Plum, tomato, beetroot, red onion and mint salad

This lovely raw salad has the most wonderful balance of flavour, texture and colour, and if you get your timings right everything can come from the garden.

Try and find nice small beetroot as they’ll be sweet and tender and don’t hold back on the olive oil and seasoning. It really brings this salad together.

Serves 4

Ingredients

- 6–8 Plums
- 400g (14oz) tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, finely sliced
- 2 – 3 small beetroot scrubbed
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1⁄2 red chilli, deseeded and thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 small handful of mint, leaves picked and cut into fine ribbons
- A scattering of fennel seeds if you have them to hand
- A handful of fresh rocket leaves
- 1 handful of parsley leaves chopped
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Cut the tomatoes up into bites sized pieces and pop them into a large bowl.

Use a sharp paring knife to halve the plums and remove the stones. 
If they are stubborn, use the tip of the knife to tease them out. Slice the plum halves into wedges and add them to the tomatoes. Trim the beetroot and slice them into nice thin rounds, no thicker than a 50 pence piece.

Now add the sliced onion, olive oil, vinegar and plenty of seasoning, and tumble everything together again and season once more with salt and pepper. Add the mint and parsley and turn again.

Divide the salad between four serving plates, or spoon it out onto one large platter. Scatter over the rocket leaves and bring to the table.