Guest chef - Yotam Ottolenghi. Open Season

Eating outdoors is so appealing because it allows you to indulge in a sensual food ritual without the formality and restrictions that are often a part of indoor dining. You just don’t have to hold back when sitting on the ground with a plate on your lap, or grabbing a roasted delicacy from the grill – it’s part of the game to be a bit ‘piggish’.

Certain foods can also taste much better when eaten outside. A glorious, crimson chunk of watermelon; a rapidly melting ice cream; or a smoky, charred piece of grilled meat – all are enhanced when their flavours mingle with the scents of outdoors.

I grew up in the hot climate of Israel, so eating meals on the patio, shaded from the fierce sun under a pergola of vines, was a regular occurrence. I particularly remember weekend brunches, when the family would gather around a table piled with fresh local produce (pink radishes with their green stalks; sweet, dark red tomatoes; crunchy romaine lettuce), light curd cheeses from goat or cow, eggs in many forms (but mostly fried in olive oil with heaps of herbs) and plenty of crusty white bread with a rich, chewy centre.

Summer food needs to be a celebration of colour as well as texture and flavour

This combination of abundance and simplicity, using wonderful components without processing them much, is the signature of my father’s cooking. It is also the spirit behind much of the food that we make at Ottolenghi: plenty of fresh produce, simply prepared and lavishly presented; great ingredients with a clear voice of their own.

Summer food needs to be a celebration of colour as well as texture and flavour. The ample produce available at this time of year makes this possible, and eating in the sunlight amplifies colours further. I think much of the success of the food at Ottolenghi is this: it has instant appeal to the eye. Our shops are not like restaurants where you sell the food by a description on a menu. People feast with their eyes before they make a decision.

The windows are designed like a stage and we create a drama by piling up contrasting delicacies: colourful macaroons and bright tarts; alluring fruit; seasonal salads of varied shades and textures, spiked with herbs, nuts and seeds; lightly seared fish, arranged around a big bowl of opulent sweet and sour salsa. All these create a sense of celebration.

I’m not a huge fan of complicated picnics; when planning an outdoor meal, I keep it simple. You only need a few well-chosen ingredients: I like to pack a wonderful cheese to go with some fruit, such as a young Pecorino and some ripe French white peaches, or even just a salad of baby cucumbers drizzled with fruity olive oil.

For a picnic for a special occasion, I prepare dishes that look great and can survive the schlep

Having said that, there are days when you may want to make more of an effort – if you were going to watch an outdoor opera, say, or celebrate a special occasion with friends. For these times, I try to prepare dishes that taste and look great at room temperature and that can survive the schlep.

Here, I would make bread dough, enriched with oil, and fill it with tasty ingredients such as mature Taleggio, spinach and intensely flavoured semi-dried tomatoes. After rolling it up and baking it, you can take it with you anywhere and slice it up to eat with a salad. The lamb and aubergine meatballs are also delicious at room temperature and will stay moist, thanks to the silkiness of the aubergine. The other dishes here are all suitable for any kind of picnic, but would make for an equally good lunch in the garden. So wherever you decide to spend your sunny afternoons, I hope you enjoy these summery dishes as much as I do.