It's summer and you're eating outside, in the garden perhaps on on the patio. And, since it's summer, you'll be thinking about healthy salad. The trouble is, this can be a bit boring. Just green leaves, and cucumber, and so on. So, what you need is a tasty dressing. This is a particular favourite of mine - sparks up almost any combination of leaves and vegetables.

Take a jar with a screw-top lid - something that originally held jam, or olives, or something. (I like to keep a few jars of this kind around the kitchen to re-use - just run the empty jar through the dishwasher a time or two when you've finished the contents.)

Put a teaspoon of a decent french mustard - Dijon, for preference - in the jar. Add a little salt and lots of finely-ground black pepper. Than add a tablespoon of white wine vinegar and stir to dissolve the mustard.

Now the secret ingredient! Add a teaspoon of the best-quality balsamic vinegar you can afford. I am currently using a particularly nice Italian cherry balsamic which we bought in a little shop in Lucca on a trip to Tuscany. Stir in.

This one is incredibly simple. Just mix three heaped tablespoons of bounght mayonnaise (I prefer Hellmann's) with one heaped teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Stir well, and serve.

Delicious on salads, or as a dressing for deli-style sandwiches. You can make up lots, and keep it covered (use clingfilm) in the fridge for several days. Useful when the weather is uncertain and you might want to make a snap decision to go for a picnic or alfresco meal!

This is an essential side for hot-dogs, burgers and even steak sandwiches. The trick is to saute the onions in their own juices, rather than frying them in oil. This is best made in quite large quantities - three or four onions - but don't worry because your guests will love it and will be back for more!

This is best cooked in a deep heavy saucepan with a non-stick lining and a well-fitting lid. Slice three or more onions into long narrow strips - this makes it much easier to pick up a portion of onions with a pair of tongs.

Put a teaspoon of vegetable oil into the saucepan and add the onions, and cook over a very low heat for at least half an hour with the lid on. It should only be necessary to stir the onions every now and then, which should go soft and a very pale brown without becoming either burnt or sticky.

For this recipe, I am unashamedly recommending a ready-made bottled sauce as a marinade! Delicious, and very easy.

Wash half a dozen small chicken joints (wings or legs) and place them in a non-metallic dish only just large enough to contain them. Pour over a third of a bottle of Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce, and mix to ensure the chicken is completely covered. Add a tablespoon of sesame seeds, and mix again. Cover with clingfilm and stick in the fridge for an hour or two.

This works best with small, whole new potatoes, cooked in their skins. Use bamboo skewers, rather than metal ones, since the rough surface will stop the potatoes moving around too much.

Wash twenty small new potatoes and put then in a pan with enough cost water to cover them. Add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat, and simmer for twenty minutes, partially covered. When cooked, drain off the hot water, cover the potatoes with cold water from the tap and allow to cool.

While the potatoes are cooking, make up the marinade. In a jar with a screw-top lid, put two tablespoons of dark soy sauce, one teaspoon of grain mustard, and one tablespoon of honey. Shake well to mix.