Prepacked rice salad, like potato salad and coleslaw, is really popular but largely miserable and bland. Have a go at this recipe and you won’t go back to buying tubs from the supermarket. First, feel free to play with different rice grains – they have a variety of tastes, colours and textures, which can be a bonus in a rice salad, so have a look around when you’re shopping. The big thing to remember, though, is to use good olive oil, a touch of lemon juice, and to get some spice and sweetness into the salad with chilli and roasted red peppers (you can use sun-dried tomatoes if you don’t have any peppers). You’ll have a salad that looks and tastes great. Best eaten at room temperature rather than straight from the fridge.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 250g pre-mixed long grain and wild rice
• a few sprigs of fresh basil
• a few sprigs of fresh mint
• a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 200g jarred roasted red peppers in water or vinegar
• ½ a fresh red chilli
• 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon

To prepare your salad

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• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil
• Add the rice and cook it according to the packet instructions
• Once cooked, drain the rice in a sieve

To prepare your salad

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• Spread it out on a tray to help it cool down quickly
• Meanwhile, pick all the basil, mint and parsley off the stalks
• Finely chop the peppers and halve, deseed and finely chop your chilli

To make your lemon dressing

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• Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar
• Add a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon

To serve your salad

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• Put the lid on the jar and shake well
• Put your cooled rice into a big serving bowl
• Finely chop your herb leaves and add them to the bowl, together with the peppers and chilli

To serve your salad

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• Zest over your lemon
• Add 4 tablespoons of your dressing and toss together to mix well
• Taste, add salt and pepper if you think it needs it, and serve (you can keep any leftover dressing in the fridge for using another day)