This has to be one of my all time favourite rice dishes. It was published in 1993 by Delia Smith in her ‘Summer Collection’ cookery book and has totally stood the test of time. I have changed it slightly over the years and this is the one I serve today. It’s great with BBQ meats like chicken, chops, pork strips or sausages.

You will need…

• 275ml red rice
• 1 pint of boiling water
• 200g feta cheese
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
• Dressing: 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed; 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp grain mustard, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 10 turns of black pepper.

To make…

• Cook the rice in a lidded frying pan in the boiling water and a teaspoon of salt. Bring it up to a simmer, put the lid on and cook for about half an hour. Turn off the heat and allow the rice to absorb all of the water so all the grains are plump and separate.
• Make the dressing and when the rice is barely warm, mix in the dressing.
• Put the rice into a serving dish and top with crumbled feta and chopped spring onions. If I have chopped fresh chives or fresh coriander available, I add that sometimes to ring the changes.