These days, salads are becoming very popular and often appear with the main courses on restaurant menus. They are a far cry from the days when my mother use to take a large platter and put a pile of lettuce in the middle and then surrounded it with sliced cumber and tomato! We use to eat it with thick pieces of ham that we drenched in commercial salad cream. Now they are much more sophisticated with the mixed ingredients are piled high and covered in a dressing

WARM SALAD

This is a basic plated salad that can be made with any ingredients you like. In the past I have used slivers of liver, chicken, ham etc, but what I especially like about this salad is it’s served warm.

Ingredients

A selection of lettuce leaves.

8oz thick rashers streaky bacon

2oz mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon oil

2 slices fried bread or well-done toast for croutons

1 small onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons vinegar

Salt and black pepper

1. Pile the serving dish with the lettuce leaves.

2. Cut the bacon into small pieces and cube the bread into bite sizes.

3. Heat the oil in a large pan, and cook the chunks of bacon. Add the onion, sliced mushrooms and the parsley, and season well.

4. Add the croutons, and then sprinkle the contents of the pan over the lettuce.

5. Make a salad dressing by pouring the vinegar into the pan and mixing with the bacon juices. (Deglazing); pour this over the salad. Serve at once.

JOHNNIE’S COLESLAW

Johnnie is noted for his coleslaw and he takes huge bowlfuls to various functions! He uses half a white cabbage and thus his quantity is a far cry from the little tubs bought from shops. It will keep for a few days if stored in the fridge.

Johnnie uses a mandolin cutter which makes it a lot easier.

Ingredients

Half a white cabbage

1 fat carrot, peeled

1 red onion, peeled

1 red apple, cored

Salt and black pepper

4 dessertspoons mayonnaise

3 tablespoons raisins

1. Slice the cabbage finely and put in a large mixing bowl. Grate (or shred with a mandolin) the carrot, onion and apple, leaving the skin on for colour. Season to taste.

2. Add the mayonnaise and mix well together. (I use dessertspoons here because they fit into mayonnaise jars and tablespoons don’t.) Mix in the raisins.

3. Allow to stand for at least two to three hours before serving. I find it tastes even better if made the day before and kept in the fridge overnight.

GREEK SALAD

This is another popular salad in our house as we serve it accompanying thick slices of ham, chicken portions and other items that have been cooked on the barbeque. I sometimes cheat if I haven’t any feta cheese and use small cubes of tasty cheddar or even stilton which makes it into a more substantial meal.

Ingredients

1 cucumber

3 or 4 ripe tomatoes

1 medium onion

Half a green pepper (deseeded) thinly sliced

6 to 8 black olives

4oz feta cheese

Salt and black pepper

Sprinkling of thyme and oregano

Olive oil

Wine vinegar

1. Peel and slice the cucumber and place over the base of a large bowl.

2. Roughly chop the tomatoes and spread out on top.

3. Slice the onion very thinly; break into strips and sprinkle over the top with the pepper.

4. Cut the feta cheese into thin slices and spread out over the top.

5. Sprinkle the herbs over the salad, and garnish with the olives (pitted if you prefer, although this is not authentic).

6. Season with the salt and pepper and a generous amount of olive oil and a little vinegar.

MY SALAD NIÇOISE

This is a very traditional salad and worth making while we have fresh beans in the garden.

Ingredients

8oz whole young French beans

3 tomatoes, quartered

1 small onion, sliced into rings

Half a green pepper, deseeded and sliced

1 lettuce, chopped

1fl oz wine vinegar

3fl oz olive oil

7oz (198g) can tuna fish in oil

8 anchovy fillets

6 black olives, pitted

2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered

Salt and black pepper

Decoration: A few slices of tomato

1. Cook the topped and tailed French beans for six minutes and let them cool.

2. Place the shredded lettuce leaves and beans in a bowl. Shake the oil and vinegar together in a jar to make vinaigrette, and toss the salad in it.

3. Drain the tuna fish and chop into chunks. Slice the anchovy fillets. Add both to the lettuce.

4. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl with the exception of a few tomato slices and the eggs.

6. Decorate the whole with the tomato slices and the egg quarters.

CHICKEN, ORANGE AND BANANA SALAD

This salad can be made any time of the year and is especially good at Christmas when you can use cooked turkey instead of chicken. It’s one of my favourite so keeps popping up in this house.

Ingredients

6 to 8 oz cooked lean chicken

4 oz long grain rice

1 teaspoon dried tarragon

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar

1 tablespoon oil

Half a teaspoon French mustard

A few lettuce leaves

1 banana

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 orange

1. Cook the rice making sure it’s not overcooked then wash it in cold water, drain well, and allow it to get go cold before using it.

2. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and mix with the mayonnaise.

3. Slice the banana. Peel the orange, break it into segments and then chop into chunks. Stir into the rice.

4. Mix the vinegar, oil and mustard together in a small jar. Pour over the rice mixture, giving it a good stir.

5. Line a serving dish with some of the lettuce leaves and pile on the rice mixture. Place the chicken on top of the rice. Decorate with the remaining lettuce leaves.