The salad I make May-September

A blueprint for all summer long

I’m heading off on my summer holidays. Firstly to a lemon farm in Mallorca for a week with friends, which feels like it could not be more me. It’s also close to a tennis academy so our other family passion (not mine) can be also fulfilled. Tennis and Lemons. Summer 2024. It’s all we need. After the Lemon farm we are off to Portugal for the annual Jones family summer hol on the south coast. Standby for lemons and pastel de nata top 10’s. 

I am taking a break from the newsletter for most of August so I wanted to leave you with a recipe which will see you through. The number of times I have made this (or a version of) this salad are not countable. It is summer to me. All the things I want to eat in a bowl. A salad that feels enough of a meal. Where Greek salad and Nicoise meet. A place that I am always happy to be. 

It requires very little cooking and what cooking it does require is done on the hob and can easily be done ahead. No ovens need to be turned on. I tend to cook off a load of potatoes and green veg and have them ready to go so I am never far away from this salad. 

Things that make this salad good are; 

• Everything must be room temp - except the cucumber which I add last min and cold from the fridge for crunch. Contrast is everything.

• The potatoes must be seasoned and dressed while warm to soak up the flavours (a rule to live by)

• The eggs (for me) should be cooked for 7 mins so they are just set not runny (eggs are personal so you do you)

• The tomatoes should be salted first to draw out moisture and season throughout (another life lesson)

• If you are making this with the intention of having some for leftover do not add the eggs and cucumber - both are best added at the last min. Cuc should be fridge cold (as previously mentioned), eggs should be cut just before adding. 

All summer salad 

This is a salad I make from May to September, while the days are warm. I start making it as the asparagus and new potatoes arrive, and stop when the nights begin to draw in, varying the vegetables with the seasons. Its flexible. Its fun. It requires no oven. 

If you don’t eat eggs then some chickpeas or butterbeans from a jar will work really well instead. 

SERVES 4

500g new potatoes or jersey royals
Optional: 4 organic eggs 
100g Kalamata olives
1 small cucumber or 2 baby cucumbers
300g ripe tomatoes
200g summer green veg (asparagus, runner beans etc) 
Capers (optional)

FOR THE DRESSING

3 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons wholegrain mustard
4 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon runny honey

TO FINISH

chopped soft herbs eg, dill, flat least parsley, oregano and lovage  
lemon zest

First put your new potatoes into a medium saucepan with a good pinch of sea salt and cover with cold water – you want a good amount of water here, as you will be adding other things to the pan later. Bring the potatoes to the boil, then allow to simmer for 12–20 minutes (depending on their size) until cooked though and crushable with the side of a spoon.

In another small pan bring some salted water to a rolling boil, add the eggs and boil for 6 minutes, so that the middles are only just set. If you’d like them hard-boiled, go for a minute more. Crack the shells on a hard surface then run them under cold water for 30 seconds to stop them cooking, then leave to cool.

While the eggs are cooking you can do 2 quick jobs.  

Roughly chop the tomatoes into different-sized pieces and sprinkle over a good pinch of salt out them into a large bowl, big enough to dress everything in.

Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, then taste and season. You want it to be quite punchy, as it will mellow when it hits everything else.

If using a large cucumber halve it down the middle, use a teaspoon to scoop out the watery seeds in the middle, then cut it into chunky slices. If using baby ones just cut into chunky slices there is not need to scoop seeds out and keep in the fridge until you are read to eat. 

When your potatoes are nearly cooked, add the green veg to the pan and cook for the final 3–4 minutes. Drain everything and leave to steam dry. Once the potatoes have steamed away all of their moisture, add them to the bowl while they are still warm, and pour over the dressing. Use the back of a spoon to lightly crush the potatoes and allow them to split and soak up some of the dressing.

Peel the eggs, half or quarter them, then dot over the bowl add the cold cucumber and finish with some chopped herbs or lemon zest. 

Good things to click on:

• The rules of engagement according to Celestial Peach

• A conscious cafe

• Some excellent colours

• Exhibitions not to miss this summer

• Say no to Shein and sign here

• This will be a beautiful exhibition if you are in York

• That’s what you call a bun

• A sunny mango galette

• Summer holiday reading

• Add your name to back British fruit and veg

• Pre-order this very special cookbook