For burgers, lamb makes a really nice change from beef. These need to be prepared ahead and rested in the fridge to make sure they don’t fall apart when they are cooked, so they’re a great make-ahead meal. The yogurt makes a lovely cooling accompaniment to the spicy burgers. Light that barbecue and open the cold beers...!

The Aperol Spritz, sometimes called the Spritz Veneziano, is a refreshing orange cocktail made from Aperol and prosecco. It’s extremely popular across Italy, particularly in Venice, and is fast becoming a drink of choice in Britain, too. So what better way to do it justice than to make it into a beautiful sorbet to enjoy on a hot summer’s day? For an added twist, place a scoop of sorbet into a...

This is a great vegetarian alternative to raw meat or fish carpaccio. The marinating of the thinly sliced courgettes makes them so soft they don’t need any cooking. If using small, young courgettes you can use the whole vegetable, but for larger courgettes I suggest you use the flesh only, as the seeds can be spongy when eaten raw. Just halve the courgettes lengthways, run a teaspoon down the centre...

Leeks make a fantastic alternative to onions, and yet many people only use them in soups. I got inspiration for this recipe while I was in Siena; I was served a bowl of leeks, cheese, nuts and sausages (which is also a great sauce for pasta) and I wanted to try and incorporate the same flavours in a risotto. I have left this as a vegetarian option, but by all means add in some cooked pancetta...