Friday night. Tom couldn’t hide his delight when he phoned on the way home from work to find out what was for dinner. Could it be a take away? A nice Indian? A pizza? It’s been a long week, we deserve a treat. But no. We’re having salad. Not one, but two salads: a beetroot, feta & pumpkin seed one, and a tomato and olive one. Surely that’s enough to send anyone over the edge…..

Tom regained his composure quickly though. “Lovely! Can’t wait.” He said. He’s very long-suffering. 



We had the salads with jacket potatoes, for once perfectly cooked and all fluffy in the middle, and grated cheese. Tom washed his down with a Friday night pint of strong Polish beer (we’re getting down to the dregs of our Christmas alcohol supply..).

If you think your kids won’t eat beetroot, introduce it as a science experiment. Beetroot has a funny habit of turning certain things a different colour. Daisy & Ollie’s main objective when eating beetroot is to see how long it takes to go through their system. Say no more.

This beetroot salad is a regular in our house because it really is very tasty and the three main ingredients go so well together: beetroot, feta & the toasted seeds. 

We were first introduced to it by my auntie Barbara when on a family holiday in Whitby. Each person took it in turns to make an evening meal and this is what she made. She did it with a tahini dressing which I must learn to make. It’s a good salad to have in winter because the beetroot & seeds are still slightly warm. 

The Whitby hol, 2012. Barbara far-right.

Beetroot, Feta & Pumpkin Seed Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 small beetroots, fresh or pre-cooked
• Feta cheese, cut into small cubes
• Pumpkin seeds, handful
• Bag of rocket salad
• Fresh mint, torn

If using fresh beetroots, trim the roots and tops and boil for about an hour. 

Drain and leave to cool. Put the seeds in a dry frying pan and toast over a moderate heat. A few will pop when they are ready. Toss to make sure they’re done all over. 

Arrange the rocket on a large platter. Cut the remaining root and top off the beetroot and remove the skin by rubbing with your thumb. It’s a messy job! Cut the beetroot into cubes and scatter over the rocket. Add the feta cubes, sprinkle over the seeds and tear some mint leaves over. 

Drizzle over dressing of your choice. Ours as usual, was an olive oil, lemon, garlic & honey concoction. 

Tom reeked his revenge with pudding by announcing to joyous cries that he was going to make ‘daddy’s delight’. It is one of the most obscene versions I’ve seen. The kids went beresk for it, after enduring a dinner of veg. I, in the meantime, slipped away for a hot bath in peace.



Happy Friday, people! X