Melon gazpacho with feta

Ingredients     2 cantaloupe melons, 1/2 pint vegetable stock, 1/2 leek, 1 chilli pepper, butter, feta

Serves: 4 Preparation: 20 minutes

Traditionally gazpacho is made from raw ingredients, "salsa soup" I used to call it when I was little and because I'm an onion-wuss, only able to stomach them when they're chopped small and cooked so that I barely know they're there I was never much of a fan. My gazpacho uses the oniony flavour of cooked leek, and the sweetness of canteloupe to make a truly refreshing yet spicy summer soup.

1) Halve and de-seed the canteloupe, then excise the flesh from the tough skin.

2) Fry off 1/2 a leek and the chilli pepper in butter, then rinse them both clean of butter. Add to a blender with the canteloupe flesh and puree. I like to add a little vegetable stock to make this more savoury, but this is entirely to taste.

3) Parse through a blender to remove any remaining chunks, then serve chilled with crumbled chunks of feta.

Fennel, melon & cucumber salad

Ingredients     1 melon, 1 bulb fennel, 1/4 cucumber.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 5


Melon and cucumber have the same green, grassy notes and the fennel adds a beautiful liquorice contrast. If you wished, you could dress this with a little white wine vinegar and basil oil but it's gorgeous as it is.


1) Slice the melon in half and scoop out the seeds, then slice into chunks.


2) Slice the tops from the fennel and dice.


3) Peel the cucumber and dice, then stir into the other ingredients and serve.