Five things to eat when it’s too hot to cook

Low-fuss ideas to get you through the heatwave

As I write this at 6.30 am, my flat has already reached 26 degrees.

Once the prospect of a weekend heatwave would have filled me with joy, but with a small person to contend with, no garden, and a London commute to battle through, I find myself increasingly curmudgeonly about the whole thing. I’ll take any tips on how to keep an energetic two-year-old happy when the temperature peaks.

One thing I can get on board with is no-cook, or very low-fuss meals. With loads of good produce around and appetites waning in the heat, it’s easy to throw a few good ingredients together, often relying on shop-bought bits, and call it dinner. Here are five of my favourites.

Gazpacho with anchovy toasts

Get some good-quality shop-bought tomato gazpacho (Brindisa’s is great). Make a quick garnish by de-seeding and finely chopping ½ a cucumber, ¼ a red onion and a small handful of cherry tomatoes. Stir together in a bowl and season with salt. Spread ciabatta bread with salted butter and top with tinned anchovies, then serve with the gazpacho, topped with the garnish mix, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some basil leaves.

Raw pasta sauce with feta, herbs and roasted peppers

Try a simple herby chickpea, feta and pepper pasta that’s ready in the time it takes the pasta to boil. Cook 200g wholewheat penne in salted boiling water. Meanwhile, roughly 100g jarred roasted peppers and 20g mixed soft herbs (try basil, parsley and mint, but whatever you have to hand is fine). Add the peppers and herbs to a large bowl with 200g jarred chickpeas, the juice and zest of a lemon and 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Crumble in 50g feta. Toss everything together and season with salt and pepper. Drain the warm pasta into the pepper and herb mix, tossing to coat. Serve straight away, or pack for lunch the next day. Serves two.

Big Salads

A salad can be a meal in itself. This recipe for melon, tomato and prosciutto salad with burrata hits all the right salty sweet notes, while this Greek-inspired salad has frozen feta on top so it’s extra refreshing. Or try a Dishoom-inspired chopped broccoli and date salad. To make it, finely chop a head of broccoli (or briefly blitz in a food processor). Add to a large bowl with four finely chopped medjool dates, ½ finely chopped red onion, and a small handful of finely chopped ready-roasted peppers. Make a dressing by shaking the juice of two limes, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp white wine vinegar in a jam jar. Toss the veg in the dressing, and finish with pomegranate seeds and a handful of chopped roasted hazelnuts and/or seeds.

Prawn tacos with charred sweetcorn and pineapple salsa

The most involved of all these ideas, but very much worth it, although only if you have an air fryer, since turning the oven on is out of the question. Cook a pack of shop-bought tempura prawns in the air fryer. Meanwhile, heat a splash of oil in a medium-sized frying pan and add a drained tin of sweetcorn and 150g diced pineapple. Cook, tossing occasionally, until charred. While the sweetcorn is cooking, squeeze the juice from two limes into a big bowl and add ¼ finely chopped red cabbage and a finely chopped fresh or jarred jalapeño. Season with salt and drizzle with olive oil, tossing together. Stir in the sweetcorn and pineapple along with a small handful of freshly chopped coriander. In the same pan you cooked the sweetcorn, heat a pack of corn tortillas (I love the Cantina ones). Load the slaw into tacos with the cooked prawns, adding mayo and more jarred jalapeños, if you like.

Choc-dipped cherries

A bowl of cherries on ice a chic way to end a meal, but if you can face it, go one step further and dip cherries in melted dark chocolate then set in the fridge and serve chilled – summer heaven.

Some ideas to keep kids (sort of) sane

• Frozen yoghurt lollies – get any kind of flavoured yoghurt and spoon into lolly moulds, studding with frozen blueberries or raspberries, then freeze for a cooling sweet treat. These silicone ice lolly moulds are great.

• Try cutting cucumber, carrots and peppers with some shaped cutters for visual appeal that will make crudités for dinner seem fancy.

• Try making fruit ‘slushies’. Chop half a watermelon into chunks and freeze half in a freezer bag, then blitz with the remaining fresh watermelon and a punnet of strawberries.