If it was good enough for Grandad.....

'Poor man's' sandwich

I was chatting to my dad the other day about my Watercress challenge and told him how I was incorporating watercress into my meals each day for two weeks.

Well maybe my enjoyment for eating the water growing green leaf superfood is in fact hereditary because it turns out my Grandad used to love the stuff himself and would often enjoy a simple Watercress sandwich.

In fact it turns out, Watercress was very popular in my Grandad's generation, and sandwiches were a popular way of consuming the good green.

During Victorian times it was often eaten in sandwiches at breakfast time, though in poorer homes it was eaten on its own, which earned it the nickname “poor man’s bread”.

The original Watercress eater!

So if it was good enough for Ol' Gramps then it's good enough for me. Before my 13 miler into work last Friday I packed out a wholemeal roll with Watercress. It was delicious and ideal pre run food with it's hydrating and vitamin values.

I'm nearing the end of my challenge and have my hilly trail 10K race approaching Saturday night (Hey! Watercress is really high in Vitamin A, which is good for night vision, maybe I won't need my headtorch!) but I will continue eating Watercress beyond the race and this challenge.

I'm hooked, especially at lunchtime. As I mentioned in a previous post, most lunchtimes I now have Watercress, mixed bean salad and a tin of mackerel in tomato sauce, cheap and super healthy.

This weekend I'll make sure I fuel for the race with one of Grandad's 'poor man's' sandwiches before heading off onto the muddy hills of the North Downs. I bet I'm the only competitor powered by Watercress!