Carrot, Orange, Chestnut and Chervil Salad.

 

A very simple and flavoursome salad with loads of taste and texture - if you catch the early chestnut season it should still be mild enough to have plenty of chervil left in the garden.

Firstly half the chestnuts and place in a roasting tin in an oven preheated to 220 degrees and roast for 10-20mins depending on their size.

Remove from the oven and peel - the shells and bitter inner skin should now come away from the chestnuts easily and the chestnuts should still have a bit of firmness and crunch to them.

Peel a few carrots and cut into thin matchsticks. 

Using a really sharp knife, cut the top and bottom off an orange, place on a chopping board and go round the orange cutting off the skin and pith. 

Then over a bowl to reserve as much juice as possible cut the segments out of the orange - place them in a bowl with the carrot matchsticks.

Make a dressing by placing a small amount of dijon mustard in a bowl, mix in some of the orange juice and a dash of sherry vinegar then slowly add a good quality oil while stirring into an emulsion, season.

To assemble the dish break up the chestnuts and add to the carrot and orange, mix in ripped up chervil leaves.

Transfer to a plate and dress.