Pear, celery & blue cheese salad

Sweet ripe pear, crisp celery and tangy vegetarian blue cheese make a quick salad with enough contrast to serve as a light lunch or starter.

Ingredients

• 2 medium Ripe but firm pears
• 3 sticks, about 150g Celery
• 100g Salad leaves (lettuce)
• 100g, crumbled Vegetarian blue cheese
• 50g, roughly broken Walnuts
• 1 tbsp juice Lemon
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 tsp Cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp Fine salt
• 1/8 tsp Black pepper

Method

1. Toast the walnuts in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring often, until lightly golden and fragrant. Tip them onto a plate to cool.
2. Wash and dry the salad leaves. Trim the celery and slice it diagonally into thin pieces. Core the pears and cut them into thin wedges just before assembling.
3. Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper in a large bowl until emulsified.
4. Add the salad leaves and celery to the bowl and turn gently through the dressing. Arrange on a platter.
5. Lay the pear slices over the leaves, crumble the vegetarian blue cheese across the top and scatter over the toasted walnuts.
6. Serve immediately while the celery is crisp and the pear has not browned.

Allotment tip
Choose a vegetarian blue cheese made with non-animal rennet; the label should state that it is suitable for vegetarians.