North Canterbury food and wine belong on the table together – and food has always been in abundance since farmers seeking large expanses of pasture settled here in the 19th century. The region is surrounded by fields, farms, market gardens, truffières, rivers, coastlines and vineyards – an environment that allows different foods to grow naturally and appear on our plates all year round.

This Pearl Barley Salad is a simple springtime dish that heroes North Canterbury organic and biodynamic grain producers, Milmore Downs.

Pair this delicate and zesty dish with The Boneline’s fresh, lemony and citrus flavoured Hellblock Riesling.

1 cup Milmore Downs pearl barley
1⁄2 head of raw cauliflower thinly sliced Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and cracked pepper to taste Handful of fresh mint leaves
2 cloves raw garlic
4 oranges
2 Tbsp sumac
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Handful of roughly chopped
flat leaf parsley

In a large pot of salted water, cook your pearl barley as you would pasta. This will probably take around 30 minutes – you want a firm bite, but not crunchy. Drain.

Once cooked, set the barley aside to cool. Once at a cooler temperature, add your cauliflower, lemon zest, olive oil, salt and pepper, mint and garlic. Keep the mint leaves whole, and use a microplaner for your garlic.

Give this a good mix and taste as you go. You will probably need more salt than you think. Peel and thinly slice your oranges. As you mix these in, add your sumac and cinnamon. When you are happy with the flavour, gently mix the parsley through before you serve.

This salad can easily keep in fridge for a couple of days. Be sure to serve at room temperature.

PEARL BARLEY SALAD