I wish I was one of those people that lost their appetite in the heat. But alas, I still very much require three meals a day plus snacks, whatever the weather. What I'm craving, though, are meals that are chilled in both temperature and disposition.

This salad does require some cooking but the beauty of it is that it gets better after a few hours in the fridge. Get the cooking out of the way in the cool of the morning and know you’ve got dinner waiting to be assembled.

It's inspired partly by Vietnamese salads, with their punchy, perfectly balanced dressings of salty fish sauce, sharp citrus, sugar and spice, and partly by Ottolenghi's brilliant Soba noodles with aubergine and mango. I also haven’t stopped thinking about cold noodle salads since @suscott posted about them.

The result is fresh and satisfying: the buckwheat noodles bringing a pleasing nuttiness which matches wonderfully with the creamy, caramelised aubergine, and the vegetables and dressing adding welcome crunch and zest.

Make this salad your own. Leave out the roasted aubergine if you just don’t feel like cooking, or swap the chicken for cooked prawns, beef or tofu. You don’t need to give the veg an ice bath, but it makes the radish extra crisp and encourages the spring onion to curl into sweet ribbons. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t want an ice bath right now?

And then the heatwave hit and I couldn’t bear the thought of it. The mixing, the rolling, the individual frying – it just felt all too much in the hell that was my kitchen. So instead we have this. Let’s consider it a deconstructed meatball pasta sauce. All the good bits, but without the effort.

The courgette flowers are obviously entirely optional. We’re growing them for the first time this year (along with tomatoes, peppers, chillies – I’ve definitely entered my ‘grow your own’ era). If you haven’t tried fried courgette flowers before then I urge you to track some down. My mum and I used to pick them in her orto in Tuscany then lightly batter them and fry until just crisp and golden. As a beer snack alongside a Campari spritz, well it was pretty special.

But for a Monday night, just the pasta sauce will do. And maybe the Campari Spritz. If you insist.

Despite that, I find cooking mussels a bit intimidating. The preparation feels a bit high-stakes. The scrubbing, the de-bearding, the tapping to see if they’re still alive. And if you get it wrong? Not so appetising.

So I cheat.

Those packs of pre-cooked mussels you see lurking in the fish aisle in the supermarket? They’re actually brilliant. And they make this one of those dinners that comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta.

The prawns are optional but delicious, the herbs and pasta types can be switched up with whatever you have, and dinner is on the table in less than 20 mins.

But the potential! A Sunday roast for a family, sandwich fillings for the next day, stock to make a soup, plus something like this – a throw-together salad for a warm evening when you want your oven on for the minimum amount of time possible.

If I don’t use the chicken cooking juices for making gravy then I’ll save them for a few days in the fridge. They’re ideal for frying or roasting potatoes or creating these gorgeously golden chicken fat croutons, which are the real standout here. If you’ve got any leftover chicken skin then you could add it in with the croutons to crisp up beautifully. Bliss.

But for roasties? It has to be mayo.

I think I inherited this from my mum. When she used to live in Tuscany, moonlighting as an olive farmer (a story for another day), we’d often visit the local market which sold the best rotisserie chickens. There’d be an entire cabinet of slowly rotating birds, their golden skin glistening and with juices that dripped down onto butter-yellow potatoes. We’d take the fragrant parcel back to the house, make a quick green salad with a Dijon-heavy dressing and dig in, always with a bottle of Hellmann’s close by. She wouldn’t buy any other brand.

This is a sort of weeknight take on those flavours. And honestly, it’s just because I wanted to eat crispy new potatoes dipped in mayo for dinner. We had some hake in the freezer (cod loins would work well too), and I’ve added bacon for a meaty punch but you could leave it out. The dish needed some greenery and I couldn’t stop thinking about mushy peas but they felt too heavy here. Instead, I’ve combined smashed peas with a lemony garlic mayo, which acts as a sort of sauce/side dish.

