Celebrity square meals #41: Sir John Tavener's Greek salad

Serves 4

This is a salad I make at our house in Greece, where I spend a lot of time. It's based on a Greek salad, with a little interpretation - for instance, I'm not crazy about cucumber, and they use a lot of olive oil, the Greeks, much more than, say, the French.

This is a salad I make at our house in Greece, where I spend a lot of time. It's based on a Greek salad, with a little interpretation - for instance, I'm not crazy about cucumber, and they use a lot of olive oil, the Greeks, much more than, say, the French.

The meal should start with a glass of champagne, to be sipped throughout. Next I'd suggest starting with raw fish, Japanese or some other kind, perhaps marinated. Then comes this salad, and finally a rich white chocolate mousse with strawberries, for which I have particular weakness. I'm afraid I can't give you that recipe - my wife would make that one.

2 good handfuls of fresh shrimp
12 new potatoes
1 raw beetroot
6 eggs
2 carrots
6 tomatoes
6 cloves of fresh garlic
1 bunch spring onions
1 handful of pumpkin seeds
1 handful of capers
200g feta
12 olives
One cos lettuce
Olive oil for frying for the dressing
Extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1tsp Dijon mustard
1tbsp Greek honey

Mix the ingredients for the dressing. Next, boil the potatoes and fry the shrimp in a little oil until pink. Hard-boil the eggs, peel and quarter. Grate the beetroot and carrots. Quarter the tomatoes. Chop the garlic, lettuce and spring onion, right up to the top of the green part. Mix everything with the remaining ingredients and dressing. Enjoy with a glass of champagne.

Sir John Tavener's 'Ultimos Ritos' will be performed as part of the City of London Festival at St Paul's Cathedral on Wednesday at 8pm. For tickets call 0845 1207502