Here is a hack that will not revolutionise your life but if, like me, you tend to keep both cucumbers and kimchi in your refrigerator, will give you a tasty way to prevent food waste. Whenever my jar of kimchi was nearing its end I didn’t know what to do with the brine, until I came across the idea to use it as salad dressing. I think it goes perfectly with smacked cucumbers - their mild flavour and high water content means they can withstand its concentrated taste. I keep it as a ‘fridge filler’ to round out the random salad plates I usually eat for lunch. It also makes a nice side dish when served with salmon and sticky rice.

A note on cucumbers. To ‘smack’ them, they should be the small, Persian ones. If you only have a standard one, slice it in half lengthways and scrape out some of the seeds - otherwise the water will leech out over time leaving you with a soggy, bland salad.