Ingredients

• 250g/9oz plain flour
• plus extra for dusting
• 10g/¼oz salt
• 10g/¼oz bicarbonate of soda
• 250g/9oz wholemeal flour
• 150g/5½oz jumbo oat flakes
• 2 tsp clear honey
• 1 tsp black treacle
• 375ml/13fl oz buttermilk
• 125ml/4fl oz whole milk
• 1 cucumber
• peeled
• deseeded and finely sliced
• salt
• 100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• ½ tbsp mustard seeds
• handful dill
• chopped
• 1 bottle (75cl) dry white wine
• bunch of flatleaf parsley
• 2 small leeks
• sliced
• 2 celery sticks
• sliced
• 2 onions
• sliced
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 6 black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 whole wild salmon
• 3-3.5kg/6lb 8oz-7lb
• gutted and scaled
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 150g/5½oz good-quality organic unsalted butter
• 4 free-range duck eggs
• 4 tbsp capers
• rinsed
• small handful flatleaf parsley
• chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• lemon juice
• to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• good-quality butter

Directions

• For the wheaten bread
• preheat the oven to 200C/390F/Gas 6. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
• Sift the plain flour
• salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl and mix in the wholemeal flour and oat flakes. Mix the honey and treacle into the buttermilk
• then quickly and lightly fold the buttermilk and milk into the dry ingredients. Mix the ingredients together using your hands
• taking care not to overwork - when the ingredients are heavy
• the action should be light.
• Divide the dough into quarters with floured hands
• then mould each into a round and place on the baking sheet. Dust lightly with plain flour and mark a cross in the top of each loaf with a knife. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the loaves sound hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack
• drape a damp cloth over the loaves and leave to cool. (Wheaten bread should be eaten the same day
• or toasted the next. This makes four loaves
• but the bread freezes well.) Turn the oven down to 100C/210F/Gas ¼.
• While the bread is baking
• make the cucumber salad. For the cucumber salad
• sprinkle the cucumber slices with salt and leave to stand. Put the wine vinegar in a heavy pan with 100ml/3½fl oz water
• the sugar and mustard seeds. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved
• then boil to reduce by half. Remove from the heat. Rinse and drain the cucumber
• then mix into the pickling liquid with the dill. Set aside.
• Put all the ingredients for the court-bouillon in a large fish kettle with 6 litres/10½ pints cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Lower the salmon into the court-bouillon. Bring back to the boil
• then cover the kettle tightly so no steam can escape. Transfer to the oven and poach for 25 minutes with the oven door ajar.
• Meanwhile
• make the dressing. For the dressing
• melt the butter and keep warm. Lower the duck eggs into a pan of boiling water and simmer for four minutes. Lift the eggs out of the water using a slotted spoon and cool a little under running cold water
• then carefully peel off the shells. Mash the eggs in a bowl with a fork
• then mix in the capers
• herbs and warm melted butter. Season with lemon juice
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well and keep the dressing warm.
• Remove the fish from the court-bouillon as soon as the poaching time is up. Cut into 6-8 pieces and serve with the cucumber salad and warm dressing on each plate
• with wheaten bread and good-quality butter on the side.