blown to the ground by autumn winds as they mature. You may even have a tree in your garden. If not, you should find them for sale at a quality greengrocers. Here’s a way of adding them whole to an autumn salad.

YOU WILL NEED One big handful of cobnuts ½ oz (10g) butter One chicken breast cut into strips One rasher of bacon grilled until crisp Two outer leaves of a sweetheart cabbage as a container and two leaves chopped very fine.

Four spring onions chopped small One red eating apple chopped small, with skin still on One clove of garlic chopped fine Few sprigs of parsley chopped fine Handful of rocket leaves — half for salad, half for garnish Flour to dust chicken pieces Olive oil and juice of half a lemon for dressing Salt and freshly-ground black peppercorns to season.

METHOD Shell the cobnuts and place them in a small frying pan with the butter and gently cook over a medium heat until they begin to brown. Remove and set to one side.

Grill bacon rasher until crunchy, chop small and set to one side.

Finely slice the cabbage leaves.

Chop the apple into very small pieces.

Chop the onions and parsley small.

Cut the chicken into strips, sprinkle with seasoned flour and fry with a little olive oil until brown, adding the chopped garlic to the pan halfway through.

Place the cabbage, onions, parsley and apple into a bowl with rocket, sprinkle with olive oil and the juice of half a lemon (1/3 lemon juice, 2/3 oil). Add seasoning and toss together until well mixed.

Spoon this mix into the cabbage leaf container, then garnish with chicken slices and bacon bits and a little parsley. Add a little rocket on the side as extra garnish.

Sprinkle the cobnuts on top.

Serve with slices of crunchy wholemeal bread and butter as a light lunch.