I’VE often remarked how amazing it is how sometimes a recipe comes together in the mind, and ingredients just happen to arrive at the right time.

Serendipity’s the word, I think. One such ‘perfect storm’ occurred recently during a trip down to God’s other county, Suffolk, to see in-laws for a relaxing weekend. My father-in-law had chosen to take us out to a delightful little restaurant in Bury St. Edmunds called Pea Porridge. It’s the sort of charming little corner restaurant that, were it just down the road from your house, you’d be tempted to pop in every night for a little something for supper.

It had that relaxed, convivial French vibe that so many places aim for and miss badly. The menu (as the name of the place suggests, heavily featuring both peas and oats– locally produced in great quantity) is full of great-sounding dishes that immediately set the palate racing.

One starter stood out for me, and fit perfectly with my current regime, weaning myself off the diet that’s been rather, shall we say, restrictive. It was a tempting-sounding salad of flash-grilled ox heart with pickled walnuts, radishes and kohlrabi. It was quite the most delicious thing I’d eaten in months, and so I immediately decided to make my own version as soon as I got home.

At the last minute I decided against the original ox heart, largely as it’s quite impractical, being an absolutely colossal bit of meat, but also because it’s not to everyone’s taste. A shame, really, as heart is wonderfully tasty stuff, when prepared properly. Perhaps in a future piece we’ll deal with affairs of the heart and damn the consequences. So I decided upon a substitution. Something just as good, and with an added rich gaminess, is pigeon breast. This sits well with the cool creamy body of the salad, and takes the sharpness of the pickles well. Essentially, the heart of the salad is a sort-of remoulade (the classic French recipe of mayonnaise binding piquant pickles veg) but with a few more chunks and texture. I decided to add a few capers, a swirl of grain mustard, some rocket and radishes for pepperiness and shards of radicchio for a nice bitter touch. Some raw sharp Granny Smith apple adds a required sweet note for contrast.

Walnuts appear in two guises – the raw nuts add a toasty crunch to any salad, and are great with goat’s cheese and other sharp, creamy ingredients. I’m also adding a few slivers of pickled walnut, too. I adore pickled walnuts, and am always pleased when, as happened this time, my father-in-law presented me with a jar of home-pickled walnuts from the huge tree in his garden. The 2006 vintage is seemingly a great year for Suffolk walnuts; they will not last long! Quintessentially British, the sharp and tasty pickled walnut is a brilliant ingredient in salads and sandwiches, but especially with roast ham, hot or cold. Stir a few chunks into a pan of smooth, creamy mashed potato and you have a treat in store.

So our salad is complete; a combination of hot, cold, tangy, creamy, slippery and crunchy. Lots going on, but with balance and finesse.

I suppose that there are echoes of the classic Waldorf salad here, too, with the celery/apple/walnut flavours all mingling about, and these tried and tested flavours work so very well together, so the whole dish comes together impeccably.

A great salad with which to bid adieu to the fading summer, and beckon in the cooler days where the pickles and preserves find themselves more in use. Aprons on!

For the salad:

4 large pigeon breasts

The grated zest of a lemon (keep the juice for the dressing)

A little fresh thyme

1 medium celeriac

1 large Granny Smith or sharp-tasting apple

A few fresh walnuts

A few pickled walnuts

A few radishes

1 radicchio lettuce

1 frisée lettuce

A small bag of fresh rocket

For the dressing:

200ml natural yoghurt or crème fraîche

2 tbsps wholegrain mustard

2 tbsps Mayonnaise

Extra-Virgin Olive oil

Lemon juice

2 tsp capers, well-rinsed and chopped

A little finely-chopped curly parsley

S&P

Method:

First, pop the pigeon breasts into a freezer bag with a little olive oil, along with a few grinds of fresh black pepper, some fresh thyme and the lemon zest, and refrigerate until required, preferably overnight. Peel the celeriac, and cut the flesh into fine julienne shreds.

Toss in a little lemon juice to avoid the shreds going too brown. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and quickly plunge the shreds into the water for about a minute, until just beginning to wilt. Then, drain and rinse under the cold tap, then throw into iced water to stop the cooking and hold the colour and flavour.

When completely chilled, pat dry on a clean tea towel and refrigerate until required. Make up the dressing by whisking the yoghurt with the mustard and mayonnaise, a splash of olive oil and lemon juice and the capers. Add the parsley and a little s&p, and check the seasoning, adjusting as you prefer. Chill the dressing until you’re ready to serve.

Slice the radishes into thin discs. In a dry frying pan, toast the fresh walnuts until golden and sweetly-scented. Tear the radicchio and frisée into bite-sized chunks, and wash well, along with the rocket leaves. Drain and chill until required.

Slice the apple into thin slivers, and toss along with the celeriac and a few slivers of pickled walnut in just enough of the dressing to bind and cover each morsel.

To assemble the salad, remove the pigeon breasts from their marinade and allow them to come up to room temperature. Heat a griddle or frying pan.

Quickly fry the pigeon breasts, giving them about 2-3 minutes on each side, then allow them to rest in a warm place for 5-10 minutes.

As the pigeon rests, arrange the radicchio and rocket leaves in individual plates or bowls, and carefully spoon the celeriac and apple remoulade into the centre of the leaves.

Dot with the sliced radish and toasted walnuts. Carve the pigeon and arrange on top of the salad. Serve straight away.