I had some dill left over from having made this soup the other day and it's impossible to have dill in the kitchen without thinking at some point of  gravad lax; this salad is, therefore, a kind of riff on that classic dish and its traditional accompaniment of dill and mustard sauce.

I roasted a little piece of salmon, but you could just as well poach or sauté it, or even buy one of those little packets of ready cooked salmon from the supermarket.

I wouldn't be tempted to use olive oil in the dressing - you want something neutral.

I shocked myself today. No, smart arse, not by standing on the scales or looking in the mirror - although that's just reminded me of the lovely moment in the 1968 movie Targets when Boris Karloff looks in the mirror and scares himself - it was because I was looking through the recipe archive and found that I hadn't ever included this humble but scrumptious offering.

I wouldn't normally bother writing about a cobbled together salad, but I really like this dressing I came up with and thought it worth a quick post.

On the other side of Rye Lane to the main entrance to Peckham Rye station, there's a little alleyway running alongside the railway bridge. Walk around the fruit and veg stall there and you'll find this place:

Saturday the 7th of  January 2012: a date that some cultural historians are already suggesting be ranked alongside such culinary landmarks as the publication of Elizabeth David's 'A Book of Mediterranean Food', the opening of the River Café, and the launch of Asda's 'Alex James Presents' range of cheeses. For it was on the morning of that very day, dear reader, that I published my first ever blog post.

While it's still probably a little too soon for any talk of a campaign to establish a national holiday, I hope that you'll allow me, meanwhile, to indulge in a moment or two of reflection. I apologise for the vulgarity and presumption. To quote P. G. Wodehouse:

If one or two skint people fancy a roast, they could be forgiven for assuming that beef is not an option; and, certainly, a hulking great joint of rib of beef (at £20 plus per kilo) is out of the question. In the past I've opted for a small joint of either rolled topside or silverside if I can get a small enough cut. From now on though, this will be my choice.

In September of last year Peckham got a wonderful new butchery - Flock & Herd. The owner is Charlie Shaw - who formerly worked at Mettricks of Glossop,  Drings of Greenwich and the Ginger Pig. A few weeks back, he introduced me to tri-tip - which I'd never had before. An expertly trimmed cut cost me just £6.07 for approximately 800g.

What in the wide, wide world of butchery, I hear you cry as one, is tri-tip? Well, to quote another alumnus of The Ginger Pig, Nathan Mills of The Butchery Ltd: