this salad has been a godsend for helping me make my way through the courgettes we have been growing, as well as the occasional few which make their way into my vegetable box from food4london.

there isn’t a recipe as such as it’s all about using up what you have in but, broadly, i make it like this – cook some puy lentils, adding a bay leaf to the cooking water/stock (or you could use tinned, rinse them well and then rinse with boiling water so they warm through). add some olive oil, lemon juice and mustard to the warm lentils to create a dressing – the heat of the lentils means they will absorb the dressing flavours more effectively.

cut the courgette into chunks and fry over a low heat in some melted butter until they are just cooked through. while the courgette is cooking, pod your peas and add them to the courgette pan so that some will be cooked and others still raw, adding a nice textural contrast. when the courgette is sufficiently cooked, add salt, freshly ground black pepper, shredded basil and a bit more lemon juice. mix this with the lentils and that’s it. unless of course you fancy oomphing it up with feta or goats cheese.

it keeps well and is good for packed lunches.