SALT BAKED BEETROOT with CANDY WALNUTS and PEPPERED GOATS CHEESE

This salad is perfect Autumn food. Yes, it's a cold salad, and it therefore doesn't seem like it will be the most comforting thing you can eat, but the flavours are heavenly! Although it's a salad, this one takes a little bit of time to prepare, so is ideal if you want to do something in advance for a dinner party, for example.

Serves 4

For the beetroot:

4 medium beetroot

8 sprigs of fresh thyme

1kg table salt

2 egg whites

For the walnuts:

20 walnut halves

100g caster sugar

100g water

1 bottle vegetable oil

For the goat's cheese:

200g soft goat's cheese, Welsh is ideal but you can use Chevre Blanc

1 tsp creme fraiche

1 tsp cream cheese

Tsp of fresh thyme leaves

Ground pink peppercorns

For the salad:

Mixed salad leaves, including some purple leaves

1 teaspoon English mustard

1 lemon

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Start with your beetroot. Preheat the oven to 180C. Mix the table salt with the egg whites in a large bowl, and cover a baking tray with tin foil. Lightly scrub each beetroot clean and pat dry with kitchen roll. Take 2 sprigs of thyme and hold against the edge of the beetroot. Grab a handful of the salt/egg white mix and press it around the beetroot until the whole beetroot's encased in salt and egg white. Place each one onto the baking tray once done.

Repeat with all the beetroot and then cook at 180C for 1 hour. Once ready, leave to cool slightly, then crack each beetroot open, pulling the beetroot from its salt case.

The beetroot peel will then just slip off. Remove and put to one side.

Prepare the cheese now as it will need to harden off in the fridge before serving. Mix the goat's cheese, creme fraiche, cream cheese, peppercorns and thyme leaves in a bowl. Tip the mixture out onto a piece of cling film and form a long sausage shape with it. Tighten the cling film on each side and roll into a cylinder. Wrap tightly with cling film and refrigerate until ready to use.

Now for the walnuts. Add the caster sugar and water to a flat, wide saucepan. Heat until bubbling slightly and add the walnut halves. After 2 minutes remove with a slotted spoon and leave on some greaseproof paper to cool and dry a little. Sprinkle the nuts with a little sea salt at this stage. While they're cooling wash your sugar pan and half fill with vegetable oil. When the oil starts to shimmer add the sugary walnut halves and cook for another 2 minutes. Again, remove with a slotted spoon and leave to cool and dry on some greaseproof paper.

Make your salad dressing by mixing English mustard with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt and pepper.

When you are ready to feed your guests plate up by cutting the beetroot into thin slices. Put them on the plate with a few dressed salad leaves, some of the candied walnuts and a few slices of the cheese you made earlier. Drizzle with a little dressing and you're ready to serve!