I am feeling gluttonous after a weekend of over indulgence and so I opt for one of my favourite salads. This is one that really packs a punch. It is at its best when the courgettes and chicken are barbecued after steeping in the marinade but the weather appears to be against me (I popped into the local shop for another ‘self-lighting tray’ on the way home).

We wait for the thunder-shower to pass and head outside – hurrah! The grilled bits are tossed together with some torn mozzarella and sunblush tomatoes which I feel are simply delicious even if they are seriously out of fashion. The salad is then drizzled with the dressing which has become more of a thick sauce over the years – almost like a salsa verde. As I am chopping the herbs for the dressing it reminds me that basil must be one of my favourite herbs; there is nothing like that sweet, heady fragrance wafting around in the summer kitchen and basil and mint are such a vibrant combination.

I should definitely mention that the honey in the dressing was given to me by my flatmate; bought on a recent trip to Rhodes. Apparently the bees there collect their pollen from thyme fields and other such herby pastures and the result is fragrant, perfumed amber nectar. I beg you to buy some if you ever come across it.

A Summer Salad

2 small courgettes, cut diagonally into slices
2 corn fed chicken breasts, in bite size chunks
1 handful sunblush tomatoes in oil
1 large mozzarella ball
1 small handful caper berries
1 small handful mint leaves, shredded
1 small handful basil leaves, shredded
2 fat cloves garlic
sea salt
pepper
mustard powder
Juice of ½ large lemon
red wine vinegar
Extra virgin olive oil
Honey

- Pound the garlic together with a good pinch of the trusty Maldon in your pestle and mortar. Add 1/3 teaspoon mustard powder and a good grind of black pepper and work it in.
- Add the lemon juice and a tablespoon of honey and whisk it in to emulsify.
- Add olive oil to your taste. At this point I tasted it and decided that I would add just a few drops of red wine vinegar. This may seem a bit silly but I felt that it really made a difference
- Add enough olive oil to reach your desired consistency.
- Add around 1/3 of the dressing to the chicken and courgettes and allow to marinate for around ½ an hour. After this time, cook them on the barbecue.
- Arrange all the salad ingredients apart from the dressing on plates, mix some sliced caper berries and the herbs with the remaining dressing and drizzle over.

We eat and muse about how we can never ever eat this again unless we cook it on a barbecue…..