“Salty cheese, fruit and mint with a bit of honey in there, too, is the sort of salad that makes me long to be back in Sydney,” says Rick Stein.

“I remember a lunch at the house of a famous, now sadly departed, art dealer named Ray Hughes. The table was literally one long line of large platters of salads like this one, with acres of prosciutto, melon, basil everywhere, halloumi, pomegranates, prawns and oysters, all partnered with sensational Chardonnays. It was one of those lunches you never want to end.”

Roasted nectarine salad with feta and mint

Ingredients(Serves 4 as a side or 2 as a light supper)

3 tbsp olive oil2 tbsp runny honey6 nectarines, stoned and halved2 red onions, cut into wedges80g pea shoots or lamb’s lettuce150g feta, cubed or crumbledA few mint sprigs, leaves only, roughly torn30g almonds, roughly chopped

Vinaigrette:1 tbsp red wine vinegar2 tsp runny honey3 tbsp olive oilSalt and black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C.

2. Mix the olive oil and honey in a roasting tin, add the nectarines and red onions, then toss to coat. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until tender, then leave to cool to room temperature.

3. Mix the vinaigrette ingredients in a jug and season with saltand pepper.

4. Scatter the pea shoots or lamb’s lettuce over a serving dish and arrange the red onions and nectarines on top. Pour over any roasting juices. Add the feta, scatter over the mint and almonds, then dress with the vinaigrette at the table.

Rick Stein’s Simple Suppers (BBC Books, £28). Photography by James Murphy.