I’ve had a hankering for Waldorf salad for a week now. I don’t know where it’s come from but I reckon as a lunchtime meal it’s a much better alternative, for me, to sarnies but it a little more filling than a plain old salad.

But as usual I want more!! and in order to elevate this from Waldorf to My Waldorf I’ve added in some dried fruit and blue cheese to pimp it up a little. My rationale behind this is that at Xmas I love Stilton, walnuts and grapes and apple with a little port so I reckon I can’t go far wrong adding in some celery (also great with cheese) and Mayo.

So last night I made a load of mini versions (imagine The Taste but with me as both cook and Nigella) trying to perfect my perfect version. I prefer a lighter mayo dressing and love the idea of grapes AND Raisins so ended up with these. I even tried a little ham in one version which wasn’t bad, but just wasn’t Waldorf!!

So here you are….my blue cheese Waldorf salad…

Ingredients

• 2 sticks of celery – finely sliced
• 2 small sweet apples (i used cox) sliced thinly too
• a handful of grapes (halved lengthwise) and a handful of dried fruit
• a sweet gem lettuce leaves torn into bite-size morsels
• as much blue cheese as you can handle (I used St Agur) less is more in this recipe
• 2 tbs mayonnaise
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• handful of walnut halves
• Salt & Pepper

Method

In a bowl mix the mayo, the lemon juice and salt & pepper till you create an emulsion

Next slice your celery, apple and grapes

Add in your sliced fruit n Veg together with the dried fruit and toss till fully covered.

If eating immediately add in the walnuts, blue cheese and torn leaves and toss before serving

if eating later then leave out the leaves and just toss in 1/2 the blue cheese and walnuts and leave till needed.  Then when ready add in the leaves, the rest of the walnuts and cheese and serve

Seriously this salad is tart, but creamy.  Low in carb yet filling.  savoury yet sweet.

In short its FLABULOUS!!