an apology and a salad

I'm sorry! I know! A number of factors have lead to my recent lack of loving here, the most recent being my severed laptop cord. I'm working on it, and in the meantime I'm resourcefully sneaking this post to keep you reading. I'm feeling decidedly un-festive, especially since we've kind of already had early family christmas (which was lovely). I am however looking forward to my impending month in South East Asia - I leave on the 28th of December and have already locked in a cooking course in Chiang Mai. The smell of freedom is intoxicating, and I'm trying really hard to hold it together until I depart.

This weekend was a heedy mix of heightened emotions, tanqueray, gossip and a roaring success of a barbecue-turned-party, which in turn was topped off with friends, malaysian takeaways and scandal. I'm still recovering and am desperate to blog all about it, and I will! While I wait patiently for my lunchbreak, and therefore hopefully a new power cord, I will share with you my summer barbecue staple salad. Thanks to my friend Claire for sharing her Mum's recipe. It's ridonkulously easy as well as being everything a salad should be - tasty, fresh and simple. I advise, if you're taking this offsite, that you assemble it at your venue. Unless you'd like to say 'merry christmas' by spilling beetroot all over your car. Or your top. Enjoy.

The perfect barbecue salad

Fresh green beans
A tin of whole baby beetroot
Fresh mint
Feta Cheese

Cook beans. DO NOT OVERCOOK. This is very important. You want your beans to retain enough crunch to offset the softness of the beetroot. They should only take about 5 minutes in rapidly boiling, and slightly salted water. Drain beans. Drain beetroot. Put both in a bowl. Finely chop fresh mint. Stir through the beets and beans. Crumble feta over salad. Put it on the table of food and watch the punters dig in.

Watch this space..! x