This is a hearty starter, which you can dress down or up by adding or subtracting ingredients — or otherwise serve it full-house as a lovely summer main meal for four.

I'm fond of using smoked fish or meat because the smokey flavours add a whole new dimension to all dishes. It's also an accommodating flavour which sits well with a variety of other flavours and ingredients.

I like to mix sweet and smokey flavours, which is why we are using honey to bring out the delicate taste of smoked chicken flavours in today's recipe.

To serve four generous portions you need:

Ingredients:

• 4 filleted and smoked chicken breasts sliced


• Four rashers of bacon, crispy fried and chopped into small pieces


• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved


• ½ red pepper, thinly sliced


• 1 ripe but firm avocado, peeled and sliced into cubes


• 8 peppadews, coarsely chopped


• 1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped


• Lemon or lime juice and olive oil


• Black pepper and salt for the dressing


• Four small helpings of mixed green leaves

Instructions:

Toss all the ingredients together lightly with the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl and set side.

Special dill mayonnaise:

In a mixing bowl mix the juice of one lemon, one teaspoon Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of runny honey, one tablespoon of finely chopped dill and ¾ cup mayonnaise.

Divide the salad into four portions and spoon the mayonnaise over the salad portions.

Footnote: You can add freshly ground nuts, slices of fruit such as apple or pear, baby potatoes and even chopped hard-boiled egg to this dish if you want to expand it to a main meal.