On a small glass plate I laid a bed of carefully selected Endive and Lettuce leaves, choosing only the finest specimens.
I added some cubes of creamy Blue Cheese. I used the one called Castello, but Cambazola would be good, so would Dolcelatte.
I added some pieces of Walnut, which had been drizzled with Pumpkin Seed oil and toasted. (If I had had any Walnut oil, I would have used that instead.). Toasting enhances the nutty flavor of the Walnuts.
I added a firm but ripe Williams pear, cored but not peeled.
The finishing touch (an inspired spur-of-the-moment choice, I must admit) was a drizzle of Rapeseed oil flavoured with Lemongrass and Thyme. This oil is produced by the Cold Pressed Oil Company, based in Crondall, about 5 miles from Fleet, where we live. It lifted the salad to new heights!
Unfortunately I added the oil after I had taken my photos, so you'll just have to imagine the salad glistening with little drizzles of bright yellow oil!
In my humble opinion, this was a near-perfect salad: lots of textures, lots of different but complementary flavours, and big visual appeal. I'd be happy to get that as a starter in a very posh restaurant.
