Serves 4 (easily halved)

Takes 20 minutes, no cooking

 

400g ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced, room temperature

 

½ a red onion, or an eschalion shallot, thinly sliced into rings

​

1 cucumber, peeled, halved, deseeded and sliced

​

A good handful pitted salted black olives (the dry type)

​

3 tbsp ready-made balsamic vinegar dressing

​

A good handful fresh mint, leaves picked

​

200g feta (barrel-aged is worth it), drained

​

 

1 In a large bowl, toss the strawberries, onion or shallot and cucumber. Tear in the olives. Toss with 2 tbsp of the dressing, then set aside for 10 minutes to let the flavours mingle. 

 

2 Roughly tear in the mint leaves and fold them through the salad. Top with the feta, cut into slabs. Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the cheese and salad before eating. 

 

Jane’s tip

​

You can whisk up your own balsamic dressing if you prefer. Put 2 tbsp olive oil into a small bowl, add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, plus some salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Whisk together until emulsified. Add a pinch of sugar or a drop of honey or maple syrup to balance the flavour if needed. 

​

​

Credits: Jane Hornby, adapted from a recipe written for Waitrose Beautifully Simple recipe cards. Photo: Jane Hornby