What do you do for tea during heatwaves ?

Because some of us have small houses and tiny kitchens which get afternoon or evening sun and it's unbearable. Add to that menopause and I could cry in anticipation of how awful this week will be especially as ds won't eat salads or sandwiches. 😭😭😭😭

Salad (noodle salad for example), pasta.

I e got an Aga that’s on all the time. I have turned it down slightly as my gas bill is going up by £470 next year apparently, so things take longer to cook.

Pizza last night.

Prawn and Avocado salad tonight. Currently boiling a beetroot to go with it and will boil some new potatoes to make a potato salad.

Whatever we fancy, our kitchen is reasonably cool, eat the same as usual.

My oven heats up my (small) kitchen really badly too. Probably a ventilation issue as my kitchen is small and only has one small window.

Anyway, we are planning a lot of sandwiches, salads, quick pastas and ice lollies this week. Like hell am I spending any significant amount of time cooking in 40° heat, which is what we have been forecast here.

On less hot days when I still don't want to stand in front of my oven or over the stove, I use my slow cooker.

Salads with protein, like cob salad or salad nicoise, etc. made with precooked chicken or canned tuna.

Pasta boiled on hob with sauce made quickly on stove top.

Rotisserie chicken and baggette from supermarket with green tossed salad.

Nothing in the oven at all.

Ice lollies, jelly, ice cream for dessert.

Whatever we'd normally have. Why wouldn't you cook as normal? 🤨

We just cook with the air fryer & ninja sizzler. To hot for the oven!

Tonight, the kids are having sandwiches, strawberries and cucumber. DH and I will be having smoked salmon and goats cheese salad. I can’t turn the oven on, I am melting!

Crackers and cheese and salad, dried fruits, jarred veg, fruit, yogurt, cereal and dried fruit, cous cous (just add water) milk to drink.

No toaster, no microwave, no oven or hob. It's unbearable at 28-32 inside.

Yes what a massive difference that will make.it will be worth it x

Our meal plan

quiche (made today) baked potatoes and salad

bbq pulled pork in buns with coleslaw and corn on the cob

chicken wraps

bbq

Yes, you.

Oh God, someone's going to say "picky bits" or "picky tea" aren't they? 🤮

See user name 😉.

We tend to eat as we would on a hot holiday, so bbq’d grilled meats, tapas, bean ( or more substantial) salads, pizza, paella, baked or boiled potatoes. You can cook nearly anything on a Kamado. No need to put the oven on.

I don't really change my eating habits dependent on the weather specifically more due to my appetite and levels of motivation for cooking and eating!

This week will probably be, in no particular order, pork belly and salad; chicken thighs and salad; pork souvlaki and salad; lamb kofta and salad; chicken gyros and salad... Salads and specific meals may vary depending on available herbs and spices and appetite.

I made mayonnaise and tzatziki this morning so that's the week covered anyway.

Chicken cooked early in the day ready for a Caesar salad later (with homemade giant croutons from the airfryer).
Tomorrow is giant sausage roll (air fryer) and salad.
Tues is quiche….and salad.
Weds will be summat and salad.
I had a sudden spurt of thinking ahead at about midnight last night and made up a jelly with a tin of mandarins in so that’s a treat for later…ice cream and jelly cools down your belly.

BBQ will be on everynight,
today - chicken, baked potatoes and Mediterranean veg
Tomorrow - Salmon
Tues - gyros
Wed - pork, chicken and prawn kebabs
will be a fair amount of salads and chargrilled veg to go with it all.
would rather be outside when it’s nice

Niçoise salad is a favourite, Greek marinated chicken in the air fryer with Greek salad and flatbreads is another, any kind of nice salad with a box of ready made frites done in the air fryer…

Can you not put a big stand up fan in the kitchen or would that make it worse? It must be quite unbearable so I can see why you would want to be just in and out of the kitchen.

Wraps and sandwiches and some potato salad, coleslaw, toms, cucumber on the side. Not doing anything more than that. Oh and some ice cream to finish of course.

I have just meal planned and written my shopping list:

Today: Barbecued Chicken and steak, Greek salad, new potatoes with rosemary, finished on the barbecue, coleslaw.

Tom: salad with: lettuce, toms, cu, pepper, avo, olives, sun dried toms, mozzarella and half a shredded chicken, good garlic flatbread.

Tues: left over salad, perhaps topped up a bit, ham and potato salad (see pots above), might hardboil a couple of eggs.

Weds: Lamb chops (on the barbecue), greek salad, cous cous salad.

Thurs: chicken salad, with grapes and tarragon (chop spring onions, add to half mayo/half cream, tarragon, black pepper, halved green grapes, add half a roast chicken), finish the cous, green salad.

Lots of freah fruot available and cornettos/gelato tubs in the freezer.

The only cooking will be on the barbecue.

Call mozzarella salad boring but it's a lovely tasteful accompaniment to hot or cold meats. Although I tend to make that the main point of a meal and work around it.