Summer means only one thing to us Brits - disappointment associated with the weather. But when we have gotten over the dreary drizzle that plagues our summer months, we always have at least a few days of sunshine, and when we do, it's time to get the barbecue out!

Everyone has their own little routines, tricks, and methods when it comes to preparing and executing their barbecue, but we'd like to offer 7 of our little tips that will ensure yours is a roaring success.

1. Preparation is key - marinade your meats and fish the day before for optimum flavour, and prepare your salads an hour or two before to ensure you're not pushed for time.

2. Variety is the spice of life - burgers and sausages are pretty standard, so why not try some more exciting options like prawn skewers, pork chops, or lamb koftas!

3. It's not all about meat and fish - why not try barbecuing vegetables like corn on the cob? The slightly charred effect of the corn really brings out that delicious flavour.

4. Don't rush things - if you are using charcoal wait till they turn white before you place any food on the grill; only then is the grill at the optimum heat for cooking your food on.

5. Don't cook cold meats - if you are going to be cooking meat, make sure you take it out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before you place it on the barbecue. You want your meat at room temperature to ensure an even level of heat penetrates it.

6. Try not to flip out - we know it is tempting to continually flip your meat on the barbecue but try to refrain. It takes time for that desired char to develop on your food, and flipping only interrupts this.

7. Let it rest - this rule always applies when you are cooking meat and with barbecued meat it's no different. Give your meats ample time to rest after cooking to ensure the juices settle, and the meat itself is as tender as possible.

Three great meals that don't need cooking!

So your cooker has broken down, but it's fine, because you're totally on top of it. You've located the source of the problem, Googled it, and ordered a replacement part from the Cooker Spare Parts team. No sweat!

Except...what are you going to do for dinner tonight? Even if you selected 'Next Day Delivery' and completed the order before 3.30pm, your cooker will still be out of action until tomorrow. You don't want to ruin your diet with a takeaway, and you haven't got the money for a meal out, so what to do?

Well, we can help on that score as well. Here are a few alternative meal ideas for those broken cooker evenings.

(N.B. For the sake of this blog post, we're assuming that your cooker is completely busted; that is, you can't use the oven, the hobs, or the grill.)

• Salad
  If salad has only ever been a side dish for you, it's high time you upgraded it to the rank of Main Course. Start with the basics: cucumber, lettuce (or rocket if you're feeling fancy) and celery. Once you've laid the foundations, you can get creative, throwing in more or less anything you fancy. Peppers, croutons, walnuts, sesame seeds, chicken pieces, pine nuts...it's all fair game!
  
  
• Chicken Wraps
  You may not be able to cook anything yourself, but you can buy pre-cooked chicken from most supermarkets. If you're reasonably easy to satisfy, just put some chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise in a tortilla wrap and tuck in! If, however, you want to add a little more flavour, you can add cashew nuts, chopped spring onions, and even grated coconut to the mix.
  
  
• Boxing Day Buffet
  If you've got leftovers - chicken, cold cuts, salad, that sort of thing - then you've got yourself a meal, no cooker required. Just pretend it's the day after Christmas, spread all your leftovers out on the dining table, and make a buffet out of it. And if you don't have any leftovers...go out and buy some! Grab a French stick while you're there, too; nothing ties a spread together like a nice, crusty baguette.

Image Credit: Andrew Skudder

A lot of people seem to think that vegetarianism means that you can’t eat anything but lettuce. In actual fact, choosing not to eat meat is no more limiting than choosing not to eat cake – there’s still a whole world of marvellous mealtime options that you can enjoy!

To prove that point, here are three of our favourite vegetarian dishes for you to try at home. They’re all meat-free, and even inveterate meat-eaters have admitted that these meals taste amazing!

Quorn Wraps with Nando's Sauce

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 2-4
Suitable for Vegans? No - Quorn contains egg.

You will need:

• Nando's Peri-Peri Marinade (the spicier the better!)
• Quorn Chicken Style Pieces
• Peppers (x2)
• Flour tortillas
• Cooking oil

Fry the Quorn pieces in a little oil.  Chop the peppers and add them to the frying pan, along with a generous helping of Nando’s marinade. Sizzle it all for a little longer, and once everything’s cooked, spoon the mixture into flour tortillas and serve as wraps.

Macaroni Cheese

Recipe taken from chefchloe.com

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4-6
Suitable for Vegans? Yes, as long as you buy vegan-friendly pasta, milk, and margarine.

