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Blue cheese and flower salad with honeyed walnuts
Serves 6 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 60g walnut pieces
- 11⁄4tbsp honey
- 600g salad leaves – mostly gentle, such as butterhead or cos (around 400g), with some stronger, more herbal leaves such as rocket or mizuna (around 200g)
- 250g blue cheese, such as Stilton, Roquefort or Beenleigh Blue, roughly crumbled or cut into pieces
- blue flowers – perhaps 12 borage flowers, 4 chive heads (petals pulled apart), 6-12 violas
For the honey dressing
- 2tbsp honey (a light one such as wildflower, acacia or orange blossom is best)
- 1⁄4 garlic clove, finely chopped, plus the rest of the clove to rub on bread
- 11⁄2-2tsp fruit or cider vinegar
- 6tbsp mild olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4. To make the dressing, put the honey in a small bowl, add the garlic and vinegar and season with a pinch of salt (the cheese is salty, so you don’t need too much). Stir to dissolve the honey, then pour in the oil and whisk together. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Put the walnut pieces on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Toast in the oven for 5 minutes, or until lightly crisp. Drizzle over the honey and turn over using 2 teaspoons to coat the nuts in the honey. Return to the oven for 2 minutes, taking care they do not toast too much and become bitter. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Shortly before you want to eat, wash and dry the salad leaves and put in a large bowl. Re-whisk the dressing and pour it over the leaves. Mix carefully and gently with your hands. Place on 6 plates and scatter over the cheese. Arrange the flowers and honeyed walnuts on top.
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