Top Nosh

I love a Greek Salad.

My affection began on a family holiday to Kefallonia some years ago when the dish became a standing order every time we dined out at the local Tavernas.

There was some variation in the presentation from place to place and in-house specialities included little tweaks and additions to the mainstay ingredients of sliced tomatoes, thinly cut onion, chunky cucumber and the crumbled, cubed or regular cut Feta cheese.

It was an easy meal to replicate upon my return to the UK and I can honestly say that I have tried to include one in my menu on a weekly basis.

There is something therapeutic in its preparation, perhaps just in the wielding with intent of a small, sharp kitchen knife but mainly the riot of colour produced on the serving plate when ready to bring to the table and eat.

If feeling adventurous I have been known to include the odd olive or three, some salad leaves, salty anchovies, crispy croutons and switching the plate for a freshly baked french stick is a particular treat.

My most recent version just this week, to the outsider may have just appeared to be like any other.

There were the usual on the vine tomatoes, seasonal spring rather than red onions and authentic goats milk cheese. These had been sourced from the usual neighbourhood supermarket or in some cases I have had to shop around to get the best available ingredients.

What made the difference to the salad was the cucumber.

This had been given to me by the home owner at one of my work appointments who had harvested it from a large greenhouse in his garden.

The property which he had just bought and moved in to was rather special consisting of a 2002 dated farmhouse, a courtyard flanked by workshops, garages and offices and with a large central water feature stocked with huge and very colourful Koi Carp.

The house was on a hillside with fantastic views over the Vale of York and this exclusive accommodation and location obviously came at a premium.

Oh, I forgot to mention that there was also about 1000 acres of agricultural land, three tenanted farms, woodland, a piece of one of the most picturesque dale-type valleys in the East Yorkshire area and an indoor heated swimming pool.

The purchase price reflected the extensive nature and high calibre of what was a most prestigious rural estate to suit a Gentleman Farmer, a rock-star, a field sports fanatic or a lottery winner.

The new owner joked with me that he had only really bought the place because of the contents of the greenhouse and specifically the large and perfectly elongated vegetables.

That salad did taste better than all of my previous efforts and even surpassed those experienced in Greece that had started off my whole interest and infatuation with the dish.

I could not, at first, decide what had made the difference but then again it is not every day that you are presented with, in effect, a ten million pound cucumber.