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Home » Easy Summer Menu for Six

Easy Summer Menu for Six

May 20, 2016 by Sarah / Maison Cupcake

Easy summer menu with Mediterranean flavours – with a few ready made frozen items you can feed six people in around 30 minutes. This post was commissioned by Iceland for their #PowerofFrozen campaign.

Easy summer menu for six with quick and quality foods from Iceland

Is it me or is everyone just crazy busy these days? I’ve reached the conclusion I work pretty much 7 days a week throughout term times to compensate for the interruption of school holidays and inevitable sick weeks.

A holiday would be nice, and we have one soon. Only the sheer franticness of getting things finished before signing off for a week followed by chaos upon returning makes me wonder sometimes whether it would be easier not to go at all.

So last weekend I took solace in a day that was way sunnier than forecast and revelled in how easy it was to pull of this al fresco lunch menu. We were feeding just three of us in these pictures but I was so impressed by the effortlessness of this summer menu, we are doing it all again tomorrow when we have guests. So I have adapted the timings/quantities I’m talking about for six people.

Easy Meditterranean Summer Lunch Menu for six with Iceland products

This is definitely a reason for mum going to Iceland – although tomorrow I think it will be a case of Dad sent to Iceland with a list.

We chose:

Slow cooked lamb shanks in mint and rosemary gravy – ready from frozen in an astonishing twelve minutes in the microwave. And if you did as I did and defrost them first, they heat up even faster. (buy 3 packs to feed six)

Butternut squash, sweet potato, fig, red pepper and feta in a Middle Eastern inspired sauce – which I baked in the microwave combi oven in around 15 minutes.  (buy 2 packs to feed six)

Couscous with Vegetables – which has all the veggies and some chick peas already in it so you just heat it up although I hacked it slightly as I’ll explain below. (buy 2 packs to feed six)

Seeded folded flat breads from the Luxury range – served dipped in hummus. (buy 2 packs if you want plenty for snacking with drinks before main meal)

I actually made my own hummus which I’ll blog separately but you could save time by subbing with Icelands:

Global Deli Be Inspired Olives, Feta and Tomatoes – shown here and

Iceland Red Pepper Houmus – shown here

Raspberry Semifreddo with Prosecco from Iceland

Which we served with this Prosecco (just £6.79 a bottle) and Iceland’s new Luxury Raspberry & Prosecco Semifreddo frozen dessert.

Frozen couscous from Iceland

So to hack this couscous then – not pictured but I fried some of Iceland’s super convenient ready chopped onions in olive oil underneath. Then you add the packs of frozen couscous mix and just keep stirring it until it defrosts. I also added a crushed vegetable Oxo cube.

Easy Roast Vegetable Couscous Recipe using 2 ready made mixes from Iceland

On serving the couscous, I mixed it together with the roast vegetable mix. The Middle Eastern inspired sauce in the roast veg mix goes perfectly with the couscous.

Seeded pitta breads from Iceland Luxury Range

Lovely toasted seeded pitta breads for scooping all that hummus. I added some fresh salad veg too.

Fastest ever Lamb shanks in 12 minutes from Iceland

And these are the miracle lamb shanks. Excuse my husband’s toes, he’s been castigated for bringing the tone down. These lamb shanks in rosemary and mint gravy come already cooked and you simply blast them in their pierced bag in the microwave for 12 minutes. This product is quite simply going to revolutionise my too-lazy-to-do-Sunday-Roast feeling forever.

Having already defrosted mine (due to the freezer being rammed with bargains) we were able to reheat 2 lamb shanks in around 7-8 minutes per pair. So if you were doing this dinner for six you’d need to allow 24 mins microwave time plus 15 minutes for the roast veg. Or you could bung the lot in a hot oven for around 30 minutes. Bingo.

The meat is SO tender. It fell of the bone and Ted who is normally fussy about red meats gobbled it all up with the tasty gravy.

