Our days of scorching sun feel few and far between in the UK, so we want to make the most of them when they do arrive – and one thing we know that doesn't involve is spending any more time than we need to in a sweltering kitchen. Balmy weather calls for easy, speedy lunches and suppers that keep us cool and let us spend more time outside.

That's what we've focused on below – we've sifted through our recipes to dig out nine that are perfect for the season. They include summer classics like salads and chilled soups, which can often be made without any heat at all, but we've also thrown in a barbecue recipe (letting the grill do the work outside while you pour another drink isn't the same as turning on the oven in our books) and a couple of dishes which might need a minute or two of cooking – to toast some spices, for example – but are largely heat-free. We hope they hit the spot on those boiling evenings when you can't bring yourself to turn on the oven.

We'll start with the most obvious of summer suppers – a salad. Our ultimate Greek salad doesn't require any oven time and – once you've marinated the feta overnight – only takes ten minutes to pull together, meaning you'll be out of the kitchen and back in the garden before you know it. The feta is marinated in rosemary and lemon and the salad includes elderflower-pickled red onion for a touch of floral sweetness. For more salad inspiration, head this way.

This gorgeous dish packs in bursts of salty samphire, crisp fennel and sour pink grapefruit – it's perfectly balanced and works fabulously as a starter or a light dinner that only takes fifteen minutes and doesn't need any heat. It revolves around the beautiful sea bream, so make sure you head to your fishmonger to get the best quality.

This Sichuan-style cold noodle dish from Shu Han Lee blends the saltiness of soy sauce, tanginess of black rice vinegar and creamy nuttiness of sesame paste in an incredibly moreish dressing, while the distinctive heat of Sichuan peppercorns lend the dish its mouth-numbing feel. There's no oven cooking – you just need to quickly toast the Sichuan peppercorns in a dry pan over medium heat. 

There are few things quite as refreshing as a chilled soup. This recipe from Steve Groves is a sweet-meets-savoury number with the winning combination of melon and 'nduja. You'll only need to toast the bread, which is then slathered with the spreadable, fiery paste. A final drizzle of oil and sprinkle of oregano leaves brings everything together. If you're enjoying a summer of chilled soups, don't miss our gazpacho recipe collection here.

If you're after a simple, summer dinner, it might as well be one that celebrates one of the season's finest ingredients, the tomato. This sandwich pairs the savouriness of tomatoes with the creamy tonnato sauce – use the best quality tinned tuna you can get your hands on. It's ready in half an hour and doesn't involve any cooking.

Though we generally plump for cool and light dinners in summer, we also can't resist the chance to get the barbecue out. Choose your recipe carefully and all the cooking will be done outside, and you'll be able to sit back and open your next drink. With these gorgeous Memphis pork ribs, you'll need to toast some of the spices, but after that it's all about al fresco grilling.

These crayfish summer rolls from Victoria Glass are fresh, healthy and speedy, and need next to no cooking (you'll only need to blanch the beansprouts and leave the vermicelli in a bowl of boiling water). They're great for using up whatever's left in the fridge, so feel free to experiment.

Once you've cooked the prawns, it's just a case of assembling this fresh, vibrant and fiery seafood salad from Nud Dudhia. Octopus, prawns, avocado, tomato and cucumber are dressed in a punchy combination of sriracha, fish sauce and lime, inspired by the food scene of Baja California.

This no-bake mango cheesecake from Avinash Shashidhara will need you to melt down the gelatine, but it won't take more than a minute. Other than that, it's all about layering and chilling – a perfect dinner party dessert when the weather is hot. Though Avinash recommends Alphonso mangoes when they're in season (in the UK that generally runs from April to June), he also suggests using Sicilian mangoes when they're not – you can find out more about speciality mangoes this way.

For more recipes perfect for summer, click here for our collection.