It’s once again too hot to cook and we find ourselves opening the fridge and expecting something cold to jump out for dinner.
If you’re in the same boat, you’re in luck. We asked the GH team what they’re buying for easy, no-cook dinners this week – because when it’s 35°C outside, it should be illegal to turn the oven on.
Waitrose No.1 Burrata with Aubergine Caponata, £5 for 370g
‘I’d normally buy this as part of a wider picky tea, but it’s also great served alongside cooked lentils or chickpeas. Bold Bean Co’s are good enough to eat straight from the jar and I’ve even been known to chill them before digging in. Add a slice of toasted sourdough and you’ve got dinner sorted.’
Froot Pops Freshly Frozen Raspberries Coated in White & Milk Chocolate, £6 for 200g
‘A frozen treat you can eat straight from the freezer? Now we’re talking. I love this female-founded brand, which simply coats fruit – in this case raspberries – in delicious layers of chocolate. The frozen cherries are also a fave.’
M&S Spicy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Spread, £2.50
‘A toasted bagel (these high-protein ones are my current go-to), a thick layer of this spicy jalapeño cream cheese and a few ribbons of smoked salmon. Just as good for brekkie as it is for dinner, in my opinion. It’s also great with a glass of chilled rosé.’
Carmelo Very Spicy Sardines, £5.95
‘Don’t overlook tinned fish in a heatwave. Carmelo makes some of the best sardines, in our opinion, and they’re great smushed on to a slice of toast when it’s just too hot to cook. The packaging is so pretty, too!’
Isle of Wight Tomato Family Box, £7 (now £5.60) for 1kg
‘Isle of Wight tomatoes are the best of the best (they actually taste like tomatoes) and this is the perfect time to eat them. I’m happy with them simply dressed in the best extra virgin olive oil I have, a sprinkle of herbes de Provence sea salt and plenty of cracked black pepper. Perfection.’
Torres Iberian Ham Potato Crisps, £5 for 150g
‘Let’s just cut to the chase. In this weather, sometimes crisps and a glass of wine will suffice. I’m partial to a bag of jamón crisps to make me feel like I’m on my hols and an impossibly cold glass of Spanish albariño. I might snack on a fancy canned olive for extra salt; it sure beats another electrolyte.’
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
