But the best way to ensure freshness is to grow your own, writes Rachel Allen

THE green salad has come a long way. Only a few years ago the flavourless iceberg was the most readily available in shops, we would be lucky to find some butterhead or lollo rosso. Then along came the fiery rocket and we were all thrilled with the flavoursome change.

But now, joining rocket and watercress, wonderfully tasty leaves like mizuna, mibuna, tat soy, mustard greens and purslane are finding their way onto our plates. As with any herb or vegetable, the surest way to get the freshest leaves is, of course, to grow your own. But many markets and food shops are selling a great selection too.

These leaves are not just for summer;

there are many cut-and-come-again salad leaves and loose leaf lettuce varieties, like the mustard greens, which grow inside in the winter.

The antioxidants in freshly-picked salad leaves are one of the best guarantees against ill-health, and they have no fat or cholesterol-raising properties, so it's something we should eat a lot of.

The bags of ready-washed leaves available in all supermarkets, unfortunately, have been washed in chlorine, so avoid these. I usually wash a big batch of freshly picked leaves, then spin them to dry and place in a plastic bag in the fridge, where, for a quick convenient salad later on in the week, they will keep for a few days.

If you are washing salad, and there seems to be quite a bit of protein on the leaves, just sit the leaves in a sinkful of cold water with a good pinch of salt. The salt will kill off the bugs. I could not survive without my salad spinner, they are invaluable for drying lettuce quickly and properly.

I love adding herbs to a green salad.

Lots of dill works really well in a salad of cos leaves, dressed with just olive oil and lemon juice. Coriander and tarragon work well too, as do basil and mint leaves.

Of course, dressing plays a huge role in the flavour of a salad. This is one of those times to get out the best extra virgin olive oil, and experiment with different vinegars. The basic proportion of three parts oil to one part vinegar works well. I love a deliciously sweet Balsamic vinegar, or just freshly squeezed lemon juice. I also love using different oils such as pumpkin seed, walnut or hazelnut oil instead of or as part of the oil. Honey adds a lovely sweetness to dressings. Good strong English mustard or a Dijon mustard, or a milder grainy mustard are great in dressings too.

Cooking with salad leaves is always great, though I would not use the stronger flavoured leaves. Little gem, butterhead, cos or green lollo have the best flavour for soups and for sauteing.

LETTUCE, PEA AND MINT SOUP
Serves 4-6
25g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
175g/6oz peeled and chopped potatoes
150g/5oz chopped onions Good pinch of salt and pepper
1 litre/2 pints chicken or vegetable stock
225g/8oz peas
175g/6oz green lettuce leaves, chopped
50ml/2 fl. oz cream
1-2 tbsp chopped mint

Place the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan, add the potatoes and onions, season with salt and pepper, then cover and cook over a low heat for about eight minutes. Remove the lid, add the stock and bring to the boil. When the stock is boiling on a high heat, add the peas, cook with the lid off on a high heat for two minutes, then add the lettuce and continue to cook for another minute until the lettuce is just softened. Add the cream and the mint, and immediately liquidise.

PANFRIED LETTUCE WITH PEAS AND BACON

This is a quick dish that is just perfect at this time of the year. I love it with roast chicken as a light accompaniment, or even on it's own with pasta or rice.

Serves 4-6
15g/half oz butter or 2 tbsp olive oil
6 streaky bacon rashers, cut into small pieces, about 1 cm dice
2 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated
450g peas (fresh or frozen)
50ml chicken or vegetable stock
2 Little Gem lettuces, cut into quarters (or 3 large handfuls shredded Cos lettuce)
1 tbsp chopped mint, marjoram or parsley

Place a wide saute pan on a medium to high heat, and allow to heat up. Add the butter or olive oil, then the rashers, toss over the heat until the bacon is cooked and a little crispy. Add the garlic, peas and the stock and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the cut lettuces, allow to cook for one to two minutes until the lettuce is just beginning to wilt, add the chopped herbs, season to taste and serve.

ROCKET AND WATERCRESS PESTO

Serve it as you would basil pesto: with pasta, over roasted or chargrilled vegetables, with barbecued or grilled meats, as part of a salad, or on a simple crostini or bruschetta with some roast peppers and cheese. This quantity makes one jam jar full. To keep it at it's best, store it in a sterilised jar, covered in 1cm of olive oil in the fridge. When you use some of it, pour off the olive oil, spoon out the pesto, then pour the olive oil back over the top before you put it back in the fridge.

25g mixed rocket and watercress, chopped
25g freshly grated parmesan cheese
25g pine kernels
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
75ml olive oil Salt

Put all the ingredients except, the olive oil, into a food processor and whizz up. Add the oil and a pinch of salt and taste. Pour into a sterilised jar, cover with 1 cm of oil and store in the fridge. This will keep for a few weeks.

SALAD DRESSINGS HONEY AND MUSTARD DRESSING

75ml/3fl. oz olive oil
25ml/1 fl. oz white wine vinegar
1 tsp mustard, such as dijon
1 tsp honey
1 clove of garlic, crushed or finely grated

Salt and pepper Mix ingredients together, season to taste.

BLUE CHEESE DRESSING
75ml/3 fl. oz olive oil
25ml/1 fl. oz lemon juice
Half tsp honey
1 generous tbsp blue cheese, crumbled
Black pepper

Mix the oil, lemon juice, honey and blue cheese together, season to taste with black pepper and some salt if it needs it.

SHANAGARRY CREAM DRESSING

We make this delicious salad dressing at Ballymaloe. It's served with an oldfashioned salad of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, radishes, tiny spring onions and pickled beetroot.

2 hard boiled eggs
1 level tsp of dry mustard Pinch of salt
1 tbsp dark, soft brown sugar
1 tbsp brown malt vinegar
50-125ml/2-4fl. oz cream

Cut the eggs in half, sieve the yolks into a bowl, add the sugar, salt and mustard.

Blend in the vinegar and cream. Chop the egg whites and add some to the sauce.

Keep the rest to scatter over the salad.