Just in case you hadn't noticed …

… it's a tad warm out there! We're not used to it in the UK and one of the problems is that it's really difficult to know what to eat.

Everything is a massive effort and the last thing you want to do is turn on your oven. It's just about possible to use a pan on the hob.

We have friends coming to supper and I want to serve something nice and, as importantly, I don't want to spend time in a hot kitchen.

I like variations on a theme - fancy chefs call it fusion.

I think it will be a smidgeon of Spanish, add a dash of Italian and complete with a drop or two of the Middle East with the dressing.

So far I've decided on Stromboli which is basically a rolled up pizza that you slice, which will contain – apart from the standard ingredients like tomato paste and mozzarella – finely sliced chestnut mushrooms, baby spinach and black olives.

My smidgeon of Spanish will be diced chorizo, fried so that it releases its delicious oil. Set aside and when ready to serve, stir fry with finely sliced sweet peppers, blanched asparagus tips and halved baby tomatoes.

My pomegranate molasses dressing will be served with king prawns.

I'm not sure this is the end of my supper menu – just the story so far.

What can I serve to mop up the oil and dressings – piada – small Italian flatbreads. What I love about these is that they are small, manageable and perfect either to mop or to create a small wrap, best of all you don't finish up with food all over yourself as with the larger versions and wreck that beautiful new top you love so much!

More about piada coming next …