There’s no reason that summer entertaining should involve more than drizzling the freshest produce with a bit of good oil and vinegar. In Great Salads, River Cottage chef Gelf Alderson shares his own moreish, elevated takes on the above—ones that will both impress guests and become lunchbox staples. Read on for three of Vogue’s favorite recipes from the newly published cookbook.
Fennel, Celery & Apple With Creamy Almond Dressing
Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a side
This salad is all about the crisp crunch of the fennel and celery, and the way these big bold flavors are tamed by the creamy almond dressing. Delicious on its own, it’s also a lovely accompaniment to grilled fish. The dressing goes with almost anything and keeps in the fridge for a week so I often make a double batch. Try dunking lettuce leaves into it… delicious.
- 50g almonds (skin on), roughly chopped
- 2 crisp eating apples, such as Gala or Cox
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 5 celery sticks
- A handful of pea shoots (about 40g)
- 100g almonds (skin on)
- 150ml almond milk or water
- 1 orange
- 60ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30ml cider vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, peeled
- Sea salt and black pepper
First make the dressing, a day ahead if you can. Put the almonds into a bowl, pour on the almond milk or water, cover and leave to soak overnight. (Or put the almonds in a pan with the liquid, cover and place over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes to slightly soften them, then leave to cool.)
Cut a thin slice from the top and bottom of the orange, then stand it on a board and slice off the skin and white pith. Cut the orange segments out from between the membranes, remove any pips, then place in a jug blender.
Add the olive oil, cider vinegar, garlic and softened almonds to the blender along with any remaining soaking liquor. Blitz to form a smooth dressing. If it’s a little too thick, add almond milk or water 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Place a frying pan over a medium heat, add the chopped almonds and heat, stirring occasionally, until they start to take on some color and release their nutty aroma. Tip onto a plate and allow to cool.
Quarter, core and dice the apples into very small cubes and place in a large bowl. Quarter the fennel bulbs, cut into 5mm thick slices and add to the bowl. Finely slice the celery into 5mm slices and add these too. Add half of the pea shoots to the salad, then trickle over the dressing and toss until all the veg are nicely coated.
Transfer the salad to a serving platter and scatter over the remaining pea shoots and toasted almonds to serve.
Carrot, Cabbage, Ginger & Chilli Slaw
Serves 4 to 6 as a side
This was first made for one of our staff summer parties almost a decade ago. It was such a big hit that it went on our menus shortly after and has remained there ever since. It’s perfect for a summer lunch, or to roll out once the barbecue is fired up, but its accessible ingredients, chili warmth and aromatic dressing make it a great year-round salad.
- ¼ red cabbage
- ¼ white cabbage
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium-hot or mild chili, to taste, deseeded and finely sliced
- A small bunch of chives, chopped
- 10g sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 25g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime
Remove the hard stem base from both cabbage quarters, along with the outer leaf if it is limp or discolored. Finely slice the cabbages from the pointed end down to the stem base. Put the shredded cabbage into a large bowl.
Peel and coarsely grate the carrot and add to the bowl with the sliced chili, chives, and sesame seeds. Tumble everything together.
To make the dressing, put all the ingredients into a small bowl and stir to combine. Add the dressing to the veg, mix together, then allow the salad to sit for 5 minutes. Toss the salad once more before serving.
Spiced Spelt Salad With Apple And Limes
Serves 4 as a main
This was inspired by a lunch concocted from some leftover takeaway biryani! I added some lettuce, apples and a squeeze of lime to freshen it up and the result was surprisingly light and pleasing. For this version I’m using spelt, as it has a great texture and the grains don’t stick together in the same way that rice does.
- 200g pearled spelt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 25g fresh ginger, cut into slices
- 1 red chilli, halved lengthways
- 2 tsp good-quality medium-heat curry powder
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 2 limes
- 2 eating apples, such as Gala or Cox
- 2 tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
- A small bunch of coriander (30g), leaves picked
- 2 sprigs of mint, leaves picked and roughly torn
- 50g lamb’s lettuce or Lollo Rosso
- Sea salt and black pepper
Put the spelt into a large saucepan with the cinnamon, ginger, chili, curry powder and garam masala. Add the juice of ½ lime and toss in the squeezed half-lime shell as well. Pour on enough water to cover the spelt by about 5cm. (You can always top it up halfway through cooking if necessary.) Bring to a simmer and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the spelt is just cooking.
Drain the spelt in a sieve, picking out and discarding the cinnamon, ginger, chili and lime shell. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
Squeeze the juice from the remaining 1 and ½ limes. Quarter, core and chop the apples into roughly 1cm cubes and place in a large bowl with the spelt. Add the lime juice and rapeseed oil, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
Transfer the spelt mix to a platter and scatter over the coriander, mint and lamb's lettuce. Toss lightly and serve.
Swaps: Try using pearled barley or brown rice in place of the spelt, adjusting the cooking times accordingly. The salad is also delicious if you use olive green or Puy lentils in place of spelt.