Summer in the Kitchen (and Garden!)

The first week of June and the short heatwave of late May and the long drought of much of 2026 have both broken and our water butts (“rain barrels”) are suddenly overflowing again. Never mind! There are strawberries and raspberries in the shops that didn’t have to be imported from warmer climes, we’ve been harvesting wonderful mixed home-grown salads of lettuce, rocket and herbs for weeks, and the first cucumbers will make their short journey from greenhouse to the kitchen this very weekend. It must be summer! It’s the season in which we’re all perhaps hoping to be able to have lunches in the garden with friends or fill a basket with goodies to enjoy on a picnic at the beach or in the countryside. Or maybe we’re wondering what to take as an offering to a neighbour’s barbecue…? Below I’ve captured some my favourite recipes to meet those needs as well as a few seasonal inspirations for that age old question, “What shall we have for supper tonight…?” I hope that this little selection will help you make the most of summer, but a lot of my other recipes would taste equally good en plein air and as always they can all be found via the menus at the top of this page. Keep reading the weekly blog and join the conversation – I suspect that warm weather, new food adventures and travel are likely to be recurring themes over the next couple of months! Happy Summer! x