From the Editor, Leigh O’Connor.
Summer eating isn’t a menu so much as a mood: sun-warmed fruit split open over the sink, juice on your wrists, the sweet sharpness of it waking you up more than coffee ever could. It’s tomatoes that smell like the garden they came from, still holding the day’s heat, sliced thick with salt that melts into ruby flesh. It’s the hiss of something on a hot grill, smoke curling into twilight while laughter skims across a backyard table.
Meals loosen their collars in Summer. They wander from kitchen to verandah, from plates to hands, from plans to whatever looks good right now. There are icy wedges of watermelon, mint bruised into lemonade, prawns slick with lemon and butter and salads that crunch like a sea breeze.
Summer eating is lightness with depth - food that feels like holiday, even on a Tuesday, and when night cools, we chase another bite of brightness.
Summer isn’t just a season - it’s a feeling. It’s the glow of golden afternoons, the fizzy anticipation of friends arriving, the clink of ice in a glass and the delicious promise that anything can happen when the weather gets warm.
Whether you’re hosting a backyard fiesta, a breezy balcony brunch, or a laid-back sunset session at the beach, our ultimate Summer entertaining hacks will keep things effortless, joyful and full of magic.
Most people see a BBQ as a noble, smoke-kissed machine built for one purpose: sizzling snags, searing steaks and transforming any humble backyard gathering into an instant party.
Your BBQ has a secret wild side - one that goes far beyond char-grilled chicken and perfectly blistered corn. With a little imagination and a cheeky sense of adventure, your trusty grill can become the hero of the household, surprising you with talents you never knew it had.
There’s something magical about a tray of canapés making its way through a room. Maybe it’s the sparkle in people’s eyes as they spot their favourite bite-sized treasure. Maybe it’s the nostalgia - those flavours that instantly transport us back to family parties, neighbourhood get-togethers or glamorous ’80s soirées with questionable wallpaper choices.
Whatever the reason, retro canapés are strutting back onto the entertaining scene with all the confidence of a disco ball - glittery, cheeky and absolutely impossible to ignore.
Let’s be honest: food doesn’t always have to be avant-garde or molecular to be memorable. Sometimes the best things come in tiny, familiar packages.
There’s something undeniably magical about a pool party. The sun glinting off turquoise water, the promise of cool drinks and even cooler company, the laughter that floats across the surface like sunscreen on a hot day.
This time, you’re not hosting just another poolside gathering - you’re creating an elevated pool party experience, the kind guests talk about long after the last inflatable flamingo has drifted off into the sunset.
Dive right in…Summer eating awaits.
