Prepare the Onion: Peel the red onion and slice it as thinly as you possibly can. A mandoline is excellent for this, but a sharp knife works just fine. Place the sliced onion in your large salad bowl.

Macerate the Onion: Sprinkle the onion with a large pinch of salt (about 1/2 tsp) and the 30ml of red wine vinegar. Give it a gentle toss with your hands, slightly massaging the onions. Set aside for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the other vegetables. I find this is the single most important step for a perfect onion flavour in salads.

Prepare the Cucumber: Wash the cucumber. You can peel it completely, leave it unpeeled for extra colour and texture, or create stripes by peeling alternating strips (my favourite method). Chop it into bite-sized chunks, about 2cm thick, and add it to the bowl with the onions.

Prepare the Tomatoes: Wash the cherry tomatoes and slice them in half. Add them to the salad bowl.

Add the Herbs: Add the roughly chopped fresh parsley and the dried oregano to the bowl.

Make the Dressing: In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the 60ml of extra virgin olive oil, the remaining 1 tsp of sea salt, the black pepper, and the optional caster sugar. The sugar just helps to round out the sharpness of the vinegar.

Dress the Salad: Screw the lid on the jar and shake vigorously for about 15-20 seconds until the dressing emulsifies and looks slightly creamy. Pour this over the vegetables in the bowl.

Toss and Rest: Use salad servers to gently toss everything together until all the vegetables are lightly coated in the dressing. For the best flavour, allow the salad to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before serving. This gives the ingredients a chance to get acquainted.