THE PERFECT WINTER SALAD

I’m a light lunch eater. Though I pride myself on having a varied diet, my lunch choices are embarrassingly limited. Eggs, sandwiches and the very occasional soup takes up all the space in my stomach by 1pm, each day.

This doesn’t mean I borate myself over this. Most of us barely have the time - or care - to spend over an hour making lunch mid-week. I do, however, try to spend some time thinking up how I can cram some greens into my body, quickly, without retching.

As a fan of the festive season I like to keep my recipes close to the vibe of the weather. Perhaps this is a British thing. So, no, I won’t eat a caprese salad on a dark December afternoon. But a salad with warm, melting halloumi, crispy sage and bejewelled beetroot slices? That, I can sink my teeth into.

Ingredients

• Halloumi

• Precooked beetroot

• Tomatoes

• Little gem lettuce

• (For the dressing) Balsamic, olive oil, honey, salt, pepper

Method

Fry the halloumi until golden over a medium heat. Meanwhile, chop all the vegetables and make the dressing by mixing a glug of olive oil, half a glug of balsamic, half a teaspoon of honey and and some salt and pepper to taste. Mix through the chopped vegetables

Once the halloumi is golden, chop and top on the salad for minimum knife and fork work. In the same pan, whack the heat on full and quickly fry your safe. Sprinkle over your salad and add an extra drizzle of olive oil for good measure.