For a last taste of summer, before we dust off the slow cooker and pull on autumn sweaters, try this zingy, bright salad. It makes a lovely lunch or a super side for a late summer barbecue.

Serves 4 as a main

750g salad or new potatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea or kosher salt
220g green beans, trimmed, cut crosswise into halves or thirds
4 large eggs, boiled, peeled and cut into halves or quarters
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 a medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
Small bunch of chives, chopped
black pepper
50g thinly sliced Sweet Pink Onions (or you could use thinly sliced spring onions)

Dressing
Medium bunch packed basil leaves (20g bag)
Small bunch packed tarragon leaves (1/2 20g bag) strip the leaves from the thicker stems
Small bunch packed dill (1/2 20g bag)
2 garlic crushed cloves
2 teaspoons capers, drained
1/2 teaspoon fine sea or kosher salt
150ml plain yoghurt (fat free or normal)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (more if needed to taste)

For the salad;
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the green beans to the boiling water for the last two minutes to lightly cook them until they’re bright green and tender but still crisp (or steam them above the potatoes if you have a steamer). Drain both and run under cold water to stop them cooking.

For the dressing;
Add the herbs, garlic, capers, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and yoghurt to a food processor, and blend until smooth. Slowly add the lemon juice, blend again then taste. Add more seasoning and lemon juice according to your taste.

Let’s put it all together;
In a large serving dish combine the potatoes, green beans, cucumber and fennel and half the dressing, toss and season with some pepper. Mix through the Sweet Pink Onions (or spring onions) and arrange the eggs on top. Finally dress the salad with the chopped chives and a bring of black pepper over the eggs.

There will be dressing left over. Either thin with a little more lemon juice and serve in a jug for people to drizzle over their salad or refrigerate for up to 5 days.

The flavours will blend over the next two hours and the colours will still be bright and zingy, but you can refrigerate for up to two days.