A Fresh Start for Spring

Yikes. The last few posts (not including the garden update) have been, how do I put it? Rather calorie laden? Very tasty but tooth achingly sweet and full of sugar ? Sent straight to my thighs? All of the above? Bingo. Time to clean up, straighten up and fly right. 

This is is not to say that I can't bake the occasional sugary treat or sneak the odd piece of butter into my cooking; it just means that I need to find some balance, pay a bit of attention to what my body needs at the moment - and what it needs at this point in time is a crisp and fresh salad and a nice walk in the sunshine.

This baby fennel, orange, mint and feta salad ticked all the boxes for me. The baby fennel is crisp and fresh, together with the juicy orange and the salty, creamy feta, it is such a great combination. I had some for lunch and then ate the rest along side some grilled fish and steamed kipfler potatoes for dinner. I am not sure if I have quite cancelled out the calorific madness of the last few posts but that's ok, this salad made me feel rejuvenated, sitting in the sunshine and enjoying the first days of spring. 

Baby Fennel, Orange,Mint and Feta Salad with Verjus Vinaigrette


3 baby fennel bulbs, shaved. If you don't have a mandolin, as I don't, just shave them with a vegetable peeler.
2 oranges, peeled and segmented
Approx 100g of Persian feta, or more or less to taste, crumbled
Handful of mint, roughly torn
fennel fronds


Verjus Vinaigrette
1/2 cup of verjus
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sherry vinegar


Combine all ingredients, reserving some of the fennel fronds in a bowl and lightly dress with the viniagrette. Transfer on to a plate, top with the reserved fennel fronds. Enjoy on its own or with grilled fish and steamed potatoes.