1. The spritz of the season
The Hugo Spritz is popping up the chicest hotels and restaurants in Britain and across Europe. Infused with elderflower liqueur it’s like a liquid taste of summer. Make it for your al fresco events this year by filling a large cocktail or wine glass with crushed ice, and pouring over 40ml elderflower spirit, 60ml sparkling wine, and a large dash of soda. Finish with wedges of lime and fresh mint leaves.
2. Go retro
Nostalgic puds are all the rage this summer. Think about what your granny might have served for Sunday lunch. Big blousy trifles and pavlovas. Eton Mess billowing with cream. Roulades. Even blancmange has made a comeback. It’s time to raid the charity shops and kitchen stores for kitsch vintage serving platters and trifle bowls.
3. Grow your own wine (almost)
Well, you’d need quite a plot to grow enough grapes to fill a bottle, but you can easily grow your own grapes. All you need is a sunny South or West-facing garden and around 1m x 2m of ground per plant. Pop them in at the end of this summer and you’ll reap the rewards next year. We like ‘Fragola’ - a variety that tastes of strawberries.
4. Churn some ice cream
It really is easier than you think! To make a large tub warm 300ml double cream and 300ml whole milk in a pan. In a bowl whisk 1 tablespoon cornflour with 4 egg yolks (freeze the whites to make meringues) and 100g caster sugar. Slowly add the cream/milk mixture and whisk. Then return all to the pan and warm gently, stirring until thickened. Flavour as you like, cool and churn in an ice cream or machine (or by storing in the freezer and whisking with a fork every hour until smooth). Summer pairings we like include rosewater and strawberries, and raspberries with white chocolate chunks (add the chocolate after churning).
5. Pimp up your strawberries
You can make those ripe strawberries taste more delicious by:
- Slicing (400-500g) and combining with 1 tablespoon caster sugar and 1 tablespoon best balsamic vinegar
- Slicing, and sprinkling over cherry molasses
- Running a sharp knife over the skin of a lime before cutting them – which gives them a Twister lolly flavour
6. Flower power
Edible flowers aren’t just pretty – they bring flavour to food too. Grow at home (in an area where you don’t use chemicals) or buy pesticide-free varieties from an edible flower company.
Violas – Have an earthy, sweet taste that’s gorgeous infused in a syrup
Nasturtiums – Bring a peppery touch to salads and mezze platters
Cornflowers – Clove-like, with a hint of sweetness
Marigolds – Citrussy, bittersweet and a touch spicy – great with white fish
Borage – Tastes like cucumber. Stunning frozen into ice cubes for your summer drinks
7. Upgrade your salad pantry
Make those salads really exciting this summer. Invest in flavoured fruit vinegars, and the best cold-pressed British rapeseed oil to start (the ideal ratio is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil). And prepare jars or pots of exciting additions. We’re talking toasted nuts and seeds coated in various spices and seasonings, marinated feta cubes and olives to keep in the fridge, and flavoured croutons (a canny way to use up leftover bread).
8. Invest in a pizza oven
Homemade wood-fired pizza is easily in reach for most people now, with pizza ovens starting at a very reasonable £60. They’re super versatile. Use the high heat for pizza, then bake bread and cakes, and use the residual heat for slow-cooking meat and veg.
9. Craft your own ice pops
It’s so easy to mix up your own ice lollies, and there’s a dizzying array of moulds available now. We favour the silicon ‘Calippo’ style push up variety because we’ve found them the easiest to use and clean. To make our favourite combo, mix 1 tin condensed milk with 1 tin coconut milk, the juice of 1 fresh pineapple and 3 limes. Taste and add a little extra sugar if you like. This will make at least 12 lollies.
10. Catch of the day
Join Boat Trips Torbay on a Catch and Cook evening (Wednesdays). Departing from Brixham, the two-hour cruise will teach you how to catch your own supper, which is barbecued on board and loaded into fresh rolls with salad. funfishtrips.co.uk
11. Make a Dubai Chocolate Bar
The Dubai Chocolate Bar craze is everywhere! Here’s how to make your own:
- Toss 200g shredded kadaifi pastry with 2 tablespoons neutral oil and bake on a lined tray in the oven at 160C until just golden – keep your eye on it. Allow to cool
- Melt and temper 400g milk chocolate and use ¾ of it to line a couple of chocolate bar moulds. Allow to set
- Mix 100g melted white chocolate with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, a large pinch of salt, the cooled pastry, and 250g pistachio paste. Spread evenly in the set chocolate moulds
- Cover each bar with the remaining milk chocolate. Leave to set before unmoulding
12. Smash those burgers
Smash burgers are the hottest ticket in top tier fast food joints. Recreate them at home. Heat a non-stick, heavy-based flat griddle or frying pan. Per person take 75g minced prime British beef mince (at least 20% fat) and form into a rough burger shape. Place on the hot griddle and season liberally. Now press down so as much surface is in contact with the pan as possible. Cook for 2 minutes, pressing down throughout, then turn, season the other side, and cook for a further 2 minutes. They’ll be beefy, crunchy and gnarly at the edges. Best served in a soft brioche bun with lashings of sauce and cheese.
13. Iced tea goes hard
Hard iced tea (made with alcohol) has been a ‘thing’ in the States for a while, but is starting make waves here now too. To make it, combine 4 teabags of your choice in a pan with 1 litre boiling water, 150g caster sugar and leave to steep until cold. Add the juice of 1-2 lemons to taste, and 250ml vodka, rum or whisky. Pour into a container with a lid and chill in the fridge. Serve in tall glasses over loads of ice with fruit and herb garnishes.
