Editor’s letter

As I write this, lockdown is gradually easing; schools and shops are creaking back to life; countries are slowly reopening their borders; and for the first time in a long while, people are making tentative plans to travel, or even — whisper it — dine out.

Of course, this may all come to nothing. Even at this stage, no one knows when life will return to something resembling normality. But while pandemics are capable of stopping the world, they’ve no such influence over the sun. So, whatever circumstances you find yourself in, I sincerely hope you’ve found a way to let the summer back into your life.

For me, 2020 is the year I’ve finally made something from the elderflowers that grow in such abundance in my garden. But there are countless other ways to mark the arrival of summer, whether it’s breaking out the barbecue, foraging for berries in the wild, or seeking out the best of the UK’S seasonal larder, from broad beans and peas to tomatoes and garlic.

In this issue, we’re celebrating the joys of summer — and to help us, we’ve asked some of the best chefs, cookbook writers and restaurateurs around to share the dishes, ingredients and drinks that transport them to places in the sun — those idyllic spots to which we’ll all one day return, hopefully sooner rather than later.

ISSUE 9, SUMMER 2020