Karen Wright: Try this healthy nicoise salad to get your taste buds tingling!

For a couple of reasons, I have a real spring in my step this week. Firstly, I have had my second COVID jab, and secondly, the Prime Minister has announced the next phase in our way out of lockdown.

This means we can soon welcome visitors into our home. Our little grandchildren live far away and some of our friends and family have yet to meet the baby, who is now 15 months old!

Speaking of family, we have a 90th birthday in July and we are planning a garden party celebration. So six of us gathered in my cousin Janet’s garden to make plans.

It was just fabulous to be in company again and now we have a brilliant party organised – something to look forward to.

I have been on cake-making duties again this week, working on a cake project for the Caravan and Motorhome Club. It was a lot of fun and it worked out really well. Then Wakefield Hospice asked if I could make a cake for them to celebrate International Nursing Day, which as I write is work in progress.

You may be wondering how my healthy eating and weight loss is going? I have managed to stay on plan for three weeks and the scales are moving in the right direction.

Of course, it’s so important to ensure you have wonderful meals to look forward to, otherwise it is so easy to lose motivation.

There are so many filling and low-fat foods that can be eaten without restriction and I base my meals around them as plate fillers, and then add the ingredients that we like to eat, but need to be more aware of, at the end.

This platter of nicoise salad is a great example – tomatoes, cucumber, onions, green beans, eggs and tuna as a base. Then baby potatoes, anchovies and olives as the extras. Of course, I like a salad dressing too, so I add a tablespoon of vinaigrette to set the taste buds tingling.

The south of France on a plate and a healthy meal.

For more tips and recipes go to http://www.karenwrightbakes.co.uk