Spinach is a valuable vegetable in dietary terms because of its high content of iron, and like many ingredients, it was originally used for medicinal purposes.

It is wonderful cooked on its own (and is notorious for shrinking greatly!) but it is also very versatile as an ingredient in other dishes, combining well with pastry, pasta and eggs.

In medieval times it was combined with honey, almonds and spices so perhaps the addition of nutmeg to spinach (which works so well) is a remnant of these practices.

The leaves of fresh young spinach are ideal for salads - they are such an attractive deep green colour and have a bitter-sweet taste. The vinaigrette in this salad is warm and it just begins to wilt the spinach - yum.

Spinach, Bacon and Avocado Salad Ingredients (serves 4) 250g fresh baby spinach 1 ripe avocado 100g nuts or seeds of your choice, lightly toasted 250g bacon, diced 1 bunch (7-8) spring onions 4 tbsp red wine (or raspberry) vinegar 6 tbsp olive oil Salt and pepper Method 1 Wash the spinach, shake off any excess water and place into your serving dish. Prepare the avocado by cutting it into halves, removing the stone and the skin and cutting into slices or chunks. Add to the salad bowl. Scatter over the nuts and/or seeds.

2 Fry off the bacon in a frying pan (no oil is necessary as there should be enough fat in the bacon). After a few minutes add the spring onions to the pan and continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and the onions begin to soften.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon and onions from the pan and add them to the salad bowl.

3 Add the vinegar to the pan - it will deglaze the pan and any sediment will add to the flavour of the dressing. When the vinegar has reduced by half, add the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss it at the table and serve immediately.

Notes 1 Avocado flesh discolours when exposed to air, so prepare at the last minute (or brush with lemon juice).

2 To toast nuts and seeds, plan them in a dry pan over a moderate heat. Keep the pan moving as they burn very quickly.

3 If you cannot find a commercial raspberry vinegar, simply infuse white wine vinegar with fresh raspberries. The vinegar will take on both the colour and flavour of the fruit. Apparently it used to be served with Yorkshire pudding after the meat!