I love farmers’ markets. This salad was an amalgam of some of the best things I found in my shopping bag following my last trip.

Ready

• 1 beet per person
• Wild rocket
• Goats cheese (a crumbly variety)
• Fresh walnuts
• Walnut oil
• 1 lemon
• Honey
• Salt and pepper

Set

• Salad bowl
• Bowl for mixing dressing
• Whisk

Go

1. Prepare the beets however you like. (In this instance I peeled mine, halved them and steamed for about 20 minutes.)
2. Let them cool.
3. Make the dressing by whisking a tablespoon or so of the walnut oil with some lemon juice. You have to taste it constantly to get the balance right. Add a little honey if you want to sweeten it a little. Season with salt (pepper as well if you like but bear in mind your rocket could provide sufficient pepperiness).
4. Place the rocket in a bowl, crumble some cheese and walnuts over it and dress.
5. Add the beets either in a decorative way or just tossed in.

What you should know

Walnut oil is powerful stuff. Play around with the flavour of the dressing before committing it to the salad. You may want to dilute with a little olive oil. I also found some rocket flowers at the farmers’ market (delicate stems covered in white flowers that have that distinctive rocket flavour). It certainly added an attractiveness to the dish.