Cold roast chicken salad with black grapes and pecans on lollo rosso
Buying a ready-roasted chicken from the deli counter makes this a no-cook, toss-together main course salad. Using ready prepared bags of lettuce leaves makes it even easier. Choose combinations with lollo rosso or other purple coloured leaves.

1 large ready-roasted chicken
250g / 9 oz seedless black or red grapes
1 head lollo rosso lettuce, washed and torn or bags of ready prepared lettuce leaves
bottled dressing, a light vinaigrette or citrus
100g / 3 ¾ oz chopped pecans or walnut pieces


Take the meat off the chicken and tear or cut into bite-size pieces. Cut the grapes in half from top to bottom. Toss the dressing through the salad leaves and place in a large serving bowl or plate. Pile the chicken pieces and grapes on top and scatter over the pecans or walnuts.

Baked purple fruits with red wine and honey
Figs, plums and blackberries are all in season and make this the perfect 'purple' dessert dish. Use the trick mentioned in several recipes above by stirring a little creme de cassis into some Greek yoghurt or mascarpone to serve along side.

6 figs
6 red plums
50g / 2 oz unsalted butter
4 heaped tbsp lavender (if you can find it) or any runny honey
125ml red wine
150g / 6 oz blackberries
tub of Greek yoghurt or mascarpone mixed with a little cassis (see above)

Halve the figs and plums, digging out the plum stones with a small knife and place the fruit, cut side up in a baking dish. They should fit snugly but not over-crowded. Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4.

Place the butter, honey and wine in a saucepan and heat and stir until everything is hot, melted and blended. Pour over the fruit and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the blackberries. Leave to cool for five or ten minutes then serve with the yoghurt or mascarpone.