Picky Bits: Try this Greek-inspired party menu designed to impress with no stress

Plus, a recipe for the easiest summer dessert ever and a non-alcoholic drink to wow your guests

Pretend you're in Greece with this easy dinner menu.

Entertaining in the summer months is the season for picky bits. That is, if you are not acquainted, tiny bowls of delicious morsels that involve little or no cooking but provide a maximum flavour punch. When designing a menu for a crowd, particularly in the summer months, I tend to lean heavily on the idea of half-homemade. 

So, I'll buy a good quality hummus and add a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and some salt flakes to it just before serving. I live for Greek Week in Lidl, when I stock up on the tins of vine leaves stuffed with rice and dill - served in small bowls with a squeeze of lemon and olive oil, they transport you to warmer climes in seconds. 

Olives, from a jar and given a dousing of - yes, you guessed it - extra virgin olive oil and a grating of garlic become piquant and wonderful in minutes, and at this time of year, tomatoes which have been stored on the countertop and therefore have none of the wooliness that comes with fridge storage can be chopped, scattered with salt and garlic and lemon juice if you have some. They get better as they stand, covered, on the countertop, so are the perfect job to do in the morning. 

If you like grazing boards, assemble one with everything at room temperature - particularly your cheeses. The Tiny Turnip gave us some great tips about how to make one, you'll find her tips here. 

Roast chicken is a winner all year round. Click for recipe.

For ease, I almost always go for a roast chicken as the main event. During the summer months, I stuff it with lemon, a halved bulb of garlic and whatever herbs I have hanging around. As we are leaning towards the Mediterranean feel today, I'd most likely rub it with olive oil and scatter with oregano and maybe some rosemary, and pop it in the oven at 180C for about one and a half hours, until the juices are running clear and when I pull gently at the leg it feels like it will come away easily. Of course, nobody cooks a roast chicken quite like Darina Allen - you'll find her foolproof recipe here. 

To accompany my chicken, I'll boil up some baby new potatoes until tender, drain and then tumble them onto an oven tray before squishing them until almost flat with a potato masher. Then, I'll drizzle with oil and scatter with a chopped whole lemon and about six whole garlic cloves still in their skin but lightly bruised with the potato masher. I cook them under the chicken for the last 45 minutes.

Once the chicken has rested, chop into portions and serve surrounded by the potatoes on a big platter. I serve this with a Greek salad that has been prepared and brought to room temperature and scattered with lots of feta cheese. Delicious.

Click here for Aisling Larkin's cookie ice cream sandwiches.

To finish, during the summer I love to surprise my grown-up guests with a dessert designed to bring out their inner child. Aisling Larkin's ice cream sandwich recipe does just that. If I am inclined, once I have prepared them, I dip them exactly halfway in melted dark chocolate and then remove them to the freezer until dessert time. 

To drink, these days it is always polite to offer a non-alcoholic drink and I am inspired by the Beverley Hills Housewives' commitment to a drink called Arnold Palmer - so much so that I have become something of an aficionado myself. Here's how to make enough for one large jug. Pour 500ml boiling water over four Earl Grey tea bags, stir in a tablespoon of honey and leave to stew for 10 minutes. Remove the teabags and allow to cool. Once cool, squeeze the juice of two lemons, one orange and one lime into the tea. To serve, prepare long glasses with lots of ice and pour half a glass full of tea and top up with your favourite lemonade.