Serves 4

This salad is ideal for the last of the summer beans. It will keep well in the fridge for two or three days and is a great addition to a child’s packed lunch.

50ml lime juice
2 tbsp sugar
125ml olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
250g green beans, cut into 2cm pieces
250g yellow wax beans, cut into 2cm pieces
250g runner beans
1 bunch spring onions, white part only, finely chopped
4 tbsp coriander, finely chopped
2 medium oranges, cut into segments

1 Heat the lime juice, sugar, oil, garlic, cumin and 1 tsp of salt and pepper in a small non-stick pan over a low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Transfer to a large glass bowl and set aside.
2 Bring a litre of water to the boil, season with salt and then blanch the beans for 3-4 minutes or until just crisp. Prepare a large bowl of iced water and when the beans are cooked, plunge them into it. This will prevent them losing their colour and stop them from continuing to cook. When cooled, drain well.
3 Add the beans to the dressing with the spring onions and coriander. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
4 Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before serving and stir in the orange segments.

Times Recommends

• Top Ten most searched for recipes
• Chalet Chef 2010: the winning menus
• Gin and pomegranate jellies