Salads

One of the most pleasurable kitchen activities I know is creating salads. I’m inspired by the way the colours, textures and flavours of three or four raw or cooked ingredients combine to make an instantly and effortlessly beautiful dish. I particularly appreciate the fact that salads are relaxing to make, ‘requiring neither fire nor attendance’, as pioneering vegetarian Albert Broadbent wrote in the early 1900s.

I enjoy the leisurely process of assembling the components and deciding what will go with what. A few crisp leaves, vinegar or lemon juice, top quality oil, salt and freshly ground pepper make up the basics – and, of course, the ability to see whatever you happen to have in your fridge or store cupboard in terms of a salad. The recipes in this chapter demonstrate just that and I hope they will encourage you to experiment.