Blooming scrummy Pear salad with strawberries and primroses

The other day my husband was at some posh college dinner (I was invited as well but I don't "do" dinners any longer). My boys had their meals, and I fancied something light, meat-free and different. I had a look around the kitchen, and thus this Pear salad with strawberries and primroses was created.

Primroses in my garden grow like weeds. They have an irresistible charm, I love their sunny personality and the lack of pomposity. They are smiley, simple and proclaim spring to me more than any other flowers in the garden.
I've been reading that eating flowers was very popular in the 16th and 17th C but later went out of fashion apart from crystallising them to use as the cake decorations. Primroses certainly transform the dish like a salad, they might not have much of a taste themselves, but they give a pretty look to it. Plus they give you a natural health boost.

Pear salad with strawberries and primroses
Ingredients:
1 sweet juicy pear, sliced
4 strawberries, halved
a handful of toasted sunflower seeds
a small bunch of baby salad leaves
about 12 primrose flowers
1/2 medium courgette, sliced
2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp of crumbled blue cheese (I used Stilton)

All the quantities are approximate, as I wasn't measuring anything, just slicing and assembling the salad with whatever ingredients I fancied at the time, so on top of the scattered baby salad I put the slices of a juicy pear, courgette and strawberry halves which I mixed with the Greek yogurt and crumbled Stilton cheese. Add the sunflower seeds for a bit of texture and decorate with the primroses which you should soak first a bit in the water, just in case there are some tiny insects hiding there. I do appreciate that they are a source of protein but I'd rather skip that part of the possible meal.

And that was it: my blooming scrummy pear salad.