THE ULTIMATE GLOW UP

Melons might be one of the most forgotten fruits – and Sunday’s resident chef Sam Mannering wants that to change.

SALAD OF CUCUMBER, MELON, SOFT CHEESE AND MINT

I’m a bit of a watcher at the supermarket (I mean that in the nicest possible way). I tell myself that it’s part of the job, keeping an eye on what people are buying and not buying; what compels them to choose one bit of produce above another. It’s also curiosity. There are the usuals. Bananas, of course, chicken (why do people always go for breast – thigh is so much better), blah, blah blah. Rarely do I see people ever going for melons. Usually they’re shunned to the likes of hotel breakfast buffets and bland corporate catering, slices arranged in little fans (presumably, to invoke a sense of exotic luxury). Time to give the melon a glow up, methinks.

Over summer, which is their peak season (we grow them here, by the way), it’s worth having one in the fridge that you can tap into. They don’t have to be relegated to breakfast, either.

You can use any soft white cheese really – chèvre, fromage blanc, that sort of thing. Clevedon Buffalo Co’s marinated soft cheese is astoundingly delicious (go out of your way to find it, trust me, it’s that good).

PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES COOK TIME: ZILCH SERVES: 4 AS A SIDE

• ½ a cucumber

• ¼ of a honeydew melon

• About 150g soft fresh cheese (see note)

• Handful of mint leaves, roughly torn

• 2 tbsp roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

• ½ lemon

• Good olive oil, for dressing

1. Using a hand peeler, peel the cucumber into long, thin ribbons.

2. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin from the outside of the melon. Using the peeler, carefully peel long ribbons of melon, just as you did with the cucumber.

3. Spread the cheese out on a serving dish. Arrange the cucumber and melon over the top.

4. Scatter the mint and the hazelnuts over the top and zest over a little lemon.

5. Dress with a squeeze of lemon juice and a tiny bit of oil, if you like.

Serve immediately.