Heritage Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Basil Dressing

Wonderful, glorious, British tomatoes are what summer is all about as far as I'm concerned. In the month of August if there isn't a tomato in the house then there's something wrong. Big ones, small ones and funny shaped ones it doesn't matter I love them all. I have grown my own this year and am waiting for them to ripen at the moment but I was very lucky to have got my hands on some more unusual varieties.

When you are faced with such a selection of colours and shapes of tomatoes some can be quite astonishing. I was convinced that some fool had put a few large chillies into the crate and I decided to ignore them, until, on closer inspection they turned out indeed to be tomatoes. It was surprisingly nice to rummage through the crate of tomatoes not knowing what you might come across next and there's only one way to make the most of them.

You will need (for two):
A selection of tomatoes (don't refrigerate them)
1 ball mozzarella
Small handful basil
4-5tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Cut, slice and dice the tomatoes however you choose and arrange them on a plate. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and place on top. Put the basil into a blender with the olive oil and salt and pepper and blitz into an emerald sauce. Drizzle this over the top. The reason I said not to refrigerate tomatoes is because I heard it ruins their flavour and texture. After a little experimenting of my own I can confirm that unrefrigerated tomatoes are sweeter.

For something that takes ten minutes and involves no cooking you couldn't ask for something to deliver more on flavour. Not only was this a visual adventure it was also a taste expedition; the yellow was the sweetest and the green the most sour, the basil was subtle and the mozzarella creamy. If an adventure and expedition wasn't enough of a mouthful for you then don't worry, this meal also encompasses an exploration of textures. There were thick skins and thin skins, jelly like middles and firm, juicy middles. This was an immensely enjoyable meal, made better by the fact that no matter how hard you try it is inevitable that you will get tomato seeds and juice all over your chin.