Recipe: Lentil salad with whipped goat’s cheese butter, by James Martin
This is a great dish either hot or cold

You can use any type of lentils you wish for this simple salad, says James Martin. The key is adding a touch of sherry vinegar, which cuts through the richness of the goat’s cheese butter. Dice all the vegetables nice and small as this will help them break down as the lentils cook. It is a great dish either hot or cold.
Ingredients: for the lentil salad
- 50g butter
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 shallot, peeled and diced
- ½ a carrot, diced
- ½ a celery stick, diced
- 50g bacon lardons
- ½ a leek, diced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 150g green lentils
- a few sprigs of thyme
- 300ml chicken stock
- 50ml red wine
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
- a small bunch of coriander, chopped
For the whipped goat’s cheese butter
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
- 100g goat’s butter, softened
- 200g soft goat’s cheese
- black pepper, to taste
- to serve: a few sprigs of coriander
Method
- Melt the butter in a large pan and add the garlic, shallot, carrot, celery, bacon, leek and spices.
- Cook for 1 minute before adding all the remaining ingredients for the lentil salad.
- Bring to the boil then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Whisk together the goat’s butter and cheese. Season with pepper.
- Spoon the lentils into bowls and dot with the goat’s cheese butter. Sprinkle with coriander.
Taken from Butter: Comforting, Delicious, Versatile by James Martin, published by Quadrille at £22. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £17.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Zohran Mamdani: the young progressive likely to be New York City's next mayor
In The Spotlight The policies and experience that led to his meteoric rise
-
The best film reboots of all time
The Week Recommends Creativity and imagination are often required to breathe fresh life into old material
-
'More must be done'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more