I start by laying down a layer of crisp fresh green salad leaves. Any type will do and a variety will look even better.
Next I lay down my centrepiece, a row of tomatoes. I was fortunate to find these tomatoes on their stems, but any tomatoes will do, even big tomatoes, sliced into wedges. It is the vibrancy of the colours that determine that these will go in the middle.
I cut the English cucumber with a special tool I have so that it would have a wavy pattern. They would look just as nice cut with any other knife. Cut them into thick slices, so that they are easy to hold by hand. The cucumbers form the frame of my arrangement.
We all love peppers, so I opt for this next. I cut the rounded ends off and pit the peppers. The rounded ends are chopped up and frozen for another day (unless you can use it within the next two days, in which case you can keep them in a sealed container in the fridge). The chubby slices are arranged next to the tomatoes.
Now cut the peeled carrots into bite-sized chunks. I want more colour to the side of the platter and add them to the outside.
All of my guests love olives and I add to rows of olives to fill up the open spaces.
It is time to break the geometry. I cut feta cheese into squares and strew these all over the salad.
Lastly, I find a couple of edible flowers from the garden and add these as decoration.
You can swap out the veggies for anything you know will go down well with your guests. I kept it simple, bearing in mind that I was expecting children who were reluctant to try 'strange' foods. They loved it and it was interesting to see how the kids headed straight for the salad first, drawn by the arrangement and colours. That's when you know it worked.
This salad was served with the dip I blogged about earlier.
For more tips and tricks, visit A Pretty Talent and remember:
Keep on exploring your TALENT for making PRETTY things!
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