I adore this weather but it's messing with our dinner routine! 

Who can eat a chilli, a roast dinner or a spaghetti bolognese in this heat?! Our fail safe meals are proving a little too warm for this extraordinary weather, (even in the rain it's sticky and muggy) so I decided to try a Summer take on a mid week staple.

Every night for my husband is BBQ night, but meat sweats are never very attractive, so in an attempt to curb our meat eating, I tried a lighter version of a fish pie!  

Serves 2 greedy people. Or would serve 2 normal people and 2 small children.

Ingredients for the pie: 

• 2 large potatoes  
• A few pinches of Rosemary
• A few more pinches of Thyme - I used fresh cut Thyme but dried will work just as well
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• 350g fish - I used a fish pie selection from the supermarket which included salmon, cod and smoked haddock

For the sauce: 

• Knob of butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 100ml white wine

To serve: 

• Crusty loaf
• Sugar snap peas

Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees or Gas Mark 4.

Peel your potatoes and roughly chop into approximately 2cm cubes. The more rustic the better. Par boil for 8 minutes, drain and place in a baking tray.

Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle your rosemary and thyme, pour over a good glug of olive oil and cook in the oven for approximately 30 mins. We like ours with crispy edges so adjust the time depending on your preference. The longer you leave them in, the crispier they get!

With 15 minutes to go, tear a sheet of tin foil and place you fish in the centre. Add salt and pepper and a drizzle of oil oil (so the fish doesn't stick). If you prefer heat add a pinch of chilli at this point.

Wrap like a parcel sealing the tin foil. Place of the BBQ, open once and move the fish around so it cooks evenly. Of course if you have a charcoal BBQ that takes longer to prepare you may want to use the oven for this step and save the hassle of lighting the BBQ. Up to you!  

In the last 5 minutes heat a small frying pan and melt the butter. Add the chopped garlic and pour in the white wine. Stir. 

Take your fish parcel off the BBQ, place in a shallow dish. Cover with your rustic potatoes and pour over your garlic sauce. 

I served ours with sugar snap peas I simply tossed in a wok, with a drizzle of olive oil for 5 minutes and a hunk of crusty bread. 

Have you cooked anything delicious lately? I might try a Summer take on my favourite tagine next. 

Crumbs I am actually cooking. How wonderful. 

I love this hot weather. It must have come from my first 4 years spent in the Middle East. But the only trouble with hot weather is everything seems to go off quicker.  

Bananas turn brown more speedily and raspberries seem to perish in a matter of minutes!

I had some cherries and raspberries in the fridge that looked as though they were just about to wilt and shrivel so I came up with a sweet summer time canapé that is super quick and easy. 

Plus the boys loved it! A treat for the whole family that doesn't resemble children's food. Hooray! 

Ingredients: 

• Raspberries
• Cherries  
• Olive Oil
• Table spoon of sugar (to caramelise the fruit)
• Thick vanilla cream (so it holds it's shape)
• Blinis (make your own mini pancakes or all good supermarkets stock ready made packs in the chilled section) 
• Freeze dried raspberries (to sprinkle on top) 
• A dusting of icing sugar

Add a little oil to a pan of raspberries and cherries. I used a handful of each. I literally pulled the cherries apart and flicked the stones out. Add a table spoon of sugar to caramelise and take away the sharpness. Heat your blinis in the oven for 4 minutes at approx 170 degrees whilst your fruit becomes a sticky delicious mess. 

Add a dollop of vanilla cream to your warm blinis (leave them for 2 minutes when they come out of the oven so the cream doesn't slide straight off)  and a heaped teaspoon of fruit on top. Sprinkle with freeze dried raspberries for extra wow factor and add a dusting of icing sugar.

Pretty and pretty effortless. Plus a way to use up fruit you may be tempted to through away. A winning combination for a summer party!  

I am not a baker. But I do want to eat pretty things. Things that take no effort! 

A twist on an Eton Mess, my baked summer berry mess. The only way I can get this amount of berries into my boys!  

Take a roll of puff pastry and cut into 4 inch squares. 

Either cut 1 cm edge pieces from the leftovers and place on top, or roll up the edges of your square. I tried both and was equally pleased with the result. Try it for yourself!

Place your berries in a pile in the middle (I sliced the strawberries) and plop a dollop of vanilla cream on top.  

Baked in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes and when nicely puffed and browned, sprinkle with crumbled meringue. 

Super easy and super delicious!  

Have you got any quick and easy recipes I could try out?!