No food processor? Or more likely perhaps, no desire to get it out of the cupboard on a Wednesday night? You can just mash the peas well with a fork instead.
You can also cook this in the oven. I’d say at 180C fan, roasting the potatoes for a good 30 mins before adding the hake and cooking for 10-12 mins, depending on the thickness of the fillets.

I’d be awful at that challenge in Masterchef where you get to design a dish from the fully-stocked larder of your dreams (too much choice). I’m much more of a Ready, Steady, Cook gal (Gen Z: you may need to google that one). Give me a handful of random ingredients and a deadline and I’m in.

If you had some pomegranate seeds, fresh coriander or lime wedges then they’d all be great here. You could add some greenery too but the cauliflower leaves add a pleasing crunch (and a pleasing way to avoid food waste). If your yoghurt situation in’t as dire as mine then you could also rustle up a quick raita with cucumber, garlic and fresh mint: that had been my plan, anyway.

But on its own, it’s pretty good. And proof that sometimes the best meals come from not much at all.

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Not only do we have a bank holiday weekend, but a sunny one at that. If your first thought isn’t ‘barbecue’ then you might be living on the wrong island.

This is the sort of dish that will get you ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ when you casually bring it to the table: seasonal charred asparagus, a herby homemade pesto, and, of course, the ingredient us millennials refuse to let go of: burrata.

You can buy a good-quality pesto but I recommend you make this quick one. Do what I did and prep it a day ahead, and that means you can have it for dinner the night before too. If that isn’t efficiency then I don’t know what is.

Might I suggest you pair it with these saucy chicken wings for a really epic barbecue spread. Or, just serve it with some good crusty bread and dig in. Who’s bringing the rosé?

PS catering for veggie guests? Make sure you use a veggie-friendly hard cheese in the pesto.

1. ’s Spinach & paneer: This is a fresher take on classic palak paneer, showcasing the greens in all their glory. I make it from Meera’s brilliant book Fresh India, but I’ve found a link online above. The combo of ground spices with the jammy tomatoes works so well that I now use it as a base for all kinds of homemade curries – try it with chicken. I like to add frozen peas and have successfully swapped the spinach for kale or spring greens, depending on what I have in the fridge. If I’m feeling particularly bougie I might finish the dish with a splash of cream.

2. ’s Miso tuna with edamame & wasabi mash: This is our favourite treat meal. It’s such a knockout combination – the creamy edamame and wasabi mash pairing perfectly with the salty, rich tuna steaks. I like this with a smashed cucumber salad to cut through the richness. Obviously tuna steaks are expensive, so swap them for trout, salmon or mackerel, if you prefer.
   

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3. Smitten Kitchen’s Pizza beans: Before beans became a status symbol, there were pizza beans. This is a truly comforting, hearty dish. I once delivered a huge vat of this to a friend who’d just had a baby, when I knew she needed something nourishing but that her toddler could eat too. Try and use the good-quality jarred beans if you can, and don’t skip the garlic bread side, it really makes it.
   

4. Roasted chickpeas with broccoli & halloumi: I’ve been a fan of Anna Jones ever since she brought out A Modern Way to Eat. My friends and I even made a pilgrimage to see her speak at Alderburgh food festival in 2016 (if you happen to see this Anna, apologies for the cringe selfie we made you take with us). This is another recipe with pulses (apparently I really like beans). It’s a genius way to cook halloumi – grilling it whole as a block – and then serving it with charred broccoli, chickpeas and an addictive tahini-orange dressing. It feels special enough to serve up to veggie friends at a dinner party but simple enough for a Wednesday night, too.

   

5. A ‘cheats’ Dal makhani: I love how easy this is. No soaking, no slow-cooking, just a rich, buttery curry made with tinned lentils and kidney beans. Serve with rice, obligatory mango chutney and some quick-pickled red onion for a great dinner.
   