Raspberry Semifreddo with Prosecco from Iceland

And under the dappled sunlight we lazed away the afternoon with chilled Prosecco and a wedge of the raspberry semi freddo served with a few cheeky blueberries.

So picture me if you can, Prosecco in hand, ranting to the husband about everything that needed doing this week and then pausing to point at our lunch saying, “I am so doing this again.” And think of me with our guests tomorrow – they have four year old twin boys so the less attention required to cook the better!

For more meal solutions with quality and convenience in mind, here are a couple of other outdoors-y posts by my blogging friends also created to celebrate #PowerofFrozen with Iceland:

Are you looking for a quick and easy dinner to make after work? How about my chicken & chorizo paella (ish!) which can be made with no prep time and very little chopping! This is thanks to @icelandfoods and the #PowerOfFrozen! It has transformed my life, see how it can transform your life too! #ad #sponsored #foodbloguk #ukfoodblog #wmbloggers #buzzfeast #buzzfeedfood #yahoofood #feedfeed #f52grams #easycooking #quickmeal #quickandeasy #quickandeasymeals #linkintheprofile #linkinbio #fbcuk16

A photo posted by Jo Brigdale (@jos_pictures) on May 17, 2016 at 10:47am PDT

Chicken & Chorizo Paella by Jo’s Kitchen

The Power of Frozen on the BBQ with @icelandfoods Cornish Sardines with Wild Garlic Salsa Verde and Couscous Salad #bbq #poweroffrozen #icelandfoods #couscous #sardines #frozenfood #cornishsardines #barbecue #bbq #wildgarlic #wildfood #salsaverde #foragedfood #foraging #couscous #iceland

A photo posted by Claire Jessiman (@foodiequine) on May 8, 2016 at 3:40am PDT

Barbecue Sardines with Wild Garlic Salsa by Foodie Quine

Best Ever Chunky BBQ Relish & a BBQ Meat Feast! #PowerofFrozen #sp @icelandfoods http://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/best-ever-chunky-bbq-relish-poweroffrozen/ #foodporn #foodie #foodblog #instafood #foodstagram #feedfeed #f52grams #yahoofood #buzzfeast #huffposttaste #foodbloguk #foodpics #homemade #foodbloguk #foodgawker #delicious #instayum #foodwinewomen #gloobyfood #nomnom #bonappetit #sortedfood #foodpornshare #eeeeeats #eat365

A photo posted by Camilla (@fabfood4all) on May 20, 2016 at 4:38am PDT

Chunky Barbecue Relish by Fab Food 4 All

And a few more easy recipes all using frozen foods from Iceland:

  • Quick easy sweet chilli prawn stir fry by Eats Amazing
  • Ultimate lazy veggie lasagne by Veg Space
  • Sweet Potato Cakes by Veggie Desserts
  • Ostrich red berry sauce pasta by Fuss Free Flavours

Easy summer menu for six with quick and quality foods from Iceland

This easy summer menu post was commissioned by Iceland for their #PowerofFrozen campaign. For further info visit Iceland.co.uk

Filed Under: Branded Content, Family Food Ideas Tagged With: couscous, freezer, frozen foods, hummus, Meditterranean, microwave cooking, Salads, summer

About Sarah / Maison Cupcake

Sarah has published recipes on Maison Cupcake since 2009 and lives in London.
Read More/Contact

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Comments

  1. Camilla @FabFood4All says

    May 20, 2016 at 11:45 am

    Great menu Sarah!I love lamb shanks so great to know that Iceland do these and that they can be ready in such a short amount of time!

  2. Jan Bennett says

    May 20, 2016 at 12:52 pm

    So what I want to know is what happened to my invite?!!
    Oh my goodness what a lovely meal you made there Sarah. I too love the Butternut and Sweet Potato and Feta side. Iceland definitely makes everything so easy.

