Pear, date & walnut salad with creamy stilton dressing

• ripe pears↗3

  quartered and cored, peel left on

• juice 1 lime
• crème fraîche↗100g g
• stilton↗300g g

  crumbled, room temperature

• ginger↗1-2 tbsp tbsp

  syrup (from a jar of ginger in syrup)

• pack broken walnuts↗100g g
• dates↗12

  (Medjool are good), stoned and chopped

• walnut oil↗

  for drizzling

• bag mixed salad leaves↗225g g
• large watercress↗1

  divided into sprigs

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Cut the pear quarters into thin slices and toss in a bowl with the lime juice to help protect their natural colour. Blend the crème fraîche with half the stilton, ginger syrup to taste, and enough water (3-4 tbsp) to give a smooth, thick coating consistency. (Don’t add too much water or it may separate.)

2. 2

   Scatter the pear slices over six serving plates and follow with the walnuts, dates and remaining cheese. Can be prepared to this stage up to an hour ahead.

3. 3

   Drizzle each salad with a little of the dressing and some walnut oil. Season with a grinding of pepper – you shouldn’t need salt, as the cheese is salty. Mix the salad leaves and watercress very lightly with just a bit more dressing – some leaves should be touched by the dressing, some untouched. Gently pile the leaves on top of each salad.