Creamy cucumber with gravadlax

• ½ large cucumber
• small fennel bulb↗1 1
• double cream↗2 tbsp 2 tbsp
• white wine vinegar↗2 tsp 2 tsp
• Dijon mustard↗1 tsp 1 tsp
• small bunch dill↗

  roughly chopped, plus extra to serve

• gravadlax300g 300g

  about 8 nice slices

• brown bread↗

  and butter, to serve

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Peel alternate strips of skin off the cucumber and halve lengthways. Scoop away the seeds with a teaspoon, slice the cucumber on an angle, then place in a colander or sieve set above a bowl. Remove the outer layer of fennel and quarter the bulb. Cut away the core, then slice the fennel as finely as possible. Tip the fennel in with the cucumber, season generously with salt, then leave to macerate for 10 mins.

2. 2

   When the vegetables have been salted, taste a piece of cucumber. If it’s too salty, give them a rinse. But if it’s fine, then just squeeze them gently. In a separate bowl, stir together the cream, vinegar, mustard and dill, and season with a grind of black pepper. Toss the vegetables into the creamy dressing and serve with a few slices of gravadlax, a sprinkling of dill and some buttered brown bread.