As soon as summer looms, those party invitations start plopping through the door. Suddenly you’re expected to look bronzed, healthy and slim while holding a glass of fizz and not dropping your canapés.

This is where the gift of salad comes in. Alice Storey, who compiled the book 200 Super Salads, says that even the smallest supermarket offers an extraordinary range of lettuces and salad mixes, from baby spinach and beetroot to radicchio and rocket.

The key is to choose your ingredients carefully and create the right balance of flavours and textures. Alice also emphasises the importance of using good-quality ingredients. “When you are simply drizzling olive oil over salads, particular ones that contain tomatoes, use the finest extra-virgin oil that you can find.”

Here are some basic salad recipes to get you started...



Chop Salad - Serves 4

• 1 iceberg lettuce
• 410g red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 avocado, peeled, stoned and diced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
• 1 jalapeno chilli (optional), finely sliced
• Corn chips, to garnish
• Sour cream (optional), to serve
• For the dressing: Juice of 1½ limes
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Cut lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put in a large salad bowl. Add the beans, avocado, tomatoes and onion with coriander and chilli (if used). Mix ingredients together.

Whisk together the lime juice and oil. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and mix lightly to combine. Garnish with lightly crushed corn chips and serve with sour cream.



Potato Salad - Serves 4-6

• 1kg new potatoes
• 125g smoked streaky bacon
• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 6 spring onions
• 175ml mayonnaise
• Salt and pepper

Halve potatoes and cook in lightly salted boiling water until tender. Rinse under cold water and leave to cool. Meanwhile, slice bacon into thin strips. Heat oil in a frying pan and cook bacon until golden, drain on kitchen paper and allow to cool. Finely slice spring onions, reserving some for garnish. Put the potatoes, spring onions and bacon in a large salad bowl. Gently stir in the mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt and pepper, garnish with the reserved spring onions and serve.



Greek Salad - Serves 2

• ½ cucumber
• 4 plum tomatoes
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• ½ red onion
• 60g pitted olives
• 50g feta cheese, diced
• For the dressing: 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt and pepper

Cut the cucumber and tomatoes into 1-2cm chunks and put them in a large salad bowl. Cut the pepper flesh into thin strips and put them in the bowl with the cucumbers and tomatoes. Finely slice the red onion and add to the bowl with the olives.

Make the dressing by whisking the oil and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss carefully. Transfer to serving bowls, scatter some feta evenly over each bowl and serve.



Chickpea and Herb Salad - Serves 4

• 100g bulgur wheat
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped mint
• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 125g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1tbsp chopped mild onion
• 100g cucumber
• 150g feta cheese
• Salt and pepper

Put the bulgur wheat in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over, just enough to cover.

Set aside until the water has been absorbed. If you want a fluffier finish, transfer it to a steamer and steam for five minutes. Spread on a plate to cool.

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and mint in a large salad bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, onion and bulgur wheat.

Dice the cucumber and add to the bowl. Mix well and add the diced feta, stirring lightly to avoid breaking up the cheese.

Serve immediately.