Shaved courgette, fennel and red onion salad

Serves 4

Freshly picked raw courgettes slivers combined with just a few other simple ingredients it works a treat (Jason Lowe)

Freshly picked courgettes sliced into thin slivers and eaten raw may not seem the obvious way to serve this vegetable, but combined with just a few other simple ingredients it works a treat.

Julian Biggs, my right-hand man, came up with this little gem of a salad to utilise the fresh courgettes we get in to our restaurants from suppliers around the country.

2 medium courgettes
1 young head of fennel
1 medium red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

For the dressing

The juice and grated zest of half a lemon
1tbsp cider vinegar
4-5tbsp extra virgin rapeseed oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, cut the courgettes lengthways as thinly as possible. Halve the fennel and remove the root. Slice the fennel as thinly as possible and mix in a bowl with the courgettes and red onion.

Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing, then toss the vegetables in and season. Leave for 8-10 minutes, then serve. Be sure not to leave them much longer, or the courgettes will go soggy.