Simple and seasonal cookbooks for summer cooking

These cookbooks highlight great recipes that are perfect for cooking or eating outside and require little time in the kitchen so that you can enjoy the last of the season's warm weather. 

Leon: Naturally Fast Food

With more than 60 restaurants, UK-based Leon is reinventing fast food, providing customers with affordable food that is nutritious, sustainable and most importantly, delicious.

Co-founders Henry Dimbleby and John Vincent opened the first Leonrestaurant in London 16 years ago with the intention of "bringing the best food to the most people."

They have since expanded their efforts to include a large cookbook series, which allows their healthy and simple comfort food to be enjoyed in home kitchens everywhere.

This latest book is divided into two sections: Fast Food and Slow Fast Food. The first is filled with satisfying recipes that take under 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish, and the second shares dishes that can be made ahead so that you always have excellent meals on-hand for those days when you just don't have time to cook.

Bonus content includes tips for how to stock your pantry and freezer, information on how to grow your own food, themed party menus and recipes to make with kids.

This is laid-back cooking for British favourites and dishes from cuisines around the world, with plenty of options for meals made without wheat, gluten, meat or dairy.

Packed with winning recipes and useful tips that are presented with playfulness and humour, Leon: Naturally Fast Food transforms fast food and revolutionizes home cooking, making it more accessible and fun than ever.

Sardine

Alex Jackson's London restaurant Sardine serves simple food inspired by the cuisine of southern France. These rustic dishes reflect the abundance and variety of fresh, local produce available at daily markets in Provence.

While spending a year studying in Paris during his early twenties, Jackson was introduced to this seasonal and authentic approach to food that is so distinct from the heavy, rich dishes found throughout the rest of France.

The recipes in Sardine embrace the warmth of the Mediterranean and favour a lighter cooking approach influenced by the cuisines of rural Spain and Italy.

Provençal food is especially satisfying and delicious, as it maintains the integrity of fresh vegetables, seafood and meat by preparing them in simple ways that bring out their best flavours and textures.

The simplicity of this way of cooking lends itself to the home kitchen, where uncomplicated dishes made with quality ingredients are easily achieved and perfect for sharing.

Moorish

Moorish celebrates the rich and diverse food culture of the Mediterranean and the lasting culinary influence left by the Moors that is still present in the region's cuisine today.

British chef Ben Tish explores how the Moorish invasion of the Iberian Peninsula prompted the convergence of Jewish, Spanish, Muslim and North African traditions, resulting in this unique and vibrant cuisine.

These bold Moorish dishes bring together the spices and flavours of Arab cuisine and the local produce and fresh ingredients of the Mediterranean to create food that is full of bright and dynamic flavours. Chapters are divided by the different ways Tish likes to cook at home and include breakfast & brunch, sweet & sour, slow-cooked meals, grilling, baking and drinks, among others.

Moorish draws on the elaborate culinary history of the Mediterranean and offers a fresh and contemporary take on these dishes, which have been developed for home cooking to bring the vivid flavours and exotic aromas of this ancient cuisine to your table.