How to cook Lettuce

Click apart as many leaves as you need for your dish, then make sure you wash and dry them thoroughly – salad spinners can be really useful for this. If using lettuce in a salad, add the dressing just before serving, to stop the leaves from getting too soggy and wilted. There are also some dishes that feature cooked lettuce – it has a lovely mild, delicate flavour when braised.

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WHAT IS LETTUCE?

Lettuce is a leafy vegetable from the asteraceae plant family. It’s usually eaten as part of a salad. There are dozens of varieties of lettuce, which all differ in taste, appearance and texture. Crisp types of lettuce include iceberg, romaine and cos; and softer varieties include round lettuce and little gem. The ancient Romans used lettuce for medicinal purposes – they ate it at the end of dinner to help calm their stomachs and make them drowsy. Emperor Augustus is said to have been cured of a serious illness by eating lettuce!

WHEN IS LETTUCE IN SEASON?

Lettuce is available all year round, but you can get seasonal British lettuce varieties from May to December.

HOW TO STORE LETTUCE

For maximum deliciousness, lettuce should be served as fresh as possible, so always buy lettuces that don’t show any signs of wilting. Keep in the fridge and use within a couple of days – crisp varieties can last a day longer if you click off any wilted outer leaves.

What are the health benefits?

Lettuce is a source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is needed for blood clotting, which means it helps wounds heal properly.