
Top 10 summer lunch ideas
In need of ideas for summer lunches? Make the most of fresh ingredients with our vibrant soup, simple sandwiches and easy salads.
In need of some midday meal inspiration? Celebrate the warmer months with our sunny lunch ideas, which make the most of seasonal ingredients. Whether you want summer lunches to take to work or make at home, we've got a great variety to suit all needs.
Salads are always a good option – they showcase summer's bounty of fruit and veg, and you can toss in the last bits of leftovers from the fridge. When it's too hot to cook, try a chilled summer soup recipe, like our spicy gazpacho.
For even more inspiration, see our complete summer lunch recipe collection, as well as our easy lunch ideas, lunch recipes for adults and cheap lunch ideas for work.
Check out our summer salads, no-cook summer meals and summer sharing recipes for more seasonal dishes.
1. Roasted courgette flatbreads with fennel seeds
Put seasonal courgettes to brilliant use in these loaded flatbreads for a winningly easy, flavour-packed lunch. Simply roast your courgette with spices and seasoning until tender, spread yogurt over the top of shop-bought flatbreads, then top with the roasted courgette, pomegranate seeds, feta and coriander.
Try more flatbread recipes as well as more ways to use courgettes.
2. Mortadella, burrata & pistachio pesto ciabatta

Bite into fresh, summery flavours with this fully-loaded ciabatta featuring mortadella and burrata. Find mortadella for this sandwich stunner in delis or some supermarkets – it’s a luncheon meat made of ground cured pork, often studded with pistachios.
See our full collection of sandwich recipes for more inspiration.
3. Caesar salad wrap

Enjoy a classic caesar salad in wrap form with this easy-to-make lunch. Spread a creamy and briny dressing over a large tortilla, dot over breaded chicken breast, crunchy romaine lettuce and giardiniera pickling liquid then wrap up tightly, folding the ends in so everything stays in place.
Discover more wrap recipes and caesar salad recipes.
4. Charred corn, chicken & tortilla salad with chipotle yogurt dressing
Dig into this colourful chicken salad for a filling lunchtime treat. It's a great way to use up barbecue leftovers or a garden glut. Top Little Gem leaves with chargrilled shredded chicken, sweetcorn, cherry tomatoes, black beans and crispy tortilla strips.
Check out more chicken salad recipes.
5. Mango chutney & chicken sliders
Put those Sunday roast leftovers to good use with these simple chicken sliders, topped with a refreshing chopped cucumber, red onion, chilli and coriander salad. Add Little Gem leaves, mango chutney and a cooling yogurt dressing for an out-of-this-world lunchbreak.
Take a look at more chicken burger recipes and summer chicken recipes.
6. Chipotle gazpacho
Liven up lunchtime with this vibrant, no-cook gazpacho. The chipotle adds a spicy, smoky kick and it's gratifyingly healthy too – it's packed with vitamin C and delivers three of your five-a-day.
See more summer soup recipes.
7. Peanut chickpea rice bowl
Rustle up a plant-based rice bowl that's full of different textures thanks to the chickpeas and peanuts. It can be cooked in the oven or air fryer for dinner, with leftovers kept for lunch the next day. It makes a healthy meal that's low in calories, too.
Try more vegan lunch recipes.
8. Ham & piccalilli salad
Channel the flavours of a picnic with this filling salad, perfect for the days it’s too hot use the oven. It's quick to prep, low in calories and fat, plus it's gluten-free.
Check out more no-cook recipes and no-cook summer recipes.
9. Orzo, feta & prawn pasta salad
Throw together feta, prawns, orzo, sundried tomatoes and cucumber to make this quick and easy pasta salad. Try it for a low-calorie lunch that's ready in just 20 minutes.
Try more pasta salad recipes and prawn pasta recipes.
10. Sweet melon, curry leaf & burrata salad
Melon, curry leaf and burrata may seem like an unlikely combo, but it's a sweet, spicy, creamy and aromatic celebration of summer flavours that you’ll be making all summer long. Try it for a gluten-free, veggie lunch that's ready on the table in under half an hour.
Discover more burrata recipes and vegetarian salad recipes.
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