Soak the onion first. Pop the sliced red onion into a small bowl of cold water and leave it while you prepare everything else. After ten minutes the slices lose their harsh bite and turn sweet and crisp — you'll notice the difference immediately when you taste one.

Build the dressing. In a small jar, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, crushed garlic, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Screw the lid on tightly and shake hard for about twenty seconds until the mixture turns cloudy and pale gold and the oil no longer sits in a separate layer on top.

Combine the beans and vegetables. Tip the rinsed cannellini and butter beans into your largest salad bowl. Add the halved cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, drained onion and olives. You want the bowl no more than two-thirds full so you have room to toss without flinging tomatoes across the worktop.

Dress while cold. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and fold everything together gently with a large spoon. The beans should start to look glossy and slightly darker as they absorb the oil — that's exactly what you want. Stop as soon as everything is coated; over-mixing crushes the beans and turns the salad cloudy.

Add the herbs and feta. Scatter the chopped parsley and dill over the top, then crumble the feta across in rough, uneven chunks. Fold through just twice — you want flecks of green and white running through the salad, not a uniform mash.

Rest before serving. Cover the bowl and leave it on the counter for twenty minutes if you can spare the time. The beans will drink in the lemon and oregano, and the whole bowl will smell fragrant and herby when you lift the cover. Taste a spoonful and add a final pinch of salt if the flavours taste flat.

Serve at room temperature. Give it one last gentle stir, then take it straight to the table. Cold from the fridge mutes the olive oil and the herbs, so let it sit out for ten minutes if it's been chilled.