My Ultimate Christmas Salad

• servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

This perfect, creamy, crunchy salad that feels properly festive. The Granny Smith keeps it bright, the dates adds a perfect sweetness, and the pancetta and blue cheese make it feel like a proper Boxing Day side.

approx 305kcal & 13g protein

400g Brussels sprouts, trimmed

Juice of ½ lemon

Pinch of salt

1 Granny Smith apple

5-6 Medjool dates, pitted and diced

100g thin pancetta

60g walnuts

½ red onion, very finely sliced

Dressing

3-4 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt

1 tbsp mild mustard (American or wholegrain)

1 tbsp honey

½ tsp garlic granules

80g blue cheese, crumbled

Shred the Brussels sprouts (mandoline or finely with a knife) and finely slice the red onion, toss with the lemon juice and a pinch of salt, and leave for 5–10 minutes to soften slightly.

Directions

Cook the pancetta in a dry frying pan until crisp, then set aside. Toast the walnuts in the same pan for approx minutes until browned and smell amazing. Or you can stick into the air fryer at 200c fan!

Thinly slice the apple, dice the dates, and add both to the bowl with toasted walnuts and chopped crispy pancetta.

Mix the yoghurt, mustard, honey and garlic granules, then stir in half the blue cheese. Season with black pepper.

Toss the dressing through the slaw, then crumble over the remaining blue cheese and serve.