Goat’s Cheese Salad with Figs and Walnuts

You’ll need spinach, small ripe figs, walnuts, goat’s cheese, a lemon, some balsamic vinegar and olive oil, some chutney, a clove of garlic and a little French mustard.

Start by making the dressing.  Put the garlic clove, a dessertspoon of balsamic vinegar, the juice of half a lemon and a couple of teaspoons of olive oil in the mini-processor with half a teaspoon each of any nice chutney and mustard.  Whoosh them together.

Slice your goat’s cheese, one slice per salad and place each piece onto a small square of greaseproof paper.  Put them under a hot grill.

Scatter a couple of handfuls of spinach leaves over each plate and sprinkle over some of the dressing, a few walnuts and about three halved figs.

When the cheese is golden and bubbling, carry the greaseproof paper to the plate and slide the cheese onto the salad.

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Bruscetta with Goat’s Cheese and Chilli

Slice your baguette on the diagonal and place it on a baking tray.

Drizzle with olive oil, then turn over and drizzle the other side with olive oil.  Place a thin slice of garlic in the middle of each piece of bread.

Place a slice of goat’s cheese onto each piece of bread (this one has a charcoal rim in case you’re worried by the ominous grey rind).

Put a thin slice of hot, red chilli onto the top of each, then bake in a hot oven for about five minutes.

The beautiful orange plate is courtesy of Flora and James Cockburn, Loché-sur-Indrois.