Fresh and Zesty: Try our tantalising Orzo Pasta Salad with Zucchini, Feta, Lemon, and Green Herbs! 🌿🥒🍋

This nutty barley salad served with salmon, grapefruit, almonds and green herbs is packed with goodness and flavour.

Barley is such an under-rated grain these days. It was actually the most popular grain for centuries in the Mediterranean region, from where it spread to Northern Europe, Asia and beyond. Barley is low in gluten (but not suitable for coeliacs) and high in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

This salad has lots of good fats and proteins from the salmon and almonds, anti-oxidant leafy green herbs not to mention the extra Vitamin C from the grapefruit.

This grilled radicchio salad is bursting with flavours and works wonderfully as a winter starter. I usually make this radicchio recipe with 'gorgonzola piccante' but I had an excess of English stilton after Christmas which works equally well.

The unassuming purple and white radicchio is high in fibre, low in calories, and a great source of potassium.  I love raw spicy bitter radicchio in salads but radicchio truly shines when it is cooked. I roast, bbq, grill, and even stirfry radicchio. Griddling radicchio in this winter salad recipe will mellow it and bring out a sweet nutty aroma flavour that contrasts with the sharp blue cheese.

I love pomegranates so much that I regularly make this double pomegranate salad. It has both fresh zingy pomegranate seeds and the tangy-sweet unctuous pomegranate molasses in the dressing. If you have prepared pomegranate seeds, then this superfood salad can be ready in fifteen minutes. I serve this pomegranate salad as a side with grilled lamb or with extra feta as a stand-alone salad bowl for lunch. It is loosely inspired by the Persian Shirazi salad, which is popular in Iran.

This is such a simple but beautiful salad. I love the combination of tart goat cheese with sweet honey and succulent grilled peaches. I added some pomegranate seeds for zing and pistachios for crunch, although almonds work equally as well. This is a delicious starter or lunch that goes well with a glass of rose, those from Domaines Ott being my favourites.