Allotment Garden Salad

For me, the word ‘allotment’ captures the strong will of mankind to lovingly grow produce on a special piece of ground alongside like-minded collegues. We all love the idea of growing what we eat. 

Ingredients Serves 6 
12 sticks of Asparagus 
12 Baby Carrots, trimmed 
1 bunch of Baby Beets, trimmed and halved 
1 bunch of Heritage Radishes, trimmed and halved 
250g punnet mixed Cherry Tomatoes, halved 
300g Sourdough Bread, cut into rough croûtes and dried out in the oven 
A drizzle of Rapeseed Oil
Juice of a Lemon
Salt and Pepper 
6 large Hen or Duck Eggs 
1 tbsp Vinegar

Method 
• Prepare a large pot of simmering, lightly salted water and a separate bowl of iced water.

• Blanch the asparagus for 5 minutes, then lift out of the water with a long-handled sieve and plunge into the ice.

• Repeat with the baby carrots.

• Do the same with the beets – although these will take longer to cook. Allow 20 minutes and check them before transferring them to the ice.

• Drain all the cooked vegetables and lay them out with the raw radishes and tomatoes.

• Now build your salads. This is what will make the big difference. If you just toss the vegetables together they will never look quite right. Take the trouble to add each, one at a time, to achieve a seemingly ‘random’ arrangement.

• Finish with a scattering of the sourdough croûtes and  dress with rapeseed oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

• Renew the simmering water before poaching the eggs. Add the vinegar to the water to help set the whites.

• Break each egg into a cup then stir the simmering water before smoothly pour in the eggs. Cook for 3 minutes, then gently lift out onto kitchen paper.

• Place the poached eggs onto the salad while still warm, add a grind of pepper and serve immediately.