Pea, whipped goat’s cheese & honeyed saucisson salad

Ingredients

• 200g soft goat’s cheese
• 80g cream cheese
• Zest of 1 lemon, plus a generous squeeze of juice
• 150g saucisson or other cured meat, cut into thin discs, then again into half-moons
• 1 tbsp honey
• 200g fresh peas, out of their pods
• 200g salad leaves
• 20g dill, tarragon or other soft green herb, finely chopped
• 100g croutons or crumbled crackers

Method

First, make your whipped goat’s cheese. Put the goat’s cheese, cream cheese and lemon zest into a food processor. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice and season lightly, then pulse to a smooth, creamy mixture. Put to one side.

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the saucisson and fry gently for about 3 mins, until the edges are starting to curl. Add the honey and stir quickly to coat the saucisson. Leave on the heat for a further minute, just so the honey starts to go sticky and a darker gold, then take off the heat and leave to one side.

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then add the peas and cook for 1-2 mins. Drain.

Put the peas, salad leaves and dill into a large bowl with 1 tbsp olive oil. Toss, then portion onto plates. Dollop on the whipped goat’s cheese and divide the saucisson between the plates. Finally, drizzle over any oil left in the pan and scatter over your croutons or crumbled crackers.

Image: Stuart Ovenden