You will need:

• Egg-free macaroni (1lb/450g)
• Alpro soy milk (680g/24oz)
• Broccoli florets
• Vegan margarine (55g/2oz)
• Flour (43g/1.5oz)
• Yeast (64g/2.25oz)
• Tomato purée (2tbsp)
• Sea salt (2tbsp)
• Garlic powder (1tsp)
• Lemon juice (1tbsp)

Cook the macaroni and broccoli in boiling water (bear in mind that the macaroni will take longer than the broccoli). Whisk the margarine and flour together in a saucepan on medium heat; then, add the soy milk, yeast, purée, salt, and garlic powder to the pan and boil this mixture while continuing to whisk frequently. Lower the heat and simmer so that the sauce has time to thicken. Stir in the lemon juice, and add this sauce to your macaroni and broccoli.

Rice Muck-Up

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes
Serves: Depends on the amount of rice you make
Is it vegan? Yes, unless you add any non-vegan ingredients

You will need:

• Rice (preferably saffron rice)
• Curry powder
• Whatever you've got in the fridge!

Rice muck-up is a great way of using up your leftovers. Simply cook the rice, add a bit of curry powder, and throw in anything you've got handy! Try it with peas, onion, egg, herbs, peppers, Quorn, nuts, mushrooms, aubergine...anything that comes to hand. This is a good Monday night dish if you've got lots left over from the weekend.

For more veggie inspiration, check out our Vegetarian Meals board on Pinterest!

Products like Quorn allow vegetarians to enjoy a lot of dishes that would otherwise be off their menu. The Quorn range is pretty extensive, covering everything from ham and sausages to chicken breast and burgers; there are hardly any meat dishes that can't be convincingly veggified using some strategically-served mycoprotein!

One of Quorn's most popular products is their mince, which is ideal for meals like spaghetti bolognese and chilli con carne. Here's the recipe for another great veggie-friendly mince dish...

Quornchiglioni
Giant pasta shells stuffed with Quorn mince

You will need:

• Jumbo-sized pasta shells
• A packet of Quorn mince
• Tomato and basil pasta sauce
• Grated cheese
• Garlic (optional)
• Rosemary (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees celsius.
   
   
2. While the oven heats up, cook your pasta shells in a saucepan of boiling water. Don't cook them for too long - they'll finish cooking in the oven, so make sure they're still nicely al dente when you take them off the boil.
   
   
3. Fry your mince in a pan until it's nice and brow. Then, add your pasta sauce (not too much, mind - you don't want the mince to be swimming in it!) You can also add a bit of garlic and rosemary to the mix if you so desire.
   
   
4. Once your pasta is cooked and the sauce is ready to go, it's time to start stuffing! Arrange the pasta shells in a baking dish, and spoon a generous helping of mince mixture into each one.
   
   
5. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of your stuffed pasta shells (use as much as you like!)
   
   
6. Pop the dish in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. The shells should be nice and crispy by the time you take them out.

At Cooker Spare Parts our lives revolve around cookers, which means that naturally we're a big bunch of foodies. We love discovering new recipes and cooking scrummy feasts in our kitchen, but occasionally we don't have the time to create a masterpiece. Through a dash of experimentation, a sprinkling of some of our favourite meal components and a sprinkling of trial and error, we've managed to come up with a delicious recipe which is super quick and easy, yet doesn't compromise on flavour in the slightest. The secret ingredient? Sweet Chilli Philly.

Sweet Chilli Philly Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 x Pack of Meatballs (of your taste - we like the ones with herbs and garlic or a little chilli kick, but any will work)
1 x tub of Philadelphia Light: Sweet Chilli
1 x Red Pepper
1 x Red Onion
1 tspn Mustard 
1 x Stock Cube
1 x Clove of Garlic 
1 x Portion of Pasta (we think Linguine works perfectly with this dish, but the choice is entirely yours!)

Instructions:

1. Fry the meatballs in oil until they are thoroughly cooked through. If you like your dish to be a little spicy then we'd recommend frying in chilli oil - it gives it a delicious kick, but if not then stick to the good old fashioned olive stuff.

2. Begin to cook your pasta - keep an eye on it though, chewy pasta is not cool!

3. Chop the red pepper and red onion into long, thin strips. Once the meatballs are cooked - throw them in the pan too.

4. Finely dice your garlic clove and whack that in. 

5. Stir your stock cube in some boiling water until you get a consistent liquid. 

6. Sprinkle a splash of your stock cube mixture over the meatballs.

7. Add in your Philly. A little to start with, make sure that the meatballs and vegetables are coated. 

8. Add the pasta to the pan and mix.

9. Continue to add the Philly, evenly and regularly until you have a good coating.

10. Gradually add the stock cube mix, a splash at a time to thin the sauce

11. Add the teaspoon of mustard and ensure the mixture is thoroughly stirred.

12. Dish up and enjoy your little splash of heaven!

We love that the philadelphia is a light option so you're enjoying a relatively low-calorie meal. You can substitute the pasta for gluten-free or whole weat, and add as many different veggies as you see fit. The beauty of this dish is the simplicity - it can be dressed up or down as you wish. Ensure it's piping hot before serving and any leftovers the next day will taste just as good.