It would be a hard-hearted curmudgeon indeed that failed to fall for Donna Hay’s latest celebration of summer. Beautifully styled sun-drenched scenes fill the pages from which relaxed, fresh dishes pack a flavour punch. Donna’s food is accessible and breezy and there are full suggested menus for those times when you’re too summered-out to think anymore. Enticing dishes to start the day will get you jumping out of bed: I didn’t think there was much more to be done to a fried egg, but the recipe here for eggs fried in crisp little haloumi nests might tempt me to make more of an effort. Whether for a light lunch or a casual supper, it’s summer’s veges that I crave and here Donna doesn’t disappoint; I’ve seen a lot of carrot tarts of late, but this one looks the best yet, with hot honey and whipped feta ramping up the wow. I’m thinking of pairing it with the intriguing crispy potato galette, a freeform jigsaw puzzle of new potato slices and grated parmesan. If you want to fully buy in to the coastal living life, Donna has styling tips, too, and while coming in tired and sandy after a day at the beach I’m unlikely to be colour matching ribbons to blooms or curating a beautifully mismatched set of treasured vintage china, I could probably manage to jam a handful of flowers into an old jar and call it eclectic. TW