6. ’s Meatballs with lemon & celeriac: There are so many Ottolenghi recipes I could have included here. Yes, he often includes obscure ingredients, and yes, the recipes can be quite lengthy, but his ability to combine ingredients in unexpected ways is unmatched. This recipe, from Simple, heroes a highly underrated veg: the celeriac, in a spiced lemony sauce. Sometimes if I’m feeling really lazy I’ll use a pack of pre-made meatballs to save time (please don’t tell Yotam).

What recipes are on rotation in your house?

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This pasta dish shows off those little flavour bombs in the best way. I use an entire tin of anchovies, but feel free to reduce if you don’t share my obsession. There’s capers and olives for extra briny richness, and then a knob of butter stirred into the sauce at the end for a glossy finish and to reduce any acidic flavour (one of my mum’s favourite tricks).

You could easily eat this without the fish (or swap for trout) but it brings a lovely richness to the dish and makes it more substantial. Plus, apparently we’re all trying to eat more protein these days.

In just three steps and 25 mins, you too can have yourself a very tasty dinner. Just go easy on the table salt, yeah?

My eldest son recently discovered the magic of crispy chicken skin, and I’ve found that spatchcocking a bird before roasting it results in the best distribution of crackle (maximum surface area!), plus super tender meat, and it cooks in just an hour, which is a win on a busy Sunday.

I’m not usually much of a forager, bar the annual wild garlic scavenge, but when I spotted a patch of nettles in my garden it felt like an opportunity for a cooking-and-weeding win-win. I had to do a bit of research (rubber gloves are essential) and the advice is to only pick nettles before the flowers appear. You also want to go for the smaller, most tender leaves, and to wash well then blanch in boiling water for 2-3 mins to neutralise the sting.

They add a spinach-like earthiness to this punchy salsa verde that’s just lovely with the nutty roasties and juicy chicken. Plus, you can get your mates to guess the secret ingredient – bet they’ll never get it.

The revival must be thanks in part to Marry Me chicken, the viral dish of 2024, which ‘marries’ sun-dried tomatoes with Parmesan, spinach and cream and spawned hundreds of variations. The Co-op even brought out a Marry Me sandwich last year…

But since then, there have been more and more sightings of the long-lost tomato. Last month, @Rhi.Scran’s chickpea & sun-dried tom smash went big on Insta and the fabulous Helen Graves of has penned a love letter to ingredient in the latest issue of Waitrose Magazine. It’s finally happening folks.

I love a sun-dried tomato. And although I agree with Helen that they add a wonderful umami punch when cooked down in dishes, I’m not averse to eating them straight from the jar. When the fridge was near-empty, my mum used to make a simple pasta dish of fusilli, sun-dried tomatoes, crispy garlic and parsley with lots of olive oil. I miss it.

This recipe takes its cue from a favourite potato salad recipe – an oldie but a goodie from Good Food that’s all about minimal prep and a short ingredient list. It’s ideal as part of a barbecue spread, but substantial enough to stand on its own as a meal. I had leftover cooked chicken thighs so I added them in, but you can leave them out or cook them from raw if you prefer. Crispy bacon or hot smoked salmon would also be good here.

This is not a scary fish dish. In fact, it’s so simple that it’s like the gateway drug of fish cookery and hopefully will inspire you to try more, less boring varieties. On that note, try and ensure the cod you buy is MSC-certified and ideally Atlantic, not British, as those stocks are under particular threat. You can also swap cod for hake if you prefer.

As with so many good dishes, it’s the bringing together of classic flavour pairings (cod, leeks, cider) with a bit of a twist (chickpeas for bulk, anchovies for umami). It’s ready in 30 minutes and you only need to wash up one pan. What more could you want?

This recipe is a weekly staple in our house. It’s by no means authentic (look away traditional bolognese lovers), but it comes together really quickly, is packed with veg, and is guaranteed to be enjoyed by the whole family. I use turkey mince as it’s lower in saturated fat than beef and pork, and my kids like the mild flavour, but you can use whatever mince you prefer. As well as contributing to our five-a-day, the veg adds flavour too – using something like parsnip gives a sweetness, while earthy mushrooms add bulk and extra umami.

