Cannellini, Celery and Carrot Salad

An interesting salad of the three 'c's. This started as a basic beans and herb salad which is a great standby and makes frequent appearances in lunchboxes as a source of carbohydrate comfort. It is true that if you soak and cook your own beans they will taste better but I find that tins of Italian cannellini's in nothing but water are very good in salads like this. I always have some in the cupboard.

So I started out with the idea of simple salad then decided it would be interesting to add some texture, a little crunch and colour to brighten up a rainy day. I had both celery and carrots in the fridge and that seemed like enough. I chopped them into roughly the same size as the beans - appearance adds such pleasure to simple dishes sometimes. Then added masses of herbs and oil and lemon and ended up with a triumph in under five minutes. Who could ask for more?

Cannellini, Celery and Carrot Salad

2 x 400g tins of cannellini beans, drained and thoroughly rinsed

2 medium sized carrots, peeled and chopped to about the size of the beans

3 stalks of celery, washed and cut to about the size of the carrots and beans

About a cup of chopped herbs, use what you have/like I tend to include some of the following - flat leaf parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme and tarragon, finely chopped

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Stir the vegetables and herbs through the beans then add oil, juice and seasoning. Mix thoroughly and check it tastes fabulous.

Will keep for a few days quite happily in the fridge.