After a trip to Los Angeles, we noticed that mom was serving a salad on a plate that looked remarkably similar to one we'd had at our hotel. We remembered that she'd admired the fancy flower-printed plate. When we asked her how she'd found something so similar in London, she replied in her mischievous way, "They won't miss it."

Serves: 8–10

Ingredients

400g strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced

200g bag of spinach (more if you like), washed and drained

250g button or baby chestnut mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced

50g flaked almonds

25g sunflower seeds

Dressing

50g blue cheese, crumbled, or 50g Parmesan cheese, grated

200ml soured cream

1 heaped tsp black pepper

1 heaped tsp salt

100ml mayonnaise

3 tbsp sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove, crushed

Method

● Put the strawberries and spinach leaves in a large bowl and toss them together, being careful not to damage the berries.

● Add the sliced mushrooms.

● Toast the almonds in a dry pan over a medium heat for a minute until they smell lovely and turn golden – take care not to let them burn.

● Leave them to cool, then add to the salad with the sunflower seeds.

● Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together – blue cheese gives a good strong flavour but use Parmesan if you prefer something milder.

● Drizzle some dressing over the salad, then serve the rest on the side.

The Social Kitchen 

First published in the JC May 19 2016