Summer! We’re coming for ya. We’re literally so excited for long, sunny days spent in the garden, hanging with friends and loving life. Bring. It. On!
If you’re hosting friends and family this summer, we have the perfect selection of summer recipes to impress your guests. From fruity cocktails to al fresco food, you’ll find everything you need to whip up a sunshine spread. Enjoy!
Summer party cocktail recipes
Whether you’re hosting a chic garden party or a casual get-together, we’ve got a summer party cocktail recipe to suit your style.
Watermelon Prosecco Slushies
Ingredients
1 watermelon (around 2kg)
200ml prosecco, plus extra
3 mint sprigs, plus extra to serve
½ lemon, zested
50g sugar
Method
1. Cut the watermelon into quarters and remove the seeds. Keep six wedges back for decorating and chill in the fridge. Cut the rest into 3cm cubes and discard the rind, then put into a container lined with baking paper, so the cubes fit snugly. Pour over the prosecco, cover and freeze for four hours.
2. Put the mint, lemon and sugar in a small pan with 50ml water and simmer gently for 3-5 mins until the sugar dissolves and turns syrupy. Cover and leave to cool completely, then strain.
3. Put the watermelon cubes into a food processor with the sugar syrup. Blend well until you have a slushy consistency. Add a splash more prosecco to make a smooth slush, then spoon into six chilled glasses. Garnish with the extra watermelon and mint sprigs.
Hurricane Cocktail
Ingredients
50ml dark rum
50ml white rum
1 passion fruit
1 orange, juiced
1 lemon, juiced
50ml sugar syrup
2 tsp grenadine
To garnish
4 cocktail cherries
2 orange slices
Method
1. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the two rums. Scoop the flesh and seeds from the passion fruit and add to the shaker along with the orange and lemon juice, sugar syrup and grenadine.
2. Shake well, then fill two hurricane glasses with fresh ice. Double strain the drink into the glasses.
3. Garnish each glass with an orange slice and a couple of cherries on a cocktail stick.
Virgin Piña Colada
Ingredients
150ml pineapple juice
50ml coconut milk
25ml lime juice
Ice
Cherry, to garnish
For the mock rum syrup
100g dark brown muscovado sugar
1 pineapple, a few strips of skin, plus leaves to garnish
5 black peppercorns
5 cloves
1 cinammon stick
Method
1. To make an alcohol-free rum syrup, put the dark brown muscovado sugar and 200ml water in a saucepan, stir well and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Add a few stripes of pineapple skin, the black peppercorns, cloves and a cinnamon stick then bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and leave to infuse until cold. Strain into a jug and put in the fridge until needed.
2. Pour the pineapple juice into a tall glass, then add the coconut milk and lime juice. Stir gently. Fill up the glass with ice then slowly add 25ml of the syrup so it sinks to the bottom. Garnish with pineapple leaves and a cherry.
Summer party food recipes
For your summer party food, offering a range of small dishes is the way to go – keep it simple and tasty!
Grazing Platter
Ingredient ideas
Baked cheeses like brie or camembert, topped with herbs and olive oil
Figs, grapes, pomegranates and dried fruits
Sliced cured meats like chorizo or sausage
Crackers, crusty bread and breadsticks
Nuts and olives
Dips like hummus, chutney and taramasalata
Honey and olive oil for drizzling
A variety of cheeses like soft-rind goat’s cheese, a hard cheese like cheddar or manchego and stilton.
Method
Grazing boards are a great way to offer a wide variety of foods in a quick and easy way. To make things totally safe, consider making up smaller individual boards that can be shared in smaller groups.
The best grazing boards just gather together all your favourite nibbles – you could go for meaty versions and veggie versions, but the key is to make it look and taste amazing. Here are a few presentation tips:
1. Make sure you assemble the board just before serving, so everything is fresh
2. Always include crackers, breadsticks or bread to use as a vessel for cheeses and dips
3. Use small bowls for things like dips, olives, nuts and chutneys
4. Make sure your board has plenty of variety – one hard cheese and one soft, two or three different cured meats and plenty of fruits and nuts
5. For larger fruit like figs or clementines, chop and tear them into different shapes so they’re easy to pick up and look appealing on the platter
6. Swirl your dips into bowls and top with olive oil, seeds or chopped herbs
7. Fill any gaps in your grazing board with bay leaves or rosemary springs
8. Bundle cured meats into nests, or roll them to create a variety of textures
The Ultimate Summer Salad
To go alongside your grazing platter, this summer salad is super fresh and delicious. Again, you can serve in smaller bowls to keep things safe.
Ingredients
400g black beans, drained
2 large handfuls of baby spinach, roughly chopped
500g tomatoes, chopped into chunks
½ cucumber, halved with the seeds scooped out and sliced
1 mango, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 large red onion, halved and finely sliced
6-8 radishes, sliced
2 avocados, peeled and sliced
100g feta, crumbled
Handful of herbs
For the dressing
Large bunch mint
Small bunch basil
1 green chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 small garlic clove
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp honey
Method
1. Make the dressing by blending all the ingredients in a food processor, saving a few herb leaves for the salad.
2. Scatter the beans and spinach over a large platter. Arrange the tomatoes, cucumber, mango, onion and radishes on top and gently toss together. Top the salad with the avocados, feta and herbs, and serve the dressing on the side.
Need more inspiration for summer dining? Read all about how to get your garden ready for guests and our top glassware picks for World Gin Day and National Beer Day.
