Too many courgettes!

Courgettes (or zucchini as they are known in the US and Italy) seem to need harvesting all at once, and they need to be picked daily so they don't get too large. Storing them is also tricky as their high water content means they do not freeze well. But they will keep in the fridge for up to a week after harvesting, as long as you keep them dry and you don't put them into a plastic bag.

If you have an excess of courgettes in your garden, there are a number of dishes you can make or bake, some of which can be frozen.

Courgettes are also delicious eaten raw and included on a plate of cruditeés with a selection of tasty dips. Or use a vegetable peeler to slice them into long, thin ribbons for a salad with feta or goat's cheese crumbled on top.

Courgette ribbons can also be put on top of a homemade pizza or a summer tart. This courgette, feta and mint tart is perfect for a summer picnic or an outdoor lunch. It's very easy to make using a ready rolled sheet of puff pastry, crème fraîche, ribbons of courgette, some chopped mint and crumbled feta cheese.

To avoid excess water in these recipes, it's a good idea to put the sliced courgettes into a colander (over a bowl), sprinkle with salt and put a plate and some weights on top. Set aside for at least an hour.

You could also make courgette 'roses' with a sheet of puff pastry, shown here ready to go in the oven.

These are made in the same way as my apple rose pastries, but the pastry sheet is spread with goats cheese and slices of courgette before being rolled up and put into your muffin tins.

These are delicious for a quick supper with a salad. Or you could try and sneak them into your child's school lunch box!

Typically, courgettes become soft and lose their taste when they are boiled so a good alternative is to roast them. This not only intensifies the flavour but means you can freeze them for later use. Simply cut the courgette into thick slices, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 20 minutes at 190ºC.

I also make batches of soup to freeze for the winter months. My tomato and courgette or pancetta and bean minestrone are both tried and tested and both include a couple of chopped courgettes. Homemade croûtons optional.

And if you still have courgettes to eat up, here's a few other ideas.

Simply thread large pieces of courgette onto skewers with some red onion, colourful peppers and chestnut mushrooms and place under the grill or on the barbecue. This is a great vegetable accompaniment to your bbq meats and an often welcome alternative to salads.

Courgette carbonara is also a favourite in our house. Simply fry some cubed pancetta, add some colourful courgettes (cut into short lengths) and sprinkle over some dried thyme. When that's done, add the cooked pasta and stir in the beaten egg and cheese mixture.

And if you want to go the sweet route, you can grate courgettes into muffins or a cake making sure to get rid of the excess water first. If you like the moistness of a carrot cake, you'll love a courgette cake. Nigella Lawson includes the best recipe ever in her book 'How to be a Domestic Goddess' that uses a homemade lime curd filling and a cream cheese and lime frosting. Be sure to look it up.

Traditional Greek Salad

With just a handful of fresh ingredients, this vibrant salad will transport you to the Mediterranean. It's quick and easy to prepare, requires no special ingredients and needs just the best olive oil, red wine vinegar and a sprinkle of oregano to serve. The perfect salad on a sunny day.

1 medium red onion

4 medium tomatoes or about 12 cherry tomatoes.

For maximum flavour, use vine ripened tomatoes

1 cucumber

1 green bell pepper

50g pitted Kalamata black olives

1 block Greek feta cheese

3 tbsp olive oil

1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1½ tsp dried oregano

sprinkle of sea salt

Red Onion - Peel and halve the red onion and slice thinly. Put the onion slices into a bowl of iced water, add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and leave to soak for 10-15 minutes. This will mellow the onion's raw taste.

Tomatoes - If you using medium sized tomatoes, simply cut them into wedges. For cherry tomatoes, cut them in half.

Cucumber - Score down the skin with a fork or partially peel so the skin has a striped pattern. Then cut in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut the flesh into 1cm slices.

There are a few ways to deseed a cucumber - if you leave it whole. cut off a length and stand it on its end, you can use an apple corer or if you cut it in half lengthwise, you can run a teaspoon down the length to scoop out the seeds.

Green bell pepper - slice thinly across the pepper, removing the seeds as you go.

Black olives - any good quality black olives will do, but try and get Greek Kalamata olives for their authentic flavour.

Feta - again, a good quality feta cheese is best and it should be the star of the show sitting on top of the vegetables. Cut into cubes or tear into larger chunks.

Dressing

Olive oil and a dash of red wine vinegar - no need to whisk.

Once you've assembled everything, sprinkle with the dried oregano and sea salt, then add the dressing. Lightly toss and top with the feta cheese. Sprinkle a little more dried oregano and sea salt over the top before serving.

Classic Waldorf Salad

Waldorf Salad originates from the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City and was created in 1893 by the maître d'hôtel Oscar Tschirky. The hotel website tells us the original dish was made with 'apples, celery, grapes and walnuts tossed in a mayonnaise-based dressing and served on a bed of lettuce'. Some say that the grapes were added later and in fact, I've left them out of the recipe below. Others use the original as a 'base recipe' and add raisins, dried cranberries, seeds, herbs and even cooked chicken.

A musical note - Cole Porter lived in a suite at the Waldorf Towers for many years and in 1935, Waldorf Salad featured in the lyrics of his song 'You're the Top'.

Serves 4 as a starter

3 celery sticks, washed and thinly sliced

2 green apples (I recommend using crisp Granny Smiths which are not too sweet)

50g walnuts, toasted and chopped

Dressing

3 tbsp mayonnaise

3 tbsp thick Greek yoghurt

juice of 1 small lemon

Romaine or Little Gem lettuce to serve

Chops the walnuts and toast them either in a dry frying pan for 3-4 minutes, or in a 180ºC oven for 8-10 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them and shake the pan occasionally so they don't burn. Then set aside to cool.

Core the apples and cut into cubes or batons. Put into a bowl and toss with a splash of the lemon juice. This will stop them from going brown. Slice the celery straight across or on the diagonal.

In a large bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Greek yoghurt and the remaining lemon juice. Add the chopped celery, apples and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine making sure everything is coated in the dressing. You can now refrigerate this for an hour or so before you're ready to serve. (It will also keep in the fridge for a few days as long as you keep the walnuts separate)

Now simply arrange your lettuce leaves onto a serving platter, or four individual plates, and spoon on the salad mixture. Sprinkle with the toasted walnuts before serving.