Choppy Salad? (On a Sunday Roast)

[DurhamDales]

Since moving to the NE I’ve discovered many eating establishments serve something they call a ‘choppy salad’ along side a Sunday Roast.

It looks like bits of lettuce and onion floating around in a minty liquid. What is it? And does it not make your roasties and Yorkshire pudding go soggy?

I'm in the North East and have no idea what that is.

It’s wet salad!! And it’s delicious! My grandparents served it on Sundays - Yorkshire pudding with peas, wet salad and gravy first, like a starter, then the meat and veg afterwards (Yorkshire’s fill you up so you eat less meat).

it’s made with spring onions, lettuce, mint and vinegar. I love it!

Yuk

I've lived in the North East my whole life and never heard of it!
Is it not like mint sauce?

We have thin slices of onion and cucumber in vinegar, no mint, but only with roast beef, no other meats. We call it Yorkshire salad. It tastes amazing.

Heard of it called Durham Salad- very specific to areas such as Crook, Cassop, Kelloe (would be interested exactly where you’ve moved to OP). If you Google Durham Salad you will find some info.

My Nan used to make a Yorkshire salad from lettuce, spring onions, mint and dressed with a little malt vinegar. Served with lamb, it was delicious.
We are from Yorkshire btw.

Wet salad/Yorkshire salad

https://steenbergs.co.uk/blog/recipe-for-yorkshire-salad

I'm in the south and never heard of it, a quick Google has enlightened me! I can imagine it's nice with lamb because of the mint? I'd definitely give the choppy / Yorkshire salad a go!

Well fancy that. Every day's a school day on MN.

I really want to try this.

I shall have to give it a try! I can’t imagine putting it on my Yorkshire pudding though…

Never heard of it it sounds nice.

I LOVE vinegar so although your description sounds ghastly, I reckon it's right up my street 😂

My mum (from Brixton) used to finely chop lettuce & then sprinkle over a teaspoon of sugar & some malt vinegar. It was really good, crunchy & sharp, and sounds to be very similar. We had it with bread & butter at Sunday teatime though, not with a roast.

I grew up in the North East and have never heard of it! It sounds quite area specific from previous replies

We had similar in Yorkshire. Onions and cucumbers in vinegar served with Yorkshires, gravy and piccalilli as a starter.

It’s mint sauce diluted with extra vinegar, with chopped lettuce and onion mixed in, and sometimes finely chopped cucumber and tomato as well. You eat it in the same way as mint sauce on a roast dinner. My Gran used to make it.

It’s like mint sauce. Can just be onion in vinegar. Or lettuce too.
I like pickles with anything so it makes sense to me 😂

My mum used to make that loads when I was a kid. I'm from Somerset.

I’ve been in Yorkshire for over 40 years and never come across this. I hate hot and cold food on a plate though so it would be a no from me

My gran would do this, my mum would slice cucumber and drown it in vinegar to eat with bread and cheese.
I think my dad liked vinegar, he always had it on Brussels sprouts 😵‍💫

Same! I don't think it's a thing in Hartlepool 🤣

i'm born and bred S.W Durham and had this every Sunday dinner when I was a kid. Me Aunt N. who made the BEST Yorkshire puddings in the world did it best. Shredded lettuce & mint, scallions, sugar and vinegar. I used to call over on Sunday just before she served up and scoff a pud with the salad on and then ran home to get me dinner.

Sounds wrong just based on the description!