Newsletter: Memorial Day & Bank Holiday weekend grilling + getting fresh with herbs

Enjoy our favorite fresh mint recipes

Let's feast outside for the Memorial Day and Bank Holiday Weekend

Memorial Day is an American federal holiday to honor US military who have died in service. Celebrated since 1868, since 1971 it has been designated as the last Monday each May. Memorial Day weekend – this year May 25-27 – is an annual get together that also marks the start of summer cooking and outdoor dining. It's also a long Bank Holiday weekend in the UK which means it is time to dust off the grill!

We’ve got several collections to help you grill up a feast for your crowd. For the main event explore recipes for Crowd-Pleasing Barbecues, and find recipes far beyond the charred sausage.

Try Tsukune Chicken Meatballs, peppy with garlic, ginger and soy, or Persian spiced Skewered Ground Lamb Kababs. Barbecued Pork Ribs are of course a good idea, this recipe has a zingy, flavorful, sweet-sour spiced rub that lifts the ribs out of the ordinary.

If fish is more your thing, then Master Fish and Shellfish on the Grill with these recipes. Try Tuna Kebabs with Caper Sauce, the ever-popular Grilled Shrimp here done with watermelon and feta for a plateful of bright flavor. Or create this Grilled Seafood with Goan Masala Paste.

Vegetables work equally well on the grill, whether for your side dishes or as mains for the veg-centric among you. Try a Mixed Mushroom Grill, with whichever edible fungi you can source, or these Ratatouille Parcels.

If you want even more barbecue inspiration, explore all the books on our Grilling Bookshelf.

When it comes to dessert, you can keep the grill in play, with these Grilled Peaches & Cream Cheese. Or we have a collection of Family-Style Desserts for your Memorial Day Weekend. Chocolate is always popular, try this Chocolate Marquise, or a Chocolate and Cherry Brownie Tart. For some summery bright flavor, whip up a Coconut Key Lime Pie, or this Peach and Strawberry Trifle.

Find all 149 recipes from Stéphane Reynaud’s Barbecue

Pictured above: Ayam taliwang from Fire Islands: Recipes from Indonesia by Eleanor Ford

Exploring Herbs

When new growth surrounds us, glorious and green, it feels imperative to bring it also into the kitchen. There is no finer source of vibrant green color and flavor than fresh herbs. We are thrilled to have two books on the subject newly added to ckbk.

Geraldene Holt’s Complete Book of Herbs is a classic for a reason. The award-winning journalist and author documents a life-long love for herbs, sharing the joys of creating and cooking from a herb garden. With sections on Herb Gardening, A Taste of Herbs, and Indoor Herbal, there is advice and ideas for everyone, whether you have an extensive herb garden yourself, or a bunch of basil from your local store.

Eat your Croissants Filled with Braised Strawberries and Lavender Honey, try Seafood Salad with Citrus and Fennel Dressing, or Baby Vegetables with Herb Butter en Papillote.

With extensive experience in French food, Geraldene followed her Complete Book of Herbs with Recipes from a French Herb Garden, turning her attention to French country cooking. Try a Salad Champêtre, a collection of tender fresh herbs and salad leaves, lightly dressed. There is no finer lunch than a Soupe au Pistou, a classic Provençale vegetable broth filled with both haricot and green beans, enriched with a fragrant basil pistou.

Cool down, and sweeten up, as you contemplate the joy of your herb garden, with a scoop of gently floral Glace de la Lavande.

Ingredient focus: fresh mint

“Mint gave its name to a legendary nymph, Minthe, who attracted the amorous advances of the god Pluto and was changed into a plant by his jealous consort, Proserpina.” Alan Davidson, Oxford Companion to Food.

There are many varieties of mint, a leafy herb of singular bright fresh scent and flavor. Most common fresh mint is spearmint, which is milder than its cousin peppermint. As the nymph Minthe shows us in her peril, legends and myths around this ancient herb are widespread and varied. Its culinary use is equally widespread, but much less hazardous. It lends itself to both savory and sweet dishes.

It lends itself to both savory and sweet dishes. It is particularly good in a summer salad, try Shaved Zucchini with Lemon, Mint and Feta. The pairing of mint with peas is a classic, such as in this Lemon-Pea Risotto with Mint. And in the UK, when roast lamb appears so does the Mint Sauce. For dessert, mint and chocolate are a tried and tested combination. Try Triple Chocolate Mint Parfaits, and of course Mint Chocolate Stracciatella Gelato – the perfect version of a mint choc chip ice cream.

For more minty loveliness, look at the recipes in our 12 Ways with Mint.

6 of the best cherry desserts

National Cherry Dessert Day is May 26, which is one of only many reasons to serve up a cherry dessert. Here are 6 recipes you won’t be able to resist.