Gone are the days when a salad was three lettuce leaves, three slices of tasteless tomatoes and three slices of cucumber, made infinitely more bearable with a generous dollop of that famous ‘variety’ of salad cream. These days we are all open to all sorts of flavours and combinations, the more exotic the better.

The bounty of a Scottish summer has spilled into the shops. We can choose local fruits, raspberries, strawberries, broad beans, peas and glorious bunces of beetroots, all from our own doorstep. Random bags of produce appear on my doorstep from friendly neighbours with gardens and allotments. I have found figs, bags of courgette flowers, bulging marrows and even whole tray of delicious, sweet black grapes.

To prevent even switching the cooker on, I make veg drawer salads throwing together everything I have bought or found. The great advantage is that salads like this can easily change to suit all preferences…take out any meat or cheese for a vegan option, add in chunks of Polish sausage or Spanish Chirizio for the carnivores. Anything goes, and its all delicious.

Ingredients:

½ red onion peeled and finely chopped

4 handfuls fresh broad beans

8 ripe tomatoes, Ayrshire tomatoes are delicious now

4 -6 ripe apricots

Radicchio salad leaves, rinsed and chopped

8 slices pickled beetroots, cubed

4 bocconcini mozzarella

Dressing:

3 tablespoonfuls extra virgin olive oil

5-6 sprigs lemon thyme

juice and zest of half an unwaxed lemon

handful walnuts, crushed

sea salt and black pepper

Method:

Soak the chopped onion in water for 10 minutes to soften its flavour.

Pod the beans, and then carefully split the pods to release the small green beans inside. A bit of a faff but worth the bother.

Trim the tomatoes and cut into eighths.

Stone the apricots and cut into quarters.

Add all these ingredients into a large bowl with the chopped radicchio leaves.

Scatter the chopped beetroot and toss everything together.

Make the dressing by whisking together the olive, thyme leaves stripped from the stalks, lemon and lemon zest and crushed walnuts.

Season to taste.

Add the dressing to the salad and use clean hands to coat everything well.

Check seasoning. Complete the salad by tearing over the soft mozzarella and drizzling with some more extra virgin love oil.

VEGAN CHOICE

Omit the mozzarella and add 2 courgettes cut into cubes instead.

MEAT EATER’S CHOICE

Add half a spicy cured Spanish chorizo or Italian sausage, skinned, and cut into thin slices; there will be no complaints I assure you!

Mary Contini OBE is a writer and Director of Valvona & Crolla ltd. We are happy to welcome you in our CaffèBar and shop again, open all day. Book and order online: www. valvonacrolla.com Follow us on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. www.richardsonsofwhitehaven.co.uk