed through, leave covered, for about 10 minutes so that the flavours all have time to mingle. Leftover coleslaw with onion in it, probably has a shelf life of only the next day or two if kept refrigerated, as the onion will cause the salad to ferment left any longer. Leaving the coleslaw to stand for 10 minutes after dressing allows enough time for the flavours to mingle together but still keep the cabbage crisp. If you want the cabbage to be softer, cover and stand for an hour before serving. When shredding the cabbage use only the leaves and cut away the core.