14. Stuff courgette flowers
If you grow your own courgettes, these are a treat. Wash gently, brushing away any dirt and removing the stamen. Mix a tub of ricotta with your choice of snipped herbs and seasonings (we like to add finely diced roasted red pepper and a little garlic and chilli) and use to fill the flowers (about 2-3 teaspoons each) so that the petals can easily encase and twist around the mixture with none peeping out. Make a batter with 100g plain flour, 40g cornflour, ½ teaspoon baking powder, a pinch of salt and enough cold sparkling water to turn into a texture similar to pancake mix. Carefully dip your filled flowers and deep fry until golden.
15. Forage
Buy a foraging book or join a foraging course to discover the edible gems on your doorstep. Summer is abundant – with elderflowers, pineapple weed, rowan berries, chickweed, meadowsweet, fat hen and more. Never pick and eat anything you’re uncertain about.
16. Host a shooting stars party
Pre-mix cocktails and flasks of boozy hot chocolate, prepare a few snacks (including Asian moon cakes if you can get them) and grab your cosiest blankets and a few friends to watch the breathtaking spectacle of the Perseids meteor shower. Peaking this year between 11th-13th August, expect to see around 50 shooting stars per hour. Magical.
17. Michelin moments
Gourmet food lovers can spend the summer ticking off some of the newest Michelin Starred restaurants in Britain. Moor Hall in Aughton gained 3 stars this year, while Hide and Fox in Saltwood, Humble Chicken and The Ritz in London were awarded 2 stars, and numerous fine dining destinations took 1 star.
18. Craft your own rosewater
If you have a fragrant, unsprayed rose bush in your garden, the petals can be crystallised (using egg white and caser sugar) or turned into rosewater, for infusing in drinks and desserts. To make it wash enough rose petals to fill an American 1 cup measurement. Add to a small pan with 2 cups distilled water and a splash of vodka. Bring to the boil, the turn the heat to the lowest setting and leave for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to cool completely before straining into a bottle or jars. Keep in the fridge and use within a few days. Gorgeous frozen into ice cubes too.
19. PYO berries
There’s something soul nourishing about picking your own fruit – and it’s often cheaper too. Look out for signs in the countryside near you as prime picking season (mid-June onwards) arrives. We like:
- Friday Street Farm Shop, near Snape, Suffolk: A huge farm shop and cafe, with one of the biggest PYO strawberry fields in the East of England. It’s close to the coast, and foodie destination, Aldeburgh
- Meopham PYO, Kent: Not just strawberries. Here you can pick (in season) gooseberries, apples, blackcurrants, sweetcorn, plums, pears, pumpkins and squash.
- Craigies, nr Edinburgh: A wonderfully family-friendly farm shop, deli and cafe where you can pick a huge array of produce, from strawberries to cherries, currants, peas, beans, apples and pumpkins
20. Celebrate seasonal fish
Did you know British fish is seasonal? Seek out your closest fishmonger and try to use as much of the summer’s bounty as you can. The catch includes: cod, coley, crab, halibut, herring, langoustines, pollack, plaice, sardines, queen scallops, sea bream, shrimp, whelks, trout and whitebait.
21. Fill up a ‘taste jar’
Bring a sense of adventure to your kitchen by making a ‘taste jar’ with your family or friends. On small bits of paper write down ingredients you’ve never tried before, recipes you’ve always wanted to cook, products you want to buy, and restaurants, cafes, pubs and street food spots you’d like to visit. Folder over the paper and store in the jar, ready to inject a bit of fun into the day when the whim takes you.
22. Start a rumtopf
The age-old tradition of making a rumtopf was a way, in the past, of preserving fruits across the growing season, culminating in a richly-flavoured drink and lots of boozy delights come winter. You’ll need to invest in a very large glass jar or rumtopf container. Throughout the summer add to it layers of clean, washed berries and stone fruits (from strawberries, gooseberries and currants through to cherries, peaches, apricots, and even sloes). Whenever you add a layer, sprinkle generously with sugar, and top up with enough rum to cover. In winter decant into smaller jars as gifts. The fruits make a sumptuous porridge topper, and the syrupy drink is a warming toddy for cooler nights. It’s customary to crack it open on the first day of advent.
23. Bake the trends
Spend some time in the kitchen making the season’s hottest cakes and bakes. Trending right now are Italian maritozzi buns (doughnut-like, split and filled generously with cream), spiral croissants, cruffins, anything with pistachio or matcha, and Asian specialities such as chiffon cakes or red bean paste pastries. Don’t forget to share your efforts with us by tagging gbf_mag on Instagram.
24. Grow your own pesto
Basil grows with wild abandon on sunny windowsills. In June invest in a few pots and a tray, some good quality compost, and seeds – and get growing. Basil doesn’t like to be overwatered, so don’t drown the plants! Make a quick pesto by blitzing two handfuls of the herb with a handful of grated Parmesan or even vintage British Cheddar, a clove of garlic, squeeze of lemon, 3 tablespoons of pine nuts or cashew nuts, and seasoning to taste.
25. Host a seafood boil
Seafood boil restaurants are popping up in major cities across the UK, inspired by the Deep South. To host your own, get a big, heavy-bottomed pot suitable for use over open flames, and set it over a fire pit or low barbecue. Fill with water, a few halved lemons, seafood boil or Cajun seasoning (both widely available online), sliced new potatoes and corn. Once the vegetables are tender, throw in loads of shellfish – prawns and crayfish on the shell and mussels are easiest for those squeamish about live crabs and lobsters. When cooked, strain and pour over a table lined with paper. Provide napkins, lemons, pots of aioli and loads of bread for mopping.
