Salt Beef and Green Bean Salad

Whenever I visit Paris, a lunch in Chez Georges in rue du Mail is a must. It’s a delightful little old brasserie with a classic and extremely simple menu. Order ox cheek salad and you’ll get a bowl of sliced salted ox cheek (enough to feed at least four) in a good vinaigrette with shallots and skinny French beans, along with an empty plate. You just help yourself. No fuss, no pretence... and bloody good.

Salted ox cheeks are tricky to get unless you order them specially, but if you