I tend to make this on working-from-home days, and it’s so easy I can prepare it in my lunch break and still have time for a bit of a break. You don’t need to use a food processor but it does make it a heck of a lot quicker, plus the veg is so teeny-tiny that suspicious kids won’t catch on. Let it simmer slowly over a few hours for the best results.

Hot honey might be a bit overdone now, but it really works here – just enough ‘swicy’ heat to cut through the sweetness, and that sticky, glossy finish that keeps you going back for more.

And while this recipe does have 12 ingredients (I knew setting myself a limit of 10 was ambitious), loads of the prep is done before so when it comes to hosting, you can just finish them off on the barbecue when you’re ready to serve.

Try and get wings from a butcher as they’re so much plumper and meatier than supermarket offerings. The baking powder/salt overnight dry brine is optional, but it does add loads of flavour and results in a wonderfully crisp wing that’s properly seasoned all the way through. And make sure to serve with lots of napkins, you’ll need them!

This is loosely based on a recipe I wrote for Tesco Magazine, but I’ve made a homemade pesto here, swapped salmon for trout and am incorporating my beloved English asparagus, which is now officially in season.

It’s a celebration of spring flavours: asparagus cooked until just tender but still with a little crunch, tomatoes that burst on their vines and nutty, luscious trout, which I much prefer to salmon.

This recipe makes double the amount of pesto you need - save the rest (covered), in the fridge for a couple of days and toss with pasta, spoon over toast, stir into scrambled eggs or drizzle over barbecued asparagus and burrata.

This is my fail-safe technique:

Take your medium eggs out of the fridge at least 30 mins before using to avoid the risk of cracking. Bring a small pan of water to a boil then gently lower in the eggs using a dessertspoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 6 1/2 mins exactly. Drain the eggs in a sieve and run under cold water until cool enough to peel then slice to serve.

And that’s where these tuna bagels come in. It’s basically tuna crunch with added crispy chilli oil, but it’s one of those recipes where the finished result is so much more than the sum of its parts. If you like your tuna mayo with a bit of attitude, definitely give this a try.

I used chopped capers and cucumber because that’s what I had, but swap in whatever you fancy: chopped cornichons or pickles, a splash of tabasco, some radish, herbs like dill or coriander: all of these would work brilliantly. If you’re feeling fancy, I’d serve this with some crinkle-cut salt & vinegar crisps. Heaven.

I think it’s because they need to tick a lot of boxes: fast, filling, relatively healthy, and most crucially: interesting. This one does just that. It uses a handful of quick-cook, pre-prepared ingredients that come together to form a satisfying lunch in less than 10 mins.

I appreciate that the dressing ingredients list is a little long for a TL;DR recipe – if you’re really short on time you could swap it for something like Miso’grette (side note: if you haven’t tried this then you really should, I’m a bit addicted). But it really does come together quickly, and even feels like a bit of a midway-through-the-day treat. Plus, you’ll have enough time left in your lunch hour to do something really productive, like lying on the sofa and catching up on MAFS. Told you it was good.

But back to the recipe. This is the type of thing I make when I’m working from home and looking for something quick but hearty, that feels like a bit of a treat and that still allows me a bit of time to have a lunch ‘break’. Is that a lot to ask for in a lunch?

I’ve started using dried noodles in place of pasta when I want something fast, and it’s a bit of a revelation – 4 mins vs the usual 12, which makes all the difference when you’re on the clock (or making dinner for suddenly starving children – more on that in future posts).

The tomatoes melt down and become soft and jammy, creating a sweet and silky sauce that worked really well here with the sweet crabmeat but would be equally delicious with tinned cod in oil or mackerel in tomato sauce. A treat-yourself-lunch that’s ready in less than 10 mins? If that isn’t sexy, then I don’t know what is.

Find the full recipe video below