Summer food: How to eat when it's hot

With an abundance of fresh fruit and veg around, we start craving salad and fresh fruit when the temperature rises. Here's our guide to eating healthy, refreshing summer meals.

Adapt your mealtimes

Lazy summer days are synonymous with holidays, and we all want to take our time to savour them without having to rush around. This might mean a change in your daily routine.

Summer is perhaps the only time of the year when you don't have to force yourself to eat something in the morning. There's nothing better than waking up to eat refreshing dairy and seasonal fruit in the sunshine instead of the usual coffee and a quick slice of toast on the hoof. Take your time to have a varied, substantial breakfast to kick-start your day. If you get up a bit later, simply turn it into brunch.

Your midday meal is always simpler during summer, mainly because it's hotter! On the other hand, you'll really feel the benefits of a proper afternoon meal to restore your energy and rehydrate you, while dinner, often eaten later and al fresco, is about making the most of warm summer evenings with your friends and family.

Discover new flavours

Summer is synonymous with heat (if we’re lucky), and this kind of weather really affects your appetite. When it's scorching out there, you're probably not going to be that interested in food. Recipes served cold are perfect for this kind of weather: salads, chilled dishes, ice creams and sorbets. Barbecues are also top of the list, with grilled meat and fish being another summer classic. The enticing smells from the BBQ are sure to awaken your appetite, even in the heat.

Why not take some inspiration from the culinary traditions of sunny places such as the Med, India and South America? They use the virtues of spices to add flavour and make warm dishes like curry more appealing. Summer is the perfect time to try out new, exotic dishes too.

Stay hydrated

Finally, as anyone who lives in a hot country will tell you, it's important to keep drinking enough all day long. Quench your thirst after a meal with chilled water with a hint of lemon juice or a couple of mint leaves. You can also drink green tea served steaming hot, and at various intervals between meals. Green tea is an instant thirst-quencher and has a refreshing taste.

Anne Laurent

Posted 24.08.2012

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