Pear Hazelnut & Goats Cheese Salad

This salad makes an ideal packed lunch or spring picnic addition. An under-ripe pear is perfectly ok for this recipe. If you slice it finely, it will have softened by the time you want to eat it. Cress adds lots of peppery flavour and is so cheap to buy or easy to grow.

If you struggle with digestion, pears can be a great addition to your diet. They are high in the soluble fibre pectin which binds to toxins and other waste products and helps to sooth and cleanse your colon. Don’t peel your pear as the skin is richer in pectin and health promoting phytonutrients than the flesh.

Makes 1 serving

25g/1oz hazelnuts (walnuts also work well)

handful of mixed salad leaves or rocket

1 ripe or nearly ripe red or green pear, sliced thinly (no need to peel)

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp white wine or cider vinegar

50g/2oz Wobbly Bottom soft goats’ cheese

1 tbsp cress

Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt

1. Put the hazelnuts in a non-stick pan over a low heat, and cook for about 5 minutes until they start to turn golden brown. (It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have time to do this).
2. Put the salad leaves and pear slices in a bowl. Add the oil and vinegar and plenty of pepper and salt. Mix well to coat the leaves and pear.
3. Tear the goats’ cheese into pieces, then add to the salad along with the hazelnuts and cress and mix carefully. Add more pepper and salt. Serve straight away or put the salad in a sealable container and keep cold until ready to eat.