The essence of summer

RECIPES ELEONORA GALASSO PHOTOGRAPHS DAVID LOFTUS FOOD STYLING JEN BEDLOE STYLING DAVINA PERKINS

Put Italian-born food writer Eleonora Galasso in the garden and she’ll lay the table, fill a jug with pretty flowers and set about preparing a feast fit for kings – or indeed whoever happens through the front door. Her menu is about relaxation, enjoyment and going home filled with good food and happy memories

Food writer in residence

PART 2

“When a cooling breeze and the softening shadows of twilight signal the end of a long, hot summer day, my appetite is piqued by the thought of some of my favourite dishes waiting to be served in the open air. As gathered friends eagerly share jokes and bottles of wine, all cares and worries are put off until tomorrow.

At this time of year I like to serve an al fresco spread, either on a fresh linen cloth or a rustic table – it matters not – with an array of generously laden dishes.

Never mind the crockery is mismatched – it makes it easier to welcome a last-minute friend; there will always be flowers, fresh and full of scent, and when the night draws in there are candles flickering in the breeze. That for me is the epitome of summer.

There’s an element of spontaneity and improvisation, too. The doors are thrown open to welcome everyone in – perhaps a friend just back from foreign travels bearing exotic spices and salty tales, an elderly neighbour who brings her signature apricot tart, and maybe an aunt – the one who never turns down a dinner invitation… The atmosphere is one of acceptance.

I love it when people bring a half-cooked dish with them to be finished off in the busy kitchen, while stories and gossip are swapped and shared.

When everyone participates, the atmosphere becomes more intimate, more sacred.

Cookery and sharing food are, to me, the most tangible form of love. There’s an escapism from the realities of life and these are moments to treasure. The recipes in this feature are what summer means to me: a fresh, vibrant, easy-to-put-together testimony to the joy of sharing.”

the residency.