Fennel, kalamata olive & walnut salad

It can be hard to muster up the inspiration to build a healthy salad that you’ll find seasonally fitting and tasty in these miserable, rainy autumn months.

I’d normally prefer to eat anything warm over anything cold, so a salad has got to have something special to give if I’m going to pass up the steaming roasted veggies I’d normally choose. I think this salad gives that. It has very few ingredients (tick), is super quick to make (tick), healthy (tick) and has a warm, aniseedy flavour that feels just right for now. Enjoy with other salads, toasted warm bread or grilled lamb.

You will need:
1 fennel bulb
Juice of 1/2 lemon
50g walnuts, chopped
100g of the best quality pitted kalamata olives you can find
1 tspn caraway seeds
4 tbspns extra virgin olive oil
A little salt

Method:
1 – Use a mandolin to shave the fennel into thin, rough slices. Reserve the fronds. Toss the shaved fennel in the lemon juice and a little salt (not too much, the olives will be plenty salty).
2 – Toss together the fennel with the olives, walnuts, caraway seeds and plenty of olive oil. Serve immediately with the remaining fennel fronds scattered on top.