Sensational seasonal salad

Here is a list of possible salad ingredients.  They have been ordered according to the season when they are predominantly ready to eat, if they are grown in the UK. 

Select ingredients for  the season you are currently experiencing.  You may also wish to use ingredients from the ‘Other ingredients’ section. 

Spring: boiled new potatoes, cold and chopped into small cubes; spring onions, chopped finely; cos lettuce or spinach, shredded; peas;

Summer: courgette, chopped or grated; tomato, chopped; cooked beetroot, chopped; onion, finely chopped;

Autumn: carrot, peeled and grated; cucumber, chopped; plums, sliced; sweetcorn;

Winter: pear, chopped; apple, chopped (splash with orange juice to stop browning); red cabbage, shredded; celery, chopped.

Other ingredients: Olives, peppers, canned fruit, canned beans, cheese, hard boiled eggs, cooked meat, cooked pasta, cooked rice.

Dressings: Low fat plain yogurt, low fat mayonnaise, low fat dressing, lemon or lime juice, a dash of vinegar, herbs, e.g. mint, basil, coriander, chives, parsley.

Vegetable knife, chopping board, small bowls, spoons for serving and mixing.

1. Choose and prepare the ingredients and place each one in a separate, small bowl.
2. Put together a small salad by choosing four ingredients – two or more of the ingredients should be seasonal the rest can be from the ‘Other ingredients’ list.
3. Place the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir them.
4. Add a little dressing, yogurt or mayonnaise and some herbs.
5. Stir together and serve.

• What about spring minty pea and potato salad? New potatoes, peas, spring onions and mint with a little low fat mayonnaise.
• What about a red summer salsa? Chopped tomatoes, beetroot and red onion with a sprinkle of chives or some torn basil.
• What about an all seasons green salad? Choose one or two green coloured ingredients from each season and mix them together.

Why not use the Explore Food calculator, the British Nutrition Foundation's free online nutritional analysis programme, to calculate the nutritional information for this and other Food - a fact of life recipes?