THE LETTUCE

Crisp, crunchy and cool cos is the foundation. Baby cos is sweet and retains its crunch once it’s dressed, but lettuce with a bit more age has more flavour. Caesar Cardini is said to have left the leaves whole so diners could readily eat the salad with their fingers; if you’re not feeling quite so Douglas Fairbanks-on-a-longweekend, tear it into fork-friendly pieces.