Allegra McEvedy’s barley bits salad with honeyed goat’s cheese toast

Serves 4-6 Starters and mains

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Method

Place the barley (or spelt) into a large pan, pour over the cold stock, bring to the boil over a medium heat, then simmer gently for about half an hour. When you can see the barley through the liquid, put a lid on it and turn the heat right down – the idea is that the grains absorb all the flavour of the stock. (If the barley is cooked but there is still some liquid left, boil it hard for a few minutes until it’s all gone, taking care not to let the barley catch on the bottom of the pan.) Once the barley is cooked, stir in half of the garlic paste, then season well and spread out on a plate to cool.

Rinse out the pan, fill with salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Add all your vegetables, cover and prepare a bowl of very cold water, preferably iced. As soon as the pan comes back to the boil, strain the vegetables and tip them into the cold water (this keeps them green and stops them cooking, which is essential for this superfresh and crunchy salad). Once the veg is cool, drain.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Divide the goat’s cheese among the slices of bread, then drizzle with the honey – about ½tsp on each. Lay the bread on a foil-lined baking tray and bake in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. The toasts will smell fantastic when they are ready as the cheese will have melted and the honey caramelised.

Rustle up the dressing with the juice of half the lemon. Whisk in the olive oil, stir in the remaining garlic paste and finish with the chopped herbs. In a big bowl, mix together the barley and vegetables with the dressing and some seasoning, then taste. You want this one to be dressed pretty sharply to play with the honey.

Cut the remaining lemon half into wedges and serve up the salad with these and the goat’s cheese toasts.