/ 28 May 2025

Alexandra Dudley’s Working Lunch

We’ve all been there – stuck for weekday lunch inspiration the moment Monday morning arrives. In this monthly column, SheerLuxe contributor Alexandra Dudley serves up fresh, easy ideas – whether you work from home, like to take a lunchbox into the office, or are hoping to head out for a meal. For her first instalment for summer, she’s sharing a simple grain salad – and giving us the lowdown on a great newcomer in Marylebone…

Alexandra Dudley

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STAYING IN

Roast Carrot Spelt Herb Salad With Hazelnuts & Feta

I had a real rice bowl phase for a few weeks, and have been trying to mix it up with different grains. Spelt is a deliciously nutty grain with a good bite, and it feels a bit more robust than rice, meaning it can handle big flavours well. This is packed with lots of herbs as well as creamy feta and roast carrots spiked with paprika. It keeps well too.

Serves

2-3

Ingredients

300g of carrots, chopped into roughly inch sized pieces

Olive oil

Salt

½ tsp of smoked paprika

½ tsp of ground cumin

250g of cooked spelt, I use Merchant Gourmet

40g of roasted blanched hazelnuts, crushed or roughly chopped

2 handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped

25g bunch of mint, roughly chopped

25g bunch of dill, roughly chopped

25g bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

100g of feta

For the dressing:

1 tsp of cumin seeds

3 tbsp of olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

½ garlic clove, finely grated

1 tbsp of honey

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Toss the carrots with a good glug of olive oil, pinch of salt, the paprika and cumin on a roasting tray. Cook for 30-35 minutes until cooked through and browned.

Step 2

For the dressing, toast the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan over a low-medium heat until they begin to smell fragrant. Crush slightly, then combine with the remaining dressing ingredients in a large bowl.

Step 3

Add the cooked spelt, carrots, chopped spinach and herbs to the dressing. Toss well, then crumble in the feta and add most of the hazelnuts. Toss again, transfer to bowls and top with the remaining hazelnuts.

GOING OUT

Nina, Marylebone

Nina went straight to the top of my go-to list when I saw it had a menu of mini-martinis. It’s the newest opening from the Pachamama group, and has taken the original Pachamama site in Marylebone. The vibe is cool Italia meets industrial chic, with exposed brick, leopard-print curtains and martinis named after cigarettes. I went for one glass of Stirling (vodka or gin with vermouth and an olive) – it was lunch, after all. Nina offers a concise and confident menu featuring plates of aged parmigiano reggiano and house focaccia to start, followed by sections of crudo, pastas and mains such as lamb chops alla scottadito, and chicken milanese with parmesan butter. My advice is to order at least two pastas to share, and make sure one is the duck ragu bianco. For pudding, get the stracciatella burnt cheesecake. You will not regret it.

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For more from Alexandra, follow @ALEXANDRADUDLEY & visit ALEXANDRADUDLEY.COM