Two and a half bean salad

The boy has made us a bean salad for packed lunch tomorrow. It’s made from what he found in the cupboard and the remnants of the organic veg box. It’s good.

1 can cannellini beans

1 can borlotti beans

1 small can sweet corn

½ green pepper

½ cucumber

1 stick celery

1 large tomato

½ red onion

Handful coriander

Dressing

Equal parts olive oil & white vinegar

Mustard powder

Rock salt & white pepper

Dried oregano

The boy is making the salad, I'm doing the dressing. He rinses the beans and cleans the cans so they are ready for recycling. The Sunday play is on Radio 3 and he seems interested in it. He dices all of the vegetables and places half of them, along with half the bean mix, in two Tupperware boxes. Once mixed he adds the other half so he can keep it even without breaking the beans up.

He tears the coriander and adds it to our boxes, tossing gently.

I’d be tempted not to add the dressing until tomorrow morning, except that the beans will soak it up overnight. We both like our dressing on the sharp side and it will go well with the chalkiness of the beans. So ½ cup each of oil and vinegar with a heaped tsp of English mustard and ½ tsp dried oregano. Lots of salt as you want to keep it sharp and a sprinkle of pepper.

The boy is proud he’s made both our lunches, and so he should be – it will be really good. Filling from the beans and mouth-watering from the dressing.