Mark Hix recipe: Pea shoot and quail salad

Serves 4

Fresh: Pea shoot and quail salad (Jason Lowe)

If you grow peas, sugar snaps or snow peas at home, you can harvest the tendrils and pick a few peas to use in this salad. If you don't want to use quail, rabbit or chicken fillets will do just as well.

4 oven-ready quails
Oil for brushing
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A couple of handfuls of pea shoots, washed
10-12 pieces of sugar snaps or mange tout, shredded
Some cooked peas (optional)

For the dressing

2tbsp cider vinegar
2tsp Tewkesbury or Dijon mustard
3tbsp rapeseed or olive oil
3tbsp vegetable or corn oil

Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Season the quails and brush with some oil, then roast for 15 minutes. To serve, whisk all of the ingredients together for the dressing and season.

Remove the legs and breast from the quail, cut away all of the meat from the legs, or leave whole and slice the breasts. Toss the pea shoots, shredded mange tout and dressing together and season.

Arrange on plates with the quail meat and spoon over a little more dressing if necessary.