To serve 4 you will need:

• 4 skinless, boneless, finest Scottish or freshly farmed salmon fillets, weighing around 6 oz, 150g, each. Salmon fillets are readily available from the fish counter of most supermarkets.
• 2 oz, or 3 tbsps, of butter or margarine.
• salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• fresh chopped fennel, or freshly chopped parsley to garnish.

to serve with the salmon:

• A large loaf of fresh crusty white bread.
• a whole cucumber.
• 1 lb, 450g, cherry tomatoes.
• 1 12 oz, 350g, bag of ready prepared green leaf salad.
• a bottle of vinaigrette dressing, (optional).

1. Set the oven to Gas Mark 5, 375 f, 190 c, 160 fan.
2. Line a large, deep-sided roasting tin with baking foil.
3. Wipe the salmon fillets with dampened kitchen paper to clean them and lay them in the tin in a single layer.
4. Dot them all over with the butter, sprinkle with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and cover the top of the tin with foil.
5. When the oven has reached its temperature, bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the salmon is soft when tested with a fork.
6. While you are waiting, slice a loaf of fresh, crusty bread, allowing 2 or 3 slices per person, and spread it with a nice thick layer of butter, then arrange it on a serving dish.
7. Slice some cherry tomatoes, and cucumber and open a bag of prepared green leaf salad and arrange all your salad ingredients in individual side salad bowls.
8. When the salmon is cooked, using a fish slice, Transfer the fillets on to warm, large, serving plates, sprinkle with fennel or chopped parsley and take them to the table.

Serve with the crusty bread, drizzle a little vinaigrette dressing over the side salad, and serve your meal with a bottle of chilled white wine.

For dessert, why not try a ready made, chilled tiramisu?