Winter salad for sandwiches

We are still finishing off the Christmas food, the left over crisps, crackers, chocolates, you know how it is, and it’s really getting dull! So I'm sharing this very simple lunch time sandwich inspired by what my Nan is making with our fresh winter salad.

At this time of year salad really gets interesting, gone are those sunny summer days dominated by lettuce, welcome in a wealth of flavours and textures. We are currently enjoying a good harvest of salad brassicas. These are the delicious leaves, much loved in Asia from the brassica family. They come in this gorgeous array of colours and shapes with names such as ruby mustard, pizzo and golden frills. They are spicy to varying degrees and bring the flavour to the party.

Next is the more familiar rocket. It’s growing well in our polytunnel and brings a different flavour and lovely shape to our sandwich. It’s joined with miners lettuce. I like to think miner's lettuce is named after our Cornish shovel (yes the shape is too similar for it to be a coincidence!). It’s got a more succulent texture and is low on flavour to balance out the salad brassicas.

Ingredients

So we have the salad and now to add my other favourite ingredients:
Pickled beetroot
Yarg
Seedy brown bread from Malcolm Barnecutts (my favourite for bread).

Recipe

Sliced pickled beetroot bring a little zing and sweetness, we have some in jars from last season but you can get gorgeous red, yellow and striped beetroot from us from June onwards. The yarg is simply creamy delight embodied, I love the nettle one best but ramsons are just as good. Spread a little humous on two generously chunk slices of bread, add the slices of beetroot and yarg, fill with leaves and you'll find yourself in lunch time heaven. Enjoy!