The summer is not all gone yet it seems – we’re having the last spurt of warm weather, uncommonly on the Bank Holiday weekend. Nice surprise and a lovely change from the usual August Bank Holiday washouts. Obviously the barbecue mustn’t be packed away in the shed yet. Barbecue ideas will be handy and I might even have a late Pimm’s afternoon which I’ve not managed so far, and in summer you should have at least one garden cocktail do, even if only for two and totally casual.
After the weekend it’s almost back to school so hunts for school uniforms or last jaunts to adventure parks require looking for simple food solutions. Jacket potato is always a good option (that’s a non-recipe) with whatever topping you favour. Tuna sweetcorn mayo can’t be beat for me; The Weather Man puts just boring Cheddar on his. But if you meal prep chilli con carne (that’s a recipe) or veggie chilli, dinner can’t be simpler.
Sticky pork stir fry, as all stir fries, is a mega quick dish too and if you cook a tonne of rice to go with it you can make crispy tomato rice the next day with cold leftover rice. For another night try crispy pork with noodles, also known by its Chinese name: ants climbing tree. The name not appetising? Wait till you taste the dish.
Simple for vegetarians isn’t easy, or maybe it’s just me, an inveterate meat eater. But even I’m happy with bulgur wheat pilaf for my main course, with raw broccoli salad perhaps. Or a giant couscous salad with all the summer has to offer: peppers, tomatoes, cucumber and herbs.
The cake of the week must be with blueberries, they are abundant and cheap this year if not the sweetest for want of more sunshine. Blueberry buckle will get my vote but you may prefer blueberry mascarpone – with the mascarpone in the cake batter, not in frosting. Intriguing? You bet.