Ruth Langsford's savvy 'upside-down' salad trick explained

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Loose Women star Ruth Langsford shared her 'upside-down salad' recipe with fans last year
Ruth Langsford has taken to Instagram to share her ingenious 'upside-down salad' technique with followers. The 65-year-old Loose Women presenter divulged how her knack for stacking ingredients not only prolongs the salad's crispness but also prevents a dreary, soggy texture.
In an Instagram post from September, Ruth provided a simple guide for putting together this creative salad with nine key ingredients. "So, now I'm going to make what I call my 'upside-down salad'," she said at the time, according to SurreyLive.
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"So, basically, I put everything in layers in one of these [glass tubs], which means that when I tip it out, the lettuce is on the bottom and everything else that I want is in layers. Anyway, you get the gist.
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"So, basically I put kitchen roll in the bottom [of the tub] because then any kind of juices from the tomatoes and cucumber soak a bit into that, so the whole salad doesn't get soggy. So, that's the gist, and let me show you how I do it."
Kicking off her salad assembly, Ruth commenced by chopping a variety of little tomatoes along with onions, unperturbed by the tomatoes' minor squishiness as she combined them. She continued: "Tuna on top of that.
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"I like tuna in olive oil, maybe a bit more calorific, but I don't care because I love the taste. One hard-boiled egg, you can put them the other way around, so that when you tip it up the yolks' pointing up at you. It doesn't really matter.
"Then some avocado, this is a bit brown, because I actually chopped it last night to use for something else and forgot it. It's been in the fridge, it's a bit brown, but it's fine because it will be covered in salad dressing.
"Black olives, if you like them, I love them. There's the cucumber - I scraped the seeds out because they are very wet and watery and will make that [salad] go soggy. Cucumber in, and then all I've got to do now is put the lettuce on."
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Ruth presented her packed lunch to the viewers, displaying the colourful layers of her homemade salad creation. To complete the ensemble, she lavishly poured her treasured Brianna's Honey Mustard Dressing, a delightful extra flavour.
"There you go! That's tomorrow's upside-down salad," she concluded, while adding in the video caption: "I take this to work most days….stops me grabbing unhealthy, processed food.
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"Even when you make a healthy choice and buy a salad, in my experience, they're mostly leaves!! This way you get a good, decent portion salad and you get to put all the things you like in it!"
In addition to its delicious taste, Ruth's layered salad contains an impressive collection of 'superfoods', which are often defined as nutrient-rich foods considered beneficial for health and well-being.
For instance, a 2024 study from the University of Bristol revealed that men who ate over 10 portions of tomatoes a week saw an 18% decrease in their risk of developing prostate cancer. Nutritionist Helen Bell from Help & Advice acknowledged this during a conversation with the Mirror, noting that cooking tomatoes could enhance their protective effects.
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"There is evidence suggesting that tomatoes might lower prostate cancer risk, largely due to lycopene," she said. "This antioxidant is thought to reduce inflammation and prevent cancer cell growth. When I've looked into it, cooking tomatoes seems to increase lycopene availability, so enjoying them in sauces or soups might be particularly beneficial."
Moreover, health experts frequently praise avocados for their abundant omega-3 content, crucial fats for brain and heart well-being. Experts at the US-based University of Rochester Medical Centre previously explain ed: "Omega-3s are a helpful and important form of fat. Your body needs it but can't make it. Your body needs 2 forms of omega fatty acids.
"These are omega-3 and omega-6. Omega-3 is the most important. Experts believe that omega-3s help prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy people. They also believe omega-3s can slow progress of the disease in those who already have it."
Full list of Ruth Langsford's salad ingredients:
Avocado
Black olives
Cucumber
Lettuce
Brianna's Honey Mustard Dressing
Tomatoes
Red onion
Tuna in olive oil
Hard-boiled eggs