Ingredients

• 500 g pumpkin or squash, cut into chunks
• 225 g halloumia block rather than pre-sliced
• 80 g rocket or mixed peppery leaves
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honeyover the cheese, never the leaves; sweet rocket tastes like pudding
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 tsp fine salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. 01

   Roast the pumpkin

   Heat the oven to 220 C / 200 C fan. Toss the 500 g pumpkin chunks with 1 tbsp of the olive oil, the salt and pepper, and spread on a tray with space between the pieces. Roast for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until dark and blistered at the edges and completely tender.

   500 g pumpkin or squash, cut into chunks · 2 tbsp olive oil

2. 02

   Make the dressing and use it hot

   Whisk the cider vinegar, 1 tsp Dijon, the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and a squeeze of the lemon. Spoon half of it over the pumpkin the moment it comes out of the oven, while the tray is still sizzling. Hot vegetables absorb dressing, cold ones just get wet.

   1 tsp cider vinegar · 2 tbsp olive oil

   Dress the pumpkin hotOut of the oven it is open and thirsty. Ten minutes later the dressing just pools.

3. 03

   Toast the seeds

   Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, shaking often, until they start to pop and smell nutty. Tip them out straight away.

   2 tbsp pumpkin seeds

4. 04

   Sear the halloumi

   Pat the halloumi slices completely dry. Heat the same pan over medium-high for a minute, add the halloumi dry or with the barest film of oil, and leave it untouched for 2-3 minutes until a deep golden crust forms and it releases easily. Turn and repeat. Moving it early tears the crust off.

   225 g halloumi

   Dry the halloumiStraight from the packet it is wet with brine, and wet cheese steams rather than sears.

   Let it release itselfIf it sticks when you lift it, the crust has not formed. Wait.

5. 05

   Warm the chilli honey

   Warm the honey with the chilli flakes in a small pan over low heat for under a minute, just until loose and fragrant.

   2 tbsp honey · 1/2 tsp chilli flakes

6. 06

   Build the salad

   Spread the 80 g leaves on a platter, add the pumpkin, then the hot halloumi. Drizzle the chilli honey over the cheese only, spoon the remaining dressing over the leaves, and finish with the toasted seeds and black pepper. Serve while the halloumi is still squeaky-crisp.