Of course, the beautiful weather has inspired many of us to eat ‘fresh and healthy’ … apart from die-hard barbecue fans, I suppose …

Fresh and healthy, mashed avocados … the best we’ve tried recently are ‘perfectly ripened’ from Waitrose

I loved Fiona Philip’s BBC1 documentary entitled The Truth About … Healthy Eating. Try and catch it on iPlayer here, or at least keep an eye out for repeats in the future. It was a good, down to earth summary of what we all actually know, but often don’t put into action. In my honest opinion, every school child should have the opportunity to view it (schools, and parents, of course, take note!). The conclusion was, in a nutshell, that healthy food is, and has been, on our plates all the time, and we just have to think a bit more about what we actually eat, buy and prepare. It’s a relief that I don’t have to persevere that hard with the likes of quinoa, kale and gogi berries. We can eat pearl barley, rice, couscous, cabbage and strawberries instead, which are up to a sixth of the price of the aforementioned ‘superfoods’ and which give pretty similar nutritional and energy release results. So, I will carry on trying the occasional interesting, pretty and inspirational dish from all the ‘eat clean, eat green’ girls, like the Hemsley sisters, see them here, knowing that the dish will look beautiful and taste wonderful as well as ‘doing me good’. But I’m not going to get too distracted by gogi berries, coconut water and quinoa unless I really, really, fancy it.

One thing I have cut down on is ready-made pasta sauces, which of course I know are a quick cheat; it also means there’s more cupboard space for healthy ingredients, I’ve been on a mission to cut down on store cupboard tins and packets, limiting them to one 900mm drawer. So far this approach is working, I can see everything ‘in stock’ at a glance, and consequently seem to use more varied items, and do less shopping. Which can’t be bad. On the other hand, I still have to allocate drawer space to all my pans, tins, gadgets and crockery. Now everything is out of storage, I’ve discovered that I’ve got six of some items and none of others. Might have to nip to Habitat …

Stratum mixing bowl set, Tova bamboo salad servers and Sheeran wire storage baskets, all from a selection at Habitat.

SWEET STUFF …

One summer-time gadget that we’ve loved using over the last few weeks is the Chef’n Sweet Spot Ice Cream Maker. It just lives in the freezer until someone fancies some ice cream, then we’ve been making all sorts of delicious combinations, mostly ‘fro-yo’ concoctions with thick, luscious Greek yoghurt (Lidl’s is a current favourite), some berries, chocolate chips, crumbled shortbread, a squeeze of honey, nuts, even a bit of warm, melted chocolate. Possibly not that brilliant for the waistband, but as we only make a small quantity at a time, it’s not too bad. The Sweet Spot is basically a shallow dish/plate that can be kept in the freezer. Then, as the ice cream mixture is poured onto it, it immediately starts to freeze. Scoop and stir for a few minutes, then put straight into serving bowls. It’s £39.99 from Lakeland, buy online here. It’s also been a rather nice excuse to buy some more colourful vintage pressed glass, not that I need an excuse, to add to my collection …

OPEN AIR INSPIRATION

Three lovely kitchens with a great summery feel, hopefully these will give you some summery inspiration if you’re planning a new kitchen any time soon. Bespoke kitchens designed by Holloways of Ludlow, visit them here for design appointments and information. (Photography, by Nicolas Yarsley).

AND FINALLY …

We moved into the new house properly last week. I am writing this surrounded by boxes, and will try very hard to unpack logically and methodically. I’m starting to fill the kitchen drawers, have so far managed about three. The thing that makes it enjoyable is working out the drawer dividers. I’m on the verge of getting unreasonably excited regarding mini jam pots and teeny accessories which must all be given their own individual compartment. All dividers are, of course, from the ORGA-LINE for TANDEMBOX system by Blum. Here’s where we are to date; the bespoke orange glass splashback is 6mm toughened safety glass from DIY Splashbacks, in the colour Sandy Peppers by Valspar. See their range here.