Today’s recipe is a clementine and fennel salad with a zesty dill dressing — a light, sweet side salad that highlights the bright, citrus notes of clementine and the aromatic, anise-like flavour of fennel. Dill brings a fresh, herbaceous lift that pairs beautifully with citrus. With thinly sliced fennel the salad becomes a substantial, slaw-like accompaniment that works well with light summer dinners, shared lunches, picnics or alongside fish. It’s vegetarian, vegan and dairy-free, suitable for many diets.
Milestones in Blogging
This is post number one hundred and ninety-six on le petit oeuf, so the big two-hundred is approaching — a meaningful milestone for this blog. Those 196 posts add up to roughly 200,000 words and about 1,000 images. Alongside that output I write daily morning pages, a habit that is nearing its first anniversary and has produced nearly 365,000 words. That practice has been a mix of the painful, the joyous and the ordinary, and it has firmly shaped my creative routine.
It Doesn’t Matter What You Think
I’ve been thinking about Sartre’s idea that our lives are defined by what we do rather than by our inner intentions. Actions, not private thoughts, are what others see and judge. That idea has combined in my mind with teachings of Confucius that celebrate constant change and varied interactions rather than living on autopilot. Both perspectives point to a similar conclusion: disrupting habitual patterns through deliberate action leads to growth. It’s one thing to have ideas; it’s another to act on them.
How to Be a Better Food Writer and Photographer
My goal is to write about food and to photograph it well, so maintaining a routine of practice is essential. Still, routine doesn’t mean stagnation: I try to experiment with different approaches, techniques and styling so each shoot and each piece of writing moves me forward. Execution matters more than ideas alone — anyone can dream up a concept, but only action turns it into something real. By consciously changing small habits in my shoots and writing, I push my work to new standards and also change how I feel about myself.
That’s why I make an effort to vary props, lighting, composition and writing tone. Each small experiment informs the next one. These repeated, deliberate actions accumulate, improving both the work I share and my confidence in taking creative risks.
Summer Fennel Salad
The salad here is built around the contrast of crunchy fennel and bright clementine, tied together with a simple dill dressing. Dill’s fresh, slightly grassy flavour complements the sweet citrus, and the anise notes in raw fennel add an extra layer of interest. I imagine this salad served with dark rye bread and gravadlax for a meal that balances textures and flavours — a satisfying, light combination that’s easy to make and to share.
Clementine and Fennel Salad with a Zesty Dill Dressing
By Gavin Wren
Serves 4 as a side
Uses a knife, chopping board, bowl and a cup
Ingredients
1 bulb fennel, halved then thinly sliced
2 clementines, zested, peeled and each segment cut into 3 pieces
1 shallot, finely chopped
8 sprigs dill, fronds removed and chopped
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Combine the sliced fennel and clementine segments in a bowl. In a separate cup, whisk together the shallot, chopped dill, balsamic vinegar, rapeseed oil, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper until evenly combined. Drizzle the dressing over the fennel and clementines, toss lightly to coat, then taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve immediately and enjoy.