Italian rice salad (Insalata di riso)

1. Cook the rice in plenty of boiling salted water, like pasta, for the time on the packet (about 15 minutes), until tender but with the grains still whole; drain, rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.

2. Hard-boil the eggs for 9 minutes, cool in cold water, peel and cut into wedges.

3. Dice the ham, emmental and gherkins, slice the olives into rings, drain the sweetcorn and peas, and flake the tuna with a fork.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cooled rice with the ham, cheese, gherkins, olives, sweetcorn, peas and tuna.

5. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, season with salt and toss well.

6. Chill for at least 1 hour and garnish with the egg wedges when serving.

Tip: A favourite for Italian summer beach days; always rinse and drain the rice well so the grains stay separate - you can also make it with the ready-made pickled vegetable mix ("condiriso") sold in Italian shops.