Shredded Sprouts with Whipped Stilton & Grilled Grapes

Here I bring to you my Ultimate Christmas Salad. It’s got it all: hefty crunch, a fruity hit, a creamy punch and tons of texture. It’s perfect as a starter to kick off a big, festive meal, but it’s also a great stand-alone dish using up those bits that we all have lying around at this time of year.

If you haven’t tried a raw Brussels sprout, this needs to be rectified immediately. It’s a far cry from from its cooked cousin, full of nutty, brassica flavours and its strong character means that it can easily stand up to a rich dressing.

ingredients

serves 4-6

• 500g Brussels sprouts, tired leaves discarded

• 1 large not-too-ripe pear, cored and cut into small chunks

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

• 250g black grapes

• 70g hazelnuts, roughly halved

• 100g Stilton, or other blue cheese

• 50g soured cream

• A few sprigs of chives, chopped

instructions

First prepare the Brussels by shredding them with a sharp knife or mandolin or in a food processor - the finer you can get them the less chewing you will have to do. Transfer to a bowl along with the pear and dress with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the white wine vinegar and plenty of seasoning. Toss and put to one side.

Next, preheat the grill to high. Line a baking tray with with greaseproof paper. Cut the grapes into small bunches of about 4-5 grapes, sit on the baking tray and sprinkle around the hazelnuts. Drizzle with the remaining oil and place under the grill for 5-7 minutes until the grape skins begin to split and the hazelnuts are golden (you may want to move the nuts around a bit to get some even colour). Remove and season with a little salt. Allow to cool.

Finally, place the blue cheese and the sour cream in a blender with a little seasoning and briefly blitz until you have a thick cream. Careful not too over-whip as it will become too loose.

Divide the whipped blue cheese between plates or spoon onto one large platter and top with the Brussels sprouts and pear. Spoon over the grapes and their juices and sprinkle with the hazelnuts. Top with the chopped chives and serve.