Ginny Grant has delicious dishes for an Italian-style dinner menu.

Multi-course dining is not something I relish when cooking at home. For the most part I’m happier with family-style dining with platters on the table and letting informality rule.

But when I do cook a menu, then I invariably nod to the cuisines of Italy with its strong vegetable focus and a core of ingrained seasonality. I make no claims that these are strictly authentic – rather a point to step off from – but they share the use of minimal ingredients prepared with care and, yes, plenty of great extra virgin oil (over 20 years on I still have visions of Rose Gray peering over my shoulder nudging me to not stint on the oil).

And, of course, these are all fast or easy to make ahead without Herculean effort. Don’t feel you have to make them all; pick and choose those that appeal.