Berry platter with sheep’s labneh and orange oil

This can double up as a light dessert or as a brunch centrepiece. You can make your own labneh, but it requires draining the yogurt for a good 24 hours, or you can make everything easily on the day using shop-bought labneh or some Greek-style yogurt mixed with a little double cream. The berries you use are totally up to you, depending on what’s good and not too expensive. You can use fewer types, or some frozen berries, if you like, especially for those which get blitzed in the recipe. You’ll make more oil than you need; store it in a glass jar to drizzle over salads or lightly cooked vegetables.

SERVES 6

PREPARATION TIME 25 minutes, plus draining and infusing COOKING TIME About 7 minutes

900g sheep’s yogurt, or cow’s yogurt as an alternative 100ml good-quality olive oil 10g lemon thyme sprigs, plus a few extra picked thyme leaves to serve

1 orange: finely shave the skin to get 6 strips

200g blackberries

250g raspberries

300g strawberries, hulled and halved lengthways (or quartered if they’re larger)

50g caster sugar

1 lime: finely grate the zest to get 1tsp, then juice to get 1tbsp

200g blueberries 150g cherries, pitted

1 Put the yogurt and ½tsp salt into a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Line a colander with a piece of muslin large enough to hang over the sides and put the colander over a bowl. Transfer the yogurt to the muslin and fold over the sides to completely encase the yogurt. Put a heavy weight over the muslin (a few tins or jars will do), and transfer to the fridge to drain for at least 24hr (and up to 48).

2 Meanwhile, put the oil into a small saucepan, for which you have a lid, on medium heat. Heat gently for about 7min, or until tiny air bubbles form. Remove from the heat, add the thyme and orange strips, then cover with a lid

and leave to infuse, ideally overnight, though 30min will also do the job.

3 The next day, put 50g blackberries, 100g raspberries and 100g strawberries into the small bowl of a food processor along with the sugar and lime juice and blitz until completely smooth. Put all the remaining berries and the cherries into a large bowl along with the blitzed fruit and gently combine. You can serve it straight away or leave it in the fridge for a few hours, bringing it back to room temperature before serving.

4 Spread the labneh out on a large platter. Spoon over the berries, then sprinkle with lime zest. Drizzle with 2tbsp of the infused oil, along with a couple of the orange strips and the extra picked thyme leaves.