Our top recipes for dining outdoors

Top your plates up with epic seasonal salads and sharing bites for instantly successful al fresco dining. Try one our top 10 summer salad recipes and make veg the star of your picnic dishes. Bring something bright to the table with our fabulous rainbow salad recipes or raid the kitchen and whip up a quick storecupboard salad. Pay your respects to the humble tattie with our favourite potato salad recipes, complete with creamy dressings galore.

Serve up golden-brown Scotch eggs with a secret layer of bacon for an added dose of indulgence, or mini sausage rolls with crisp puff pastry. Cater for different tastes with our easy vegetarian sausage rolls and our moreish vegan sausage rolls bursting with umami flavours.

Easy sharing mains

Our summery quiche recipes are vibrant and versatile. Bring out full Italian flavours with a roasted tomato, basil & parmesan quiche or reap the rewards from your allotment and try our rustic courgette, pine nut & ricotta tart.

Pile on the pasties, slabs of our veggie rainbow picnic pie and slices of our summer vegetable & pesto rose tart for a seriously impressive spread.

It wouldn't be a picnic without traditional sarnies stuffed with coronation chicken or a simple ploughman's. Try our 10 easy sandwich filling ideas and creative sandwich fillings for kids.

Want a more modern take? Try our mouthwatering tear & share recipes, from cheesy garlic dough balls to stuffed deli rolls. Make your fluffy focaccia or a fabulous fougasse and add your own personal flair with our top 10 flavoured bread recipes.

Simple summer drinks

Quench your thirst with one of our fruity non-alcoholic summer drinks recipes, from our fun watermelon lemonade to a refreshing peach iced tea.

For the grown-ups, whip up a batch of our boozy summer punch, with elderflower flavours and a touch of fresh herbs. Keep it classic with a traditional jug of Pimm's or keep cool with one of our fabulous frozen cocktail recipes. All you need is a blender, your favourite boozy base and fruity additions for an adult slushie to sip at leisure.

Check out our summer drink collection for more cool cordials, easy cocktails and marvellous mocktails.

Sharing desserts

Satisfy everyone's sweet tooth with a simple bake you can slice and share in a matter of minutes, or throw together a vibrant fruit salad bursting with sweet, tropical flavours.

Peruse our best ever traybake recipes for no-fuss cakes, brownies, puddings and sweet slices. Raid the cupboards and make our crunchy tropical rocky road, stuffed with dried fruit, biscuits and tasty chocolate chunks. Turn a traditional treat into shareable slices with our coconut & jam macaroon traybake, which takes just a handful of everyday ingredients. No one could resist a slab of our strawberry & cinnamon streusel bars, with a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream. Top off your impressive spread with classic scones with jam & clotted cream for good measure.

If you're lounging in the garden with the freezer in striking distance, try our our best ever ice cream recipes, sorbet recipes, our top 10 ice cream desserts and 10 ways with ice cream sandwiches.

You can find some of our tried-and-tested favorite bits of kit for eating outdoors below, including picks of the best portable barbecues, best picnic baskets and picnic rucksacks.

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Enjoyed these recipes? Try our other summer dishes...

The best summer pudding recipes
5 of our finest summer punches
Summer family meal ideas
Easy summer sharing recipes

What are your favourite al fresco recipes? Leave a comment below...