Watermelon in the bum bag

I only went in for the air con. I came out with a watermelon in my bumbag.

Typical M&S. The air con was just the beginning.

There it was. Beautifully green, perfectly round. I could practically taste the cold, juicy inside immediately, and could’ve bitten into it then and there. But that would’ve only encouraged strange stares and contributed to my already overheated, red face.

So over I went and opted just for the baby one instead (to fit in said bum bag). And on auto pilot, I also headed for the feta, mint, basil and avocado.

How predictable of me! But there’s a reason we all come back to combinations like this when the sun shows up.

They say to never look inside a woman’s handbag - personal, private, no one else’s business. So walking home with said watermelon in the bum bag, slightly lopsided, I told myself the same would apply.

Straight into the fridge everything went while I peeled off the (cute) but too tight top, abandoned the bra, and changed into something more floaty and breezy.

Back to the fridge, calmer this time. Ingredients laid out, chopped, tossed into a bowl. Pine nuts toasted until golden, tipped into the dressing while still warm - olive oil, light vinegar, lime, dried mint - going fragrant and almost buttery!

A good salad.

A good salad that comes with instant gratification.

We talk about it like it’s a bad thing. A little greedy, lazy, indulgent. But sometimes it’s just cold watermelon on a hot day.

And even better shared! So that’s why I wrote this. Fingers tapping away while it was all still fresh. It’s less a recipe, more a reminder. Because you already know how to make a watermelon feta salad - you just needed someone to remind you how good it is when the sun finally shows up.

Sweet watermelon, salty tangy feta and creamy avocado. Delicious! But in come pine nuts, toasted until golden then tipped straight into a light, limey olive oil dressing with a pinch of dried mint while still warm. The heat helps them soak up all that dressing and go glossy, almost buttery! Just a little something extra! That dressing then gets spooned over everything with a load of fresh mint and basil. It comes together in minutes (Which is kinda the whole point!).

Feeds 4 as a side, 2-3 as a main
Takes 15 mins

Ingredients

1 small watermelon (about 600g-800g flesh), cubed

2 ripe avocados, cubed

200g feta

A large handful of fresh mint, leaves picked

A large handful of basil, leaves picked

75g pine nuts or pumpkin seeds

4 tbsp good olive oil

2 tbsp white balsamic, basil vinegar or any light vinegar

Juice ½ lime

1 tsp dried mint

Flaky sea salt & cracked black pepper

Method

1. Start with the dressing. Add the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice and dried mint to a small bowl with a pinch of flaky sea salt and mix to combine.

2. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan - or air fryer - until golden, about 2-3 minutes. While they’re still warm, tip them straight into the dressing and stir. The heat helps them soak up all that olive oil, turning glossy and silky.

3. Put the cubed watermelon and avocado into a large mixing bowl with a good pinch of sea salt and plenty of cracked black pepper. Pour over about half of the dressing and toss to coat. Add the herbs and fold in gently.

4. Tip the salad onto a serving platter, or divide onto individual serving plates. Crumble over the feta in generous chunks, then spoon over the remaining dressing, scooping out all those glossy pine nuts. Finish with more cracked black pepper.

TIP: Save yourself from that slimy, yellow-film feta! If you portioned this down for one - like I did - pop the leftover feta in a small tub, cover with cold water and a pinch of salt. It’ll keep happily in the fridge for weeks.