Summer is a great time to experiment making new salads. You really can’t go wrong – some baby spinach, fresh tomato, avocado, pine nuts and topping of the day! Here is one of the salads I made over the holiday break, mentioned in my Staycation post, which I promised I would post! I hope you enjoy! x

Serves 4 – 6

Preheat oven to 200C

Simply cook a piece of venison roast with some pumpkin and herbs of your choice – for approximately 20 minutes (depending on size of meat and pumpkin pieces).  A great tip when cooking with meat like venison is to rinse off completely before cooking as it helps get rid of the gamey / metallic flavour a lot of people taste. My personal favourite company in New Zealand is Silver Fern Farms – the quality is fantastic!

In a medium sized salad bowl mix together: baby spinach, baby rocket, a handful of pine nuts and sunflower seeds, and fresh basil leaves. Hand mix all the elements together and set aside.

Once the venison and pumpkin are ready and slightly cooled, add to salad bowl and top with crumbled blue cheese. I personally don’t add any dressing as find the venison and blue cheese full of flavour! The salad goes great with homemade crostini or pita chips!

Enjoy! x