Strawberry, broad bean and feta salad

This is so simple it’s hardly a recipe, but the sharp cheese, sweet berries and creamy, nuttiness of the broad beans combine into something brilliantly delicious. I’m a big advocate of fruit is salads, I don’t think they should just be saved for dessert when their sweetness can work so well in savoury dishes.

I’ve used feta and mint here but this is also great with a soft or crumbly goat’s cheese and/or basil leaves later in the season.

Serves 4 as a starter or a side (or 2 people for a main)

300g broad beans, weighed in their pods
75g salad leaves, larger leaves torn into bite-size pieces
200g ripe strawberries, hulled and cut into quarters (or smaller if the berries are very big)
100g feta, crumbled or 100g soft goat’s cheese
10g mint leaves, picked off their stems and finely sliced into long, thin strips
A handful of toasted seeds or hazlenuts (optional)

For the dressing:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper

Remove the broad beans from their pods. Bring a pan of water to a simmer, add the broad beans and simmer for two minutes. Strain the beans and cool under cold, running water. Peel the broad beans by pinching the skins at the bottom of bean, the bean should easily slip out of the skin.

 Make the dressing by combining the oil and vinegar in a small jar, add the seasoning and shake well.

Put the salad leaves in a large serving bowl, add half the dressing and toss the leaves until they glisten. Sprinkle over the strawberries, peeled broad beans and feta (or goat’s cheese). Drizzle over the remaining dressing. Scatter over the sliced mint and toasted nuts or seeds (if using). Enjoy!