Effortless summer hosting ideas

Picnic-style summer dinner party

The beauty of a picnic summer dinner party is that it allows you to make all dishes ahead of time. For starters, our easy crudités with chipotle aioli only takes 15 minutes to prep and serves six, while our simple and quick Italian picnic loaf sees ciabatta stuffed with an olive salad, salami, roasted red peppers and mozzarella. Other make-ahead ideas include our muffuletta squares, black bean crunch wraps and honeyed fig and curd cheese tart. Turn a handful of storecupboard ingredients into date flapjacks for a sweet finish, and make sure to serve our portable, make-ahead contessa cocktail bottles and elderflower and raspberry mocktail bottles for summer sipping. If you’re looking for a no-cook effortless entertaining platter that will allow you to enjoy the sunshine with your guests, look no further than our hummus platter with all the veg. Combine hummus with your favourite flavours and serve with veg, focaccia or savoury biscuits.

Effortless summer BBQ

A perfect side to your summer BBQ, all you'll need is five ingredients to make our harissa-honey sausage skewers, ready on the table in just 30 minutes. Our recipe for BBQ prawns with roasted gooseberry salsa might steal the show – whip a pleasantly sour salsa, pair with a plate of juicy grilled prawns and let your guests tuck in. Veggies don't have to miss out – our super simple and easy-to-make spiced halloumi and watermelon skewers are seasoned with coriander, sumac, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Watch them disappear in seconds. For dessert, simply buy shop-bought buns to make our super-easy brioche ice cream sandwiches, a truly effortless sweet treat.

Crowd-pleasing summer dinner party

Tiger prawns with garlic, chilli and lemon can be whipped up at the last minute with no fuss and minimal prep. Plus, they look restaurant-worthy when served with chilli, garlic and charred lemon. Alternatively, get the party started with our easy-to-prep blue cheese dip, which is crying out for some potato wedges or chicken wings for dipping. For a crowd-pleasing main, our effortless crab mac ’n’ cheese is bound to sate hungry guests, or go veggie with our five-ingredient classic mac ’n’ cheese. Wet your whistle with a large jug of raspberry frosé or one of our effortless jug cocktails. Wrap things up with our cheat's version of Swedish cardamom buns – bread mixes are a genius shortcut.

Tapas-style summer party

Make entertaining easy with a tapas-style spread of simple, quick dishes: serve piquillo pepper salad, grilled padron peppers and chorizo skewers with honey drizzle, chorizo al vino and everyone's favourite tapas staple, patatas bravas. Perfect for entertaining, our super-easy prawns pil pil with crusty bread takes just 10 minutes to assemble. Pair your tapas with a jug (or two) of sangria, or switch things up with our white wine sangria, boasting seasonal fruity flavours.

Long summer lunch

Make-ahead salads, breads and dips are perfect for a leisurely lunch where guests can nibble on throughout the afternoon: serve a big bowl of Tex-Mex-style sweetcorn salad with warm pittas for scooping, our cheat's shortcut celeriac chimichurri salad, orzo deli salad and a simple dish of tiger prawns with garlic, chilli and lemon. Another creative idea is a build-your-own wrap or kebab station to keep guests busy. For a sweet finish, cleanse your palate with our no-churn pomegranate ice cream – it couldn't be easier to make and requires just four ingredients. For a thirst-quenching drink, nothing says summer quite like a refreshing round of gin fizz, right?