Mango and Prawn Salad with Sweet Chilli Sauce

I can't wait to rave about my absolute favourite city – Grasse. Just 10 kilometres from Cannes, up in the mountains, it offers spectacular sea views, winding streets, warm-coloured houses, an abundance of cats, perfume museums, cosy restaurants, a fountain in the square, and a range of gourmet and souvenir shops. Our first visit there as students left us enamoured for life. Back then, the first iPhone was just about to come out and I managed to fill up my digital camera's memory in a day. When I accidentally formatted the memory card while looking through the photos that evening, I cried my heart out, fearing I might never see that beauty again. To complete the experience, we returned to Grasse the next day. We strolled around until we stumbled upon a sunny cafe serving les salades gourmandes – a glorious concept where your plate is loaded with melon and jambon cru, tabbouleh, veggies, capers, lettuce and bruschetta with baked goat's cheese. This generous hearty salad was a meal in itself, and I later noticed that many French people opted for the "salad plus drink" set menu during working lunches. One lunchtime, a lovely French acquaintance, Evelyne, introduced me to the idea of a hearty salad and nothing more. The combinations of ingredients are endless, limited only by your imagination. Here are a few intriguing options: Salade périgourdine — a classic from southwestern France with caramelised chicken gizzards, fried bacon, potatoes, frisée lettuce, green beans, pine nuts, walnut oil, wine vinegar and mustard. Salade méditerranéenne — a Mediterranean delight with couscous, olive oil, cherry tomatoes, white wine vinegar, lentils, feta cheese, pitted Kalamata olives, basil, salt and pepper. Assiette italienne — an Italian treat featuring rocket, speck, marinated peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan slices, pine nuts, olive oil and balsamic glaze. Salade de boeuf à la mangue — a refreshing mix of thinly sliced roast beef, mango, toasted cashews, coriander, basil, lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and a pinch of chilli flakes. However, my most frequent and popular homemade salad in London is this one...