Freer - Cook. Nourish. Glow. Step into Summer

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Michael Joseph is part of the Penguin Random House group of companies whose addresses can be found at global.penguinrandomhouse.com.

First published 2016

Text copyright Amelia Freer, 2016

Photography by Susan Bell, 2016

Cover photography Susan Bell

The moral right of the author has been asserted

www.ameliafreer.com

ISBN: 978-0-718-18636-4

I think it was Henry James who said that the two most beautiful words in the English language were summer afternoon, and I have to say that I wholeheartedly agree with him. For me, there is little else more joyful in life than the gentle relief of a warm breeze, the cheering sound of birds singing, the dappled shade of a beautiful tree and the anticipation of a languid al fresco spread enjoyed with friends and family. Pure, unadulterated bliss.

Summer is the time of natures abundance. The fields, shops and markets are bursting with a ripe perfection that makes eating well effortless. From lusciously sweet berries, to crisp and refreshing leaves, everything seems more vibrant and delicious. All those beautiful colours seem to jump out at you, from the deepest burgundy to the brightest green, so the idea of eating the rainbow suddenly seems not just an aspiration, but an everyday occurrence.

And with all those long summer days to look forward to, I find myself turning away from preparing any heavy or complicated food, and instead seek out short, simple recipes that minimize time spent over a hot oven, but maximize on flavour and ease. For what more needs adding to a burstingly juicy tomato than a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt? Its not cooking, and can barely be even called assembly, but it is an utterly magnificent taste sensation. Summer provides us with the perfect opportunity to celebrate all the unique flavours of fresh foods, allowing them to nourish not only our bodies, but our minds and souls too.

With all these wonderful thoughts in mind, I have put together a selection of my absolute favourite summer recipes. Come rain or shine, they are guaranteed to bring a little sunshine into your cooking and on to your plate. I do hope that you enjoy making them as much as I have enjoyed creating them. Happy summer!

It feels almost instinctive that the wonderful seasonal produce available to us in summer somehow seems more alive, and therefore more nourishing, than the same fruit or vegetable would be in the depths of winter. And to a certain extent that feeling is justified.

We are very lucky indeed that many of us have access to lots of different fresh produce 365 days of the year. Somewhere in the world, all types of fruit and vegetables will always be in season. But in order for those items to reach our baskets without going off, they are inevitably picked under-ripe, sometimes artificially ripened on the journey, and more often than not carted thousands of miles around the world. So those January strawberries may have been picked many days before they reach your fridge. That could be stretched out to weeks before, if it is something sent by refrigerated ship. And unfortunately this delay between picking and eating means that a significant amount of the beneficial nutrients, particularly vitamins, are degraded and lost.

The arrival of summer thankfully means that lots more fresh, local produce is available to us. Just think of all those punnets of British berries (you could even make a day of it and pick your own at one of the many fruit farms across the UK), bunches of interesting organic salad leaves, piles of fabulously scented tomatoes, and peas still in their blanketed pods. Less distance needed to transport this produce from field to fork means less time is wasted once it is picked, so more nutrients are retained in the foods we buy and eat. And that doesnt even begin to touch on the ecological benefits of generating fewer food miles, or indeed the fact that seasonal gluts of produce invariably reduce the prices, meaning that eating fantastically healthily is often cheaper in summer too.

We also often have a much wider range of fruit and vegetables available to us in the summer, as the warm sun and long days encourage countless plants into their most productive phase. This means that we generally have access to a broader range of all the goodness that comes from eating a diet packed with lots of different fruits and vegetables, such as plenty of contrasting types of minerals and vitamins, plus a host of beneficial phytonutrients. Phytonutrients deliver antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and liver-health-promoting benefits to people who eat foods containing them, and are invaluable in helping to create a summer glow.

As well as the type of food we eat changing in the warmer months, we also tend to change the way we cook, moving away from the hearty dishes of the winter and towards beautifully light salads, grilled fish and fruit salads packed with vibrancy. This can mean a slight decrease in carbohydrate intake too, as we no longer seek out those big bowls of comfort food to ward off the chills. Just be wary of over-compensating for all this healthiness by indulging in a few too many ice creams!

Last but by no means least, we also tend to be more physically active in the summer. We wake up more energized as the light streams through the bedroom curtains, and the longer, dry (hopefully!) days encourage us outside more, to make the most of it. Plus all that sunlight gives us an opportunity to top up our levels of vitamin D, which cannot be made in the skin over winter in the UK. Just 15 minutes per day of sun exposure to our face and forearms, or forearms and legs (if you are trying to protect your face) is enough.

So there are plenty of reasons why it can feel easier all round to be healthy in the summer. Instead of making lots of New Years resolutions in the deepest, darkest and often hardest month of the year, perhaps progressing on your journey towards a healthier lifestyle should happen when the odds are all naturally stacked up in your favour, over the summer months. I hope that this ebook gives you lots of handy hints, tips and ideas to help you along your way.

I am fortunate enough to have a fully working kitchen garden that allows me and my loved ones to eat from it pretty much all year round (well, at least it does when I plan, prep and cook accordingly I still have a lot to learn!). I am passionate about reducing waste, so by growing my vegetables I am avoiding all the plastic wrapping, and I compost every bit of food that we dont eat, or feed it to our chickens. All we have to buy are meats really, and a few specialized products such as some gluten-free flours, nuts, seeds, oils, vinegars and wine! Here is a list of the most abundant fruits and vegetables that grow in the UK in the summer I have marked the ones that I am growing in my garden.