Summer starter recipes

Bring warmth and colour to the table with our summer starter recipes.

Make the most of summer produce with easy starter ideas using courgettes, aubergine, fresh tomatoes and sweet peppers. We’ve even included some sweet-savoury dishes with grilled peaches and juicy strawberries. These recipes are perfect for laid-back lunches and dinners in the garden, and many of them are make-ahead too. Fingers crossed for good weather.

Our best-ever summery starters include refreshing chilled soups like watermelon gazpacho and vichyssoise. Serve up platters of sharing dishes for a casual gathering, like these golden fish croquettes and addictive aubergine moussaka rolls. Planning a more formal do or dinner party? There’s plenty of ideas below to impress your guests.

See our summer of sport recipe ideas if you’re getting friends together to watch some of the year’s big sporting events.

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Indonesian minced pork cakes with chilli and lemongrass sambal

Pork recipes from around the world

Indonesian minced pork cakes with chilli and lemongrass sambal

Petty Elliott's moreish Indonesian minced pork cakes are accompanied by a fragrant chilli and lemongrass sambal and are great to share.

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Prawn toast bao with burnt peach chilli sauce

Recipes from restaurants

Prawn toast bao with burnt peach chilli sauce

Julie Lin shares her incredible prawn toast bao recipe. Crispy bao are stuffed with juicy prawns and served with peach hot sauce.

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Socca (or farinata) with prawns, chickpeas and peppers

Easy starters

Socca (or farinata) with prawns, chickpeas and peppers

Debora Robertson shares her easy recipe for the Provençal chickpea flatbread, socca. This popular snack is known as farinata in Italy.

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Insalata pantesca (Pantelleria-style cherry tomato salad)

Tomato salads

Insalata pantesca (Pantelleria-style cherry tomato salad)

This cherry tomato salad recipe comes from Pantelleria, an island between Sicily and Tunisia. It's perfect for a lunch in the sun.

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Salmon and avocado summer rolls

Easy salmon

Salmon and avocado summer rolls

Uyen Luu shares her recipe for salmon and avocado summer rolls. Vietnamese rice paper rolls are stuffed with salmon, avo and fresh herbs.

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Tomato tonnato

Summer

Tomato tonnato

Make the most of tomatoes when they're at their peak summer best in this tomato tonnato recipe. It's ready in 10 minutes and tastes like the best tuna sandwich you've ever eaten, in salad form.

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Fish scrap croquettes

Sustainable recipes

Fish scrap croquettes

These herby croquettes filled with fluffy mash and surrounded by a crisp breadcrumb coating are the perfect vehicle for any scraps of fish.

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Roast fennel quinoa salad with basil yogurt dressing

Fennel

Roast fennel quinoa salad with basil yogurt dressing

This fennel salad is packed with roasted summer vegetables and finished generously with a vibrant basil and lemon dressing.

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Parma ham, halloumi, strawberry and mint

Summer salads and sides

Parma ham, halloumi, strawberry and mint

This speedy parma ham starter pairs the ham with salty halloumi cheese, sweet strawberries and fresh mint.

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Prawn cocktail platter

Prawn cocktails

Prawn cocktail platter

Create the ultimate prawn cocktail platter with proper marie rose dip made with homemade mayo, prawns and crisp lettuce leaves.

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Emily Scott’s Cornish crab, toast and mayo

Crab

Emily Scott’s Cornish crab, toast and mayo

Cornwall-based chef Emily Scott’s recipe for crab on toast is delightfully simple but special, enriched with just a little lemon and garlic.

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Filo-wrapped feta with spiced honey

Filo pastry

Filo-wrapped feta with spiced honey

Georgina Hayden's easy filo-wrapped feta is a guaranteed crowdpleaser. It's served drizzled with spiced honey and sprinkled with thyme.

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Courgette, feta and blackcurrant salad

August seasonal

Courgette, feta and blackcurrant salad

This elegant dish of courgette and feta and blackcurrant puréee makes the perfect late summer starter, says The Ethicurean's Mark McCabe

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Burrata, tomato and strawberry salad

Burrata

Burrata, tomato and strawberry salad

This gorgeous burrata salad is a celebration of high summer. Use a mix of heritage tomatoes and basil varieties for extra colour and flavour.

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Aubergine moussaka rolls

Aubergine

Aubergine moussaka rolls

These moussaka rolls transform the big layered oven-baked dish into a slightly lighter snackable affair. It just needs a quick blast under the grill before serving.

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Vichyssoise

Leeks

Vichyssoise

A simple leek and potato soup is whizzed up until it’s super-smooth, then chilled to give it a creamy, luscious texture that’s perfect for summer.

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