The weekend was lovely. We went to a beautiful cafe and drank iced coffee in the shade of trees bowed over with the weight of fresh plums. We bought a car (feeling very grown up right now as it isn’t a Toyota Carolla) and went on an adventure to Sausolito. We sat beside the wharf in the sunshine, had a beer and enjoyed incredible fish and chips at a place called, very originally, Fish. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge with me singing the Full House song and then drove to Twin Peaks to look over the city.

Sunday was a trip to the farmer’s market to find some cheap produce. There were tomatoes, berries, and zucchini of all shapes and sizes. I am currently attempting to do some pickling and jam making; results have been mixed, but I will blog about that later this week. Back at the market I was drawn to the fish monger after our delicious fresh fish the day before. There was some beautifully pink salmon which didn’t have a price tag but was quickly wrapped up with ice for me to take home. Turns out that not everything at the market is cheap produce so I had to think of something worth while to do with this piece of fish.

Salmon and Lentils with a Spicy Yoghurt Dressing

1 cup of puy lentils
2 cups water
3 zucchini
1 small head broccoli
A handful of fresh herbs- I used coriander, basil and Italian parsley
A handful of baby spinach
1 big salmon fillet
Pinch of fennel seeds
Olive oil
Sea salt
Half a cup of thick natural yoghurt
juice of half a juicy lemon
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 tsp paprika

First of all, cook your cup of lentils with two cups of water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for about twenty minutes. While they are busy bubbling away, bake the salmon with some lemon juice, salt and a pinch of fennel seeds. You don’t want to over cook the salmon, so depending on the size of the fillet, this should only take about fifteen minutes. Fry the zucchini and broccoli in a pan. I used a mix of yellow and green zucchini- they are just so pretty! Roughly chop the herbs and spinach and once the lentils are cooked, add along with the zucchini and broccoli. Break the salmon on top and then dress with a dressing made of the yoghurt, grated garlic clove, lemon juice and paprika. I also added some of the red onion I had pickled- it added a nice vinegary bite that complimented the earthy flavours of the lentils perfectly.

This week I will let you know how my pickling/jam making goes, tell you all about the amazing looking restaurant we are going to for Ollie’s birthday, and about the book reading at a dive bar tonight. Until then, thank you for all the kind words and feedback you have given me so far. I have been overwhelmed by everybody’s response, so thank you x