There is nothing worse than a boring bowl of green leaves served at a table with a meal. I like to add some crunchy vegetables to it and I have a trick to let you make this ahead so the lettuce doesn’t wilt even though you prepared it a couple of hours ago!

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Buy lettuces that look bright, firm and crisp, with leaves that are not starting to brown at the edges and show no sign of slime or insect damage. Although lettuces are available virtually year-round, home-grown ones are at their best throughout the summer. Whole leaves attached to the butt of the lettuce will keep much longer than broken, chopped and washed leaves.

Store most lettuces loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. However, once wilted, lettuce will not recover even in the fridge. Most need to be used within a couple of days, although a few such as Iceberg and Little Gem can be kept up to a week. All salad leaves, whether bought or picked, will perk up after being soaked in cold water for a couple of hours before using. But don’t forget to dry them really well. Pre-packaged bags of lettuce leaves must be used quickly once opened as the leaves quickly spoil. Lettuces are unsuitable for freezing.

When preparing whole lettuces, discard any wilted outer leaves and gently wash and dry thoroughly on a clean tea towel or in a salad spinner. Lettuce is mostly eaten raw as part of a salad or as a garnish. It’s also added to sandwich fillings. In summer, when they are plentiful or you have a glut in the garden, use them in a creamy soup or braise them as a vegetable accompaniment.

To prevent decay, many pre-packed bags of salad leaves are soaked in a chlorine solution that removes most of the nutrient value and flavour. Look for organic bags of lettuce and/or those washed in spring water instead. Bags of prepared salads are also filled with MAP (Modified Atmosphere Packaging), a process whereby oxygen is removed in order to stop the leaves browning. Once the bags are opened, the leaves will wilt quickly.

More lettuce recipes

Chicken meatballs

Chicken and chorizo burgers with slaw

Bombay fish finger sandwich with tomato Caesar salad

Air fryer classic burger

Lettuce wraps with miso pork

Grilled halloumi and chutney wraps

Chilli salad bowls

Vegan hot ‘honey’ tempeh tacos

Falafel burger

Easy chicken fajitas

Prawn lettuce cups

Oven-cooked chicken shawarma

Beetroot, walnut and orange salad

How to cook mushrooms

Chicken pasta salad

Easy Caesar salad

Mary's classic Caesar salad

Croziflette baked pasta with blue cheese and croutons

Salad verte with croûtons

Whole baked sea bass

Warm salad of pancetta, sweet potato and Brussels sprouts

Smoky roast carrot burgers

One-pan pastitsio

Lamb burgers with mint mayo and tomato relish

Buyer's guide

Storage

Preparation

Other considerations

Varieties of lettuce

Butterhead lettuce

Cos lettuce

Iceberg lettuce

Little Gem lettuce

Mesclun

Typically made with lettuce

Salad

Other leaf vegetable

Chard

Chicory

Cress

Kale

Rocket

Spinach

Spring greens

Swiss chard

Watercress

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