Garden Salad

Salad! And not a lettuce leaf in sight. There is nothing more satisfying than putting together a fresh, fragrant garden salad to celebrate all the new growth for this time of the year. And why not? Winter and Spring are full of earthy roots and brassica, which are great in their own rights, but I really start to crave something crisp and refreshing on a sunny late Spring afternoon (as well as a beer).

I’m hesitant to actually call this a recipe due to the simplicity of running around a garden and grabbing handfuls of plants, but there are a few key ingredients that make this dish (and I’m very grateful to have access to Huw’s expertise and foresight regarding all things green). So let’s just straight into the recipe and catch it whilst it’s fresh.

Garden Salad (June 1st) Recipe
Serves 2

Salad:

• 10 Nasturtium leaves*

• 14 Broadbean shoots

• 12 Sweet pea shoots

• 10 Mint leaves

• 10 Coriander leaves

• A shallot leaf, finely sliced

• 1 Head of chive flowers, pulled apart

• 2 Marigold flowers

*Keep the stems on when picking them as this will retain their freshness.

Dressing:

• 1 tsp Wholegrain mustard

• 20ml Apple cider vinegar

• 60ml Cold pressed rapeseed oil

Step 1.

Pick all your ingredients from the garden in the early morning, before the sun can remove any of the moisture in the plants and store them in an airtight containing lined with a sheet of kitchen roll in the fridge.

Step 2.

Add the vinegar, mustard and oil into a small bottle or jar, fasten the lid and shake to mix. If you happen to have any of the wild garlic oil we made earlier in the season then include as much of this as you have spare, it compliments the shallot and chive flavours beautifully.

Step 3.

Remove the stem from a couple of the largest nasturtium leaves and place the flat on the plates. Casually pile the remaining shoots and leaves on top, then pinch the individual chive flowers from the puff ball and sprinkle them on top. Finely slice the shallot leaf like a spring onion and scatter it over the top along with the fresh mint and coriander. Pick somewhere arty to place your marigold flower, then drizzle your salad with the dressing. Enjoy right away to avoid wilting from the vinegar.

Note: When harvesting flowers, only take what you need and make sure there are plenty left for pollinators to enjoy.