Serves 4

• 220g pearl barley
• 2 cups vegetable stock

For the dressing

• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp honey
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper

For the salad

• 3 sticks celery, chopped
• 400g smoked peppered mackerel, shredded
• 100g pecan nuts, toasted & roughly chopped
• Sea salt & pepper
• 2 red apples, thinly sliced (we used Pink Lady)
• Fresh nasturtiums
• Micro herbs to garnish

1 Place the pearl barley in a sieve, rinse well under running water.
2 Place barley in a medium pot, add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30–40 minutes, or until cooked and soft. Remove and set aside.
3 For the dressing: Place the garlic in a bowl, stir in honey and vinegar and whisk in olive oil; season. Pour half the dressing over the warm barley and season well, stir to combine.
4 For the salad: Toss together the celery, mackerel and nuts, add the barley and the remaining dressing, stir well to combine. Season.
5 To serve: Serve sliced apples with the barley salad and garnish with nasturtium flowers and micro herbs.

Words and image: Fairlady magazine