  3. Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs says

    May 23, 2016 at 6:01 pm

    Oh boy you’re making me hungry. So impressed with the simplicity of it all yet it all look so delicious. particularly that Luxury Raspberry & Prosecco Semifreddo frozen dessert. I want that RIGHT NOW! Looks like I need to work out where my nearest Iceland is!

    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      May 23, 2016 at 6:44 pm

      I think my favourite thing is the mixing the roast veg with their frozen couscous. Unbelievably easy and noone would know you’d not made it yourself.

  4. Kate | The Veg Space says

    May 23, 2016 at 6:15 pm

    What a great meal – such good value and really simple to prepare. I seem to end up running around in the kitchen for far too long when guests arrive, rather than sticking to something really quick and tasty like this and enjoying their company instead!

    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      May 23, 2016 at 6:43 pm

      Same here – I am always rushing around in a panic. This weekend we did it all again with our guests and it was fantastic to bung it all in oven and just lay the table!!

  5. Sus // roughmeasures.com says

    May 23, 2016 at 8:22 pm

    I never think to go in Iceland, but this all looks fab! I really like the look of the squash dish (and that gorgeous semi-fredo!)

  6. Helen @ family-friends-food.com says

    May 23, 2016 at 8:49 pm

    Wow – that all looks amazing. I don’t eat meat but to be honest, I think you could omit the lamb and there would still be a whole delicious meal left!

  7. Lucy says

    May 24, 2016 at 6:45 pm

    I have got to get down to Iceland! It all looks and sounds delicious and so convenient. The semifreddo and Prosecco are also calling me!

    • Sarah, Maison Cupcake says

      May 24, 2016 at 11:12 pm

      Mighty fine Prosecco!! And cheapest I’ve found in the UK at £6.79 a bottle.

  8. Claire @foodiequine says

    May 26, 2016 at 5:12 pm

    WHAT?! Iceland sell Prosecco? How did I not know that! Thanks for sharing my #PowerOfFrozen BBQ Recipe

  9. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

    May 26, 2016 at 9:22 pm

    I love that frozen couscous, such a convenient thing to keep in the freezer (love the quinoa and lentil mixes too!). Great idea to add extra veggies!

  10. Grace @ Eats Amazing says

    May 26, 2016 at 10:47 pm

    That looks so yummy, can I come next time?! Loving the look of that cous-cous, will have to hunt it down!

  11. Choclette says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:38 am

    This all looks so colourful and delicious, just need some sunshine to go with it. I’m impressed with the flatbreads. I shall look out for them next time I’m in Iceland.

  12. Andrea @ The Petite Cook says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:09 am

    I’ve had that prosecco before and it’s really lovely, I had no idea Iceland also had the semifreddo.. it’s definitely calling my name!! And chapeau to this smart menu, looks pretty easy and quick to put together, and everything sounds super tasty!

  13. Kerry at Kerry Cooks says

    May 27, 2016 at 12:08 pm

    What a fab idea Sarah! I always think we have to make THE ABSOLUTE MOST of any nice weather and get out into the garden with friends, but people (me!) sometimes let lack of prep get in their way! The fact that you can keep most of this in your freezer is SO handy!

    I also just bought those flatbreads, they look delicious! Going to have some tonight with hummus!

  14. Kate @ VeggieDesserts says

    May 27, 2016 at 3:46 pm

    What a fantastic spread. It’s amazing what you can do in such a short time using frozen food. Iceland is a bit of a gem!

  15. Lucy Parissi says

    May 30, 2016 at 8:04 am

    You have given me so many ideas I need to pop into Iceland – if only to find the lamb shanks they do look insanely tasty! I have to say all the food I have gotten from the shop recently has been great quality and so reasonably priced

  16. Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says

    June 1, 2016 at 11:39 am

    I need to try those lamb shanks. As soon as there is room in the freezer I am stocking up!

Trackbacks

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About Sarah / Maison Cupcake

Sarah has published recipes on Maison Cupcake since 2009 and lives in London.
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