Nice summery lunch ideas

[ComradeJing]

It's summer here. DH's vair posh cousin is coming for lunch. I haven't seen her in ages and want to make something lovely for lunch but I'm a bit stumped. I haven't cooked a lunch for friends EVER so my poor sleep deprived baby brain is going

Any good ideas or recipes?

I'm thinking nibbles to start, a main meal and desert. Something I can prep in advance would be great.

please can you just do all the thinking for me

Jamie Oliver's meatballs are scrummy, can be made ahead (except for the spaghetti, obvs) and are not too 'try hard' for a lunch. I always think a Pavlova with fresh, in season local fruits can't be beaten as a dessert and then a nice tasty salad...?

I'd do a tortilla basket with different colours of lettuce, cucumber,, tomatoes, peppers and topped with chicken in your favourite marinade. It looks rather wow in it's basket and just requires tortilla to be baked in the oven until it begins to brown, folded into a wire sieve into a basket shape.

How about platter of antipasti, you can just buy everything or make some dishes to go alongside - selection of cheeses, cured meats, crostini, marinaded olives, caponata (easy to make), fig spread/nice chutney, mixed leaf salad, pate etc etc, could throw cold seafood into the mix as well. Then dessert tarte au citron, or cheesecake with fresh fruit.

A tart, with naice cheese and veg - eg spinach and gruyere and a really good seasonal light salad to go with. Not sure what's seasonal your way, here I'd go for baby broad beans, salad leaves with herbs eg chervil and a light ex v oo sherry vinegar dressing.

Or a whole baked fish with new potatoes and salad.

For pudding I'd do something like Nigel Slaters brownies with raspberries on the side, or maybe a passion fruit pav?