The wonders of watercress

Melon, curry leaf and burrata may seem like an unlikely combo, but trust us when we say, if you make this salad once, you’ll be making it all summer. It’s sweet, spicy, juicy, creamy and aromatic, a p

Herbalist and author Bevin Cohen explains how to nurture wider home-grown medicinal and culinary loveliness in an extract from his new book, Herbs in Every Season

Homegrown broad beans are delicious and tender, and appear as one of the first crops of the year. They’re easy to grow from seed, yielding green pods of green or white beans that can be used in salads

Ingredients (Serves 4) ◆ 1 onion, chopped ◆ 1 courgette, chopped ◆ 300g broccoli, broken into florets ◆ 1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable stock ◆ 80g frozen peas ◆ 150g spinach, thoroughly washed ◆ 150g

SERVES 6 PREP 20 mins plus chilling NO COOK EASY 50ml gin2½ tsp dry vermouth1 lemon, zested and juiced90g pitted green olives from a jar,plus 1 tbsp of the brinelarge pinch of caster sugar3 tbsp extra

SERVES 4 PREP 20 mins NO COOK EASY 200g cooked chicken (leftover roastchicken works well), shredded4 sub rolls2 tbsp butter, softened1 Little Gem lettuce, finely shredded¼ cucumber, halved, then thinl