Peaches, basil and lime and chili marinated feta

I once had basil flavored ice cream in a high-end restaurant, it came served in a perfect quenelle, balanced above a blushing peach half and topped with lime zest. It was incredible. That was the beginning of my love affair with peaches and basil. I love blurring the lines of sweet and savory, perhaps that’s why I love this salad so much, it does it so well, and you won’t be saddened to have tried it too.

Ingredients

• 150 g good quality feta
• Zest and juice from 2 limes
• 50 ml Neolea extra virgin olive oil
• 4 red chilis, seeds removed and finely sliced
• 8 ripe peaches
• 20 g basil, leaves only
• 4 tbsp Neolea extra virgin olive oil 
• 1 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• Cress and micro herbs to serve

Instructions

• Open the feta and place it in a small dish, minus the liquid. Zest the limes over the top and squeeze the juice out. Add the chopped chili and olive oil to the dish, cover and set in the fridge to marinate for at least 2 hours.
• Once the feta has had its marinating time you can begin making the rest of the salad.
• Slice the peaches in half and twist out the stones. You can quarter some of them and leave some as halves, I like the combination of shapes and sizes in my salad. 
• In a mixing bowl, add the peaches, olive oil, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, the basil leaves and half of the marinating juices from the feta dish. Season everything with some salt and pepper, and taste.
• Serve the salad on large plates, crumble some feta over the top and garnish with some cress or micro herbs.