Bream with lemon and anchovy potatoes

The potatoes were the star of the show here.  I can imagine this being my preferred way to make potatoes as the hit of lemon, coupled with the saltiness of the anchovies was just perfect.  The fish was cooked just right and was nice but fish is fish is fish - wonderful potatoes on the other hand are a totally different landscape.

Garlic prawns

And while I was with an un-fussy eater I took the chance to make these.  Fast food at its very best.

A squid in the fryer

I've jumped ahead to September here mainly because my 12 year old nephew is staying with me tonight and his request  for dinner was calamari.  He ate these greedily which was lovely to see (after months of pulled faces from my 21 year old). I don't have a fryer so did this in a shallow pan with plenty of oil which was a little scary but I managed.  These were great and I would make them again.

Grilled chicken with garlic and lemon butter

Oh man, this was good!  The chicken would have been good anyway, as it had been marinating for a couple of hours, but with addition of the herb butter it was amazing.  Lovely, lovely, lovely.

Cannellini beans with Parma, spinach and mustard

Eagle eyed Nigel lovers will instantly see something amiss - the meat in the salad should have been coppa, but there was none to be found, so I used Parma.  I also substituted olives for capers which also worked well.  This salad was really delicious and will definitely go on the make again list. 

Grilled chicken with lemon and couscous

When I was buying the ingredients tonight I got really excited about making this dish as the mint and coriander were giving off such a heady scent.  Ironically it was the herbs that ruined this meal for us in that there was too much of them - were I to make this again I would half the herb content.  Also, I felt that the preserved lemons were a unnecessary and expensive (they cost as much as the chicken) addition - I'd be tempted to just add more fresh lemon juice and flesh instead.  Sorry for the moaning Nigel but you can't win them all!

Mozzarella with grilled fennel

I had to substitute the olives (allergy) for capers and I'll never know how much difference that made to this dish.  I find fennel an overwhelming flavour even when it was toned down by the mozzarella and, whilst I didn't dislike it, this won't be one I'll be taking into my future with me.

Grilled zucchini with basil and lemon

This is a great side dish and one I will roll out for many summers to come I suspect.  Lovely flavours and so simple to make - I did mine on the griddle.

Lamb chops with oregano and tsatziki

Regular readers can guess the daughter's reaction to this, but I loved it.  I've never made tsatziki before and, as I'm not a big yoghurt fan, have barely ever eaten it but it was great - who knew? 

Grilled monkfish with rosemary, served with garlic mayo

I don't like mayonnaise and so wasn't looking forward to that particular element of the recipe.  In trusted Nigel stylee though, he didn't let me down and I realise that the reason I don't like mayonnaise is because I've never had a home made version before, which could be tweaked to my taste.  Overall, this dish was a winner.

Roast tomato soup with basil and walnut oil toasts

Nigel used olive oil but I'm allergic to that so walnut oil it is.  Nigel starts this recipe saying 'chilled soups never really do it for me' -  I can honestly say that chilled anything never really does it for me - I hate cold food, as anyone who knows me will attest.  My devotion to and faith in Nigel, however, knows no bounds and so it was with just a little trepidation that I embarked upon the cold soup making road.  I'm never going to be a cold soup lover but this was good.  I think that because the flavours were robust there was nothing not to like.  Besides, I know I have hot monkfish to come!

Baked aubergine with sheep's.cheese and mint

And not forgetting pine nuts!  What's not to like in that combination?  I proper loved this - as did my two fellow diners.  I made the lamb meatballs to go along with this as suggested by Nigel - good choice Nigel.