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The very best ploughman's salad

A sharing platter of the very best ploughman's salad

The very best ploughman's salad

Name: The very best ploughman's salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 32 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 thick slices sourdough (about 225g total; we used a seeded loaf); 2 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed or olive oil; 100g extra mature cheddar 25g grated and 75g cut into rough chunks; 4 eggs at room temperature; 2 Little Gem lettuces leaves separated and roughly torn; 12 cornichons halved lengthways; 12 English eating apple (such as Cox’s Orange Pippin), cored and finely sliced; 16 cherry tomatoes halved or quartered; 1 large red onion halved and finely sliced; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp English mustard; 1 tsp wholegrain mustard; 1 tbsp honey; 3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil

Cassie Best

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 12 mins

plus pickling

A star rating of 5 out of 5.8 ratingsRate

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Get all the best bits of a traditional British ploughman’s lunch in this generous sharing salad, including sharp cheddar, pickles, eggs and crisp apple

High-fibre

Vegetarian

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

2 thick slices sourdough

(about 225g total; we used a seeded loaf)
2 tsp cold-pressed rapeseed or olive oil
100g extra mature cheddar

25g grated and 75g cut into rough chunks
4 eggs

at room temperature
2 Little Gem lettuces

leaves separated and roughly torn
12 cornichons

halved lengthways
12 English eating apple

(such as Cox’s Orange Pippin), cored and finely sliced
16 cherry tomatoes

halved or quartered

For the quick pickled onions

1 large red onion

halved and finely sliced
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

For the honey-mustard dressing

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tsp English mustard
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tbsp honey
3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed or extra virgin olive oil

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Nutrition: Per serving

kcal997
fat44g
saturates5g
carbs110g
sugars5g
fibre8g
protein38g
salt1.92g

Method

step 1

For the pickled onions, put the sliced onion in a non-metallic bowl with the sugar, vinegar and ½ tsp sea salt. Toss well and set aside to pickle for at least 30 mins, or chill overnight. The onions should soften slightly and turn vivid pink.
step 2

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Tear or cut the sourdough into 2cm chunks, then toss with 2 tsp oil, a little black pepper and the grated cheddar. Spread the croutons out over a baking tray and roast for 10-12 mins, turning once or twice, until crisp and golden. Leave to cool on the tray so the melted cheese sets into crunchy shards around the croutons.
step 3

Cook the eggs in a pan of boiling water for 7 mins for jammy centres or up to 9 mins for hard-boiled. Drain and immediately plunge into a bowl of cold water until cool enough to handle. Peel and halve.
step 4

For the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl, then stir in a spoonful or two of the pickling liquid from the onions. Season well. Add the lettuce and cornichons to the bowl, tossing lightly to coat, then arrange on a large serving platter.
step 5

Arrange the halved eggs over the salad along with the cheddar chunks, apple slices, pickled onions and tomatoes. Scatter over the cheesy croutons and drizzle over any remaining dressing. Serve immediately while the croutons are crisp and the eggs are slightly warm.

Recipe tip

Ploughman’s picnic: Turn this salad into the best picnic sandwich by skipping the croutons and stuffing the salad mixture into crusty sourdough baguettes.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, August 2026

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A star rating of 5 out of 5.8 ratings

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