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Sprouted beans, grains and lentils may sound a bit ‘knit your own yoghurt', but it’s worth doing as they can add an interesting, crunchy element to salads and are highly nutritious, being rich in vitamins and minerals and containing high-quality protein.

Sprouting is easy to do. All you need is a jar (a big coffee jar is ideal), a piece of muslin or J cloth to go over the top, secured with an elastic band, and some beans or seeds. Most types are suitable, with the exception of red kidney beans and large beans like butter beans. Good ones to use are chickpeas, whole lentils, sunflower seeds, mung beans, aduki beans. Or you can buy some ready-made mixes of seeds and beans, which take the same amount of time to sprout.

Put half a cupful of your chosen beans or seeds into your jar, cover with cold water and leave to soak for 8–12 hours. Put the piece of muslin or J cloth over the top of the jar. Then drain off the water, fill the jar with fresh water, swish it round and then pour it all out again. All this can be done without removing the muslin or J cloth, which prevents the seeds or beans falling out. This rinsing has to be repeated twice a day, to keep the seeds damp (but they mustn’t be left soaking in water or they’ll rot rather than sprout). When I’m sprouting seeds, I keep them by the sink to remind me about the rinsing. They’re ready when they’re grown a little tail – usually in 2–4 days. They can be used straight away, added to salads and sandwiches, or kept in the fridge for several days.