Spring salad under the cherry blossoms

Last year, a tradition started - though to be fair, the Japanese have been doing it for centuries - of a picnic under the cherry blossoms. Then, we bought lots of lovely things from the deli next to Victoria Park and drank sangria. This time I wanted to make something to welcome the Spring, as she's been so kind to me already this year

Vietnamese Spring rolls instantly sprung to mind (excuse the pun), but in the end I decided that it was going to take me too long to source the ingredients. We knew the sunshine was a gift, one that could disappear at any time, so we were all trying to get to the park as speedily as possible

So I took all the stuff I love about Vietnamese Spring rolls and made it into a Spring Salad. It literally took 5min to grate the carrot and cucumber, make the dressing, and toss it all together, so it's the perfect salad for a spur-of-the-moment picnic when you're desperate to catch a few precious rays 

Ingredients (serves 5-6 as a snack)

Rice noodles, cooked and cooled (aprox 400g)

Cucumber, grated

2 carrots, finely grated

2 green chillies, chopped

Peanuts (as many as you like), toasted on dry frying pan

Bunch of coriander, chopped

3 Tblsp fish sauce

Juice of 1 lime

The sangria has quickly become an obligatory part of proceedings. Cherry blossom picnic wouldn't be the same without it. Even when it starts getting chilly and you're wrapped in blankets, the sangria reminds you why you are here - the Summer's coming