This is a fresh tasting and delicious salad. It would fit into a selection of salads or could be a stand alone dish when served with a little labne. It would be a good accompaniment for roast or grilled lamb or chicken.

Preheat oven to 180c. If necessary peel the carrots, otherwise scrub until spotlessly clean. If the carrots are large they can be cut at an angle into 1 cm thick slices. Very small carrots can be left whole or medium carrots can be halved lengthways. Toss the prepared carrots in the olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and place on a roasting tray in a single layer. Roast for c 20 minutes until tender but not soft. Remove from the oven to cool slightly.

While the carrots are roasting, drain the chickpeas of their liquid and rinse well. Place in a bowl and add the cumin, olive oil, coriander, lemon zest and juice, pomegranate molasses and chilli flakes. Season with salt, pepper and sugar and mix well. Taste to ensure that seasoning is accurate and delicious.

When the carrots have cooled to tepid, mix them into the chickpeas and stir with a flexible spatula. Have one final taste to check seasoning.

Note, If using dried chickpeas, place in a deep bowl and cover generously with cold water. Place in a fridge and allow to soak overnight. Next day strain and discard the soaking water and place the chickpeas in a saucepan covered with fresh cold water. Bring to a gentle boil and cover with a lid. Simmer the chickpeas until tender. The cooking time can range for 30 minutes to 1 hour. The chickpeas should be completely tender. When cooked allow to cool completely. You will just be using the cooked peas in this recipe but the cooking liquid can be reserved and used as a vegetable stock.