10 recipes to cook in July

Nathan Outlaw is a man known for his exemplary fish and seafood cooking, but as anyone who has read his books or been to any of his restaurants will know, he’s an incredibly accomplished dessert chef too. His gooseberry custard tart is a celebration of the humble summer fruit, combining roasted gooseberries, a gooseberry and ginger sorbet and a simple bruléed custard tart for a beautiful end to any meal.

Hake makes a fantastic alternative to cod – it’s mild, flaky and less damaging to your bank account. Simon Rogan’s picture perfect dish pairs it with another seasonal summer favourite – golden beetroot – which he boils, dices and mixes with a potato salad-esque mayonnaise dressing. The hake goes into a hot pan to crisp up the skin, and then sits on top of the salad with a garnish of fresh watercress.

Adam Byatt has the right idea with his bream recipe – get the barbecue out and get it on the coals. Adam stuffs the belly cavity with lemongrass, fennel and star anise and wraps the fish in banana leaf and tin foil to steam it, but you can just as easily put it straight over the coals for more smoke and char. As a garnish, he blanches some samphire and dresses simply with olive oil and chilli, before serving with a charred slice of lemon.

Lemon sole is prized for its delicate white flesh in the UK, and July is the first month you’ll be able to get it in fishmongers, as its breeding season stretches into late June. There are few chefs in the country with the pedigree for fish cookery that Tom Brown has, and fewer still that are as young and talented as the former Nathan Outlaw protege. He grills his lemon sole for two minutes a side, and serves with some very clever accompaniments – a crispy oyster, smoked leeks, tarragon oil and a light oyster mayonnaise.

Shaun Hill keeps things simple with his summery panna cotta, sticking with traditional vanilla to accompany his summer fruit garnish. Shaun boils and infuses his cream and milk before setting his panna cottas, and macerates his berries in Grand Marnier before serving. Remember to pay close attention to the temperature of your cream mixture when adding the gelatine – too hot and it will hamper the gelatine’s setting properties. Remember to give your mixture a stir as it cools as well, so the panna cotta sets with all the vanilla seeds through it, stopping them sinking to the bottom.

Pascal Aussignac shows off a deft pastry touch with his stunning strawberry tart, giving the in-season strawberries an almost literal stage to show off their qualities. He starts by making a sweet almond pastry and baking a tart case, before whipping up a crème pâtissière for the base, marinating his strawberries in honey and rosé wine before building his tart. A legitimate summer showstopper to wow your barbecue guests.

Courgettes are available all year round in the UK, but July’s locally grown vegetables are courgettes in their true form – firm and full of flavour. Chantelle Nicholson goes all-out to show them off with her dish, not only making delicious courgette and cumin fritters, but also accompanying with a fresh courgette salad. If you don’t have blini pans for the fritters, feel free to use metal rings, or just freeform them for something a bit more rustic.

Slaving away in the kitchen whilst a rare half hour of sun graces your garden isn’t a particularly appealing prospect, but Anna Jones’ summery salad is a fuss-free affair that ensures you can enjoy those rays whilst still eating well. Roasting radishes transforms their texture and flavour; the typical crunch softens into something more tender, and the peppery heat mellows into sweetness. Roast them alongside some new potatoes and chickpeas, then tumble with some feta and a tangy dressing to finish.

Adam Handling’s restaurants are famous for their wonderful dishes, but also for a fantastic repertoire of ingenious and experimental cocktails. This one, inspired by his iconic dish ‘Beetroot, Beetroot and more Beetroot’ makes use of two newly-in-season ingredients – beetroot and blackcurrants, with the former being infused into rum and and the latter coming in the form of cassis. Once you’ve infused your rum and prepared a honey syrup, it’s a simple case of carefully measuring the meticulous ratio of ingredients and giving them a good shake.

What better way to celebrate the British summertime than with one of Britain’s most traditional puds – the trifle, and summer’s most symbolic fruit – the strawberry. Any negative preconceptions you may have for trifle should be cast aside – this totally homemade version really is no comparison to ready-made ones that may have haunted your youth. Each element from the strawberry coulis to vanilla-specked custard is made from scratch, and with four strawberry elements – coulis, jelly, compote and topping – this is surely the ultimate strawberry trifle.