This recipe is for a sort of contradiction in terms – an interesting and original green salad! It’s very good in its own right – the sugar snap peas and the seeds give crunch and texture, while the yoghurt and avocado give rich, creamy undertones, and the cheese a light saltiness and zing.

But as the basis to a main course salad using leftovers it is second to none.

I added some leftover Ukrainian Vampire chicken and the Basmati which went with it and the Saucy Dressings’ Chief Taster remarked that it was one of my ‘best salads for a long time’, an opinion seconded by the SD Chief Correspondent.

But it is equally good with slivers of cold rare roast beef and chopped and fried at a high temperature roast potatoes.

And it’s also good with sea bass and cold, chopped pasta.

Recipe for blank canvas two peas and pumpkin seed salad

For 3-4

Ingredients

• 160g sugar snap peas
• 150g/1½ cups frozen peas
• 2 little gem lettuces
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds, or mixed munchy seeds
• 1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
• 4 tbsp grated cheese
• 120ml/½ cup yoghurt
• 120ml/½ cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper – nb – this salad needs a lot of salt – a generous sprinkling of Maldon would be good.

Method

1. Boil a kettle and pour the contents into a saucepan along with the two types of peas.
2. Boil for two minutes then drain and refresh under cold running water
3. Slice the two baby gem vertically, each into eight
4. Mix all ingredients together in a big wooden salad bowl