Ingredients

• Sweet potato
• Carrot x 2
• Spinach (3 handfuls)
• Feta (50g)
• Olives (5 or 6)
• Seeds of half a pomegranate
• Pumpkin seeds (a small handful)
• Cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp)
• Cinnamon (1/2 tsp)
• Olive oil (roughly 1 tbsp)
• Cider vinegar
• Parsley
• Salt and pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C. Whilst the oven is warming up, peel the sweet potato and carrots, and cut into 2cm cubes. Put the pieces on an oven tray and sprinkle with the cayenne pepper and cinnamon. Drizzle with olive oil, and then use your hands to turn the vegetables until each piece is well coated with both oil and spices.

Into the oven they go for roughly 30 minutes – or until both the sweet potato and carrot are soft. You can check this by piercing a piece of each with a fork, leaving them to cool for a moment or two and then eating. Any crunch and they need a little longer in the oven. Ideally, after 30 minutes at least a few pieces will have become browned in places, creating a lovely chewy casing.

Use this roasting time to wash the spinach thoroughly, and take out the pink seeds of your pomegranate. Halve the pomegranate and use a small spoon to scrape out the seeds, or simply use your fingers to break out chunks and brush the seeds off (my preferred method) into a bowl. Then chop the feta into small cubes, slice the olives (not too thin) and whisk together your vinegar, olive and parsley (chopped using the kitchen scissors) in a small glass.

There should still be time to toast the pumpkin seeds. Place these in a dry, non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Give them an occasional shake to prevent sticking and toast until they start to crackle. I tend to toast lots at once to have a good supply for future salads or mueslis.

Finally, assemble your dish. Put the spinach in a bowl, throw in a couple of spoonfuls of the roasted vegetables (the rest you can save in the fridge for another day), add the feta, olives, pumpkin seeds, and last of all the pomegranate. Drizzle over your dressing, sprinkle with salt (a little) and pepper (as much as you like) and gently toss. Delicious and warming.