Name: Herby feta & nectarine salad with lemon poppy seed dressing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a side
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 200g green bean trimmed; 3 ripe nectarines halved, stoned and chopped into chunks; 1 cucumber halved lengthways, seeds scooped out with a teaspoon, thickly sliced on the diagonal; 1 red onion thinly sliced; small bunch mint leaves picked; small bunch dill very roughly chopped; small bunch coriander very roughly chopped; 200g pack good-quality feta cheese (we used barrel-aged from Waitrose); juice 1 lemon; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 1 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp poppy seed

Herby feta & nectarine salad with lemon poppy seed dressing

200g green bean
trimmed
3 ripe nectarines
halved, stoned and chopped into chunks
1 cucumber
halved lengthways, seeds scooped out with a teaspoon, thickly sliced on the diagonal
1 red onion
thinly sliced
small bunch mint
leaves picked
small bunch dill
very roughly chopped
small bunch coriander
very roughly chopped
200g pack good-quality feta cheese
(we used barrel-aged from Waitrose)

For the dressing

juice 1 lemon
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp poppy seed

Method

step 1
First, make the dressing. Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and oil with some seasoning. Lightly toast the poppy seeds in a small frying pan.
step 2
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the beans and cook for 2-3 mins until just tender but still with a bit of crunch. Drain and cool under cold running water, then drain again and pat dry with kitchen paper.
step 3
Just before serving, tip the beans, nectarine chunks, cucumber, onion and herbs onto a big salad platter or bowl. Finely crumble over the feta. Add the poppy seeds to the dressing and give it a good shake or whisk. Pour over the salad and toss everything together.