Watermelon, Feta and Pomegranate salad

This summer salad just screams: " Eat me now!" If you don't have a sweet and firm watermelon though, don't bother.

Watermelon, feta and pomegranate salad with balsamic dressing

For the salad:

• ¼ big watermelon, sliced in triangles and pips removed ( what a treat)
• 50g good quality feta, sliced
• ½ pomegranate
• Handful of mint, chiffonaded ( rolled up and thinly sliced)  
• 40g rocket
• 3 radishes, thinly sliced
• Maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the dressing:

• 35 ml good balsamic vinegar
• 5ml Dijon mustard
• 60ml extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

1. Here’s the easy way to get pips out of a pomegranate: slice it in half vertically and remove as much of the white membrane as you can see. Now turn it upside down in your hand, with the fleshy side facing your cupped palm. Now tap it sharply with the back of a heavy knife or a good wooden spoon. The pips will fall out into your palm. You might have to stop every now and then to remove a little more membrane.
2. Arrange the watermelon on a platter and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, radish slices and mint. Top with rocket ( dress it in a little olive oil first)
3. Sprinkle Maldon salt over a give a good grind of black pepper.
4. For the dressing, whisk together the balsamic vinegar and mustard then gradually add the olive oil. Season to taste and drizzle a little over the salad, serving the remainder on the side. 

Summer you beauty

View from the cliff path

Summer days like these are for bikinis and dresses and shorts. For large hats and the smell of sunscreen. For soft serve ice- cream and cold beers.  For sitting on my favourite bench on the cliff path and watching the fishermen. And for crunchy Chicken salad.

My crunchy Chicken salad

Serves four

Vinaigrette:

• 7ml wholegrain mustard
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 10ml clear honey
• 150ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Salad:

• 400g skinless chicken breast fillets ( free range, happy(ier) chickens taste nicer)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 30ml olive oil
• small bunch of dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cucumber, cut into big dice
• 250g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 200g mange toute, sliced
• 100g fine green beans, blanched and cut in 2cm pieces
• 100g asparagus, blanched and cut into 2 cm strips
• 50- 80g feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
• 100g rocket, or cos lettuce (or both) dressed with a little olive oil
• Maldon salt and black pepper

Grill those little chicks. 

1. Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and honey. Add the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Season the chicken breasts and marinade in mixture of lemon juice, olive oil and dill for thirty minutes.
3. Heat up a grill pan until smoking hot and grill the fillets on each side for a minute or two, to make those pretty lines. Usually, colour is flavour.
4. Pour a little of the dressing over the chicken, and place in a 180 C oven for 6 minutes.
5. Allow to cool. Combine with other ingredients and season with Maldon salt and black pepper. Serve remaining dressing alongside.