The Sun Comes Out Four Times a Year in Ireland. Get Out Al Fresco & Enjoy It.

You know the forecast. Three good days arrive with no warning, everyone texts the same group chat, and by Saturday afternoon there are twelve people in your garden looking forward to being fed. The instinct is to panic-buy: a trolley of plastic-lidded dips, a bag of tortilla chips, and warm white wine nobody finishes.

There's a better answer. The best food for a summer garden party is a handful of generous, shareable dishes you can make ahead — a composed salad with real substance, something warm from the oven, a tart you can slice for a crowd, and a jug of something sparkling to drink.

That's the whole idea behind our Summer Garden Party Ideas day course in Blackrock. Here's the thinking, and the recipes worthy of a good weekend.

The summer feast has evolved to aesthetic boards of antipasti or mezze, and grazing tables of rainbow-coloured salads and dressed grains.

So what does that mean for your summer party? You should build a focus around two substantial dishes with accompanying sides to add harmony to your lunch table. Sunshine picnic sausage rolls with a roast tomato, lime and ginger relish: handheld, no plate required. A spinach and feta tart from a pastry you've made once and can use several ways. And because sweet-and-hot is the flavour everyone's chasing this summer, a jar of chilli jam or a drizzle of hot honey over a wedge of Irish cheese does more than a cheeseboard ever did.

The trick is choosing dishes that work with you, so that you can spend the afternoon in the garden rather than in the kitchen.

Here's the tension nobody says out loud: a summer party should feel abundant, but a lavish table feels hard to justify when the weekly shop already stings. The good news is that "considered" and "costly" aren't the same thing.

A menu reads as considered when it's built from local, seasonal things: a wedge of Irish artisan cheese, a little charcuterie, a bit of coastal seafood. Food tends to be at its cheapest when it's in season. A slaw is generally cabbage and carrot but apple, fennel and beetroot also work beautifully. The basis of a tart is pastry that can be filled and adapted to suit whatever you may have to use in your fridge. Scones cost little to make from scratch and will freeze well once cooked, so that all you have to do is pop them in a hot oven to defrost and serve with whipped cream and a good quality raspberry jam. What makes it feel generous is variety and care, not price per head — three home-made things on a board read as more thoughtful and can allow you to eschew a fan of shop-bought dips.

The fair objection is that the weather will turn, the party will shrink to six people on a patio, and nobody needs a class to throw a few things on a board. True enough for one Saturday but the real skill is being able to do it again in August, at Christmas, and whenever the group chat lights up, without the panic-buy. Learn these made-ahead methods and every gathering afterwards gets easier.

On the menu is an Asparagus & Salmon Lasagne with Fresh Dill & Lemon; Sunshine Picnic Sausage Rolls with Roast Tomato, Lime & Ginger Relish; Rainbow Ruby Slaw; Homemade Versatile Pastry worked a number of ways and will nicely segway into both a savoury and sweet option. And no afternoon would be complete without Raspberry & Coconut Scones which we will be pairing with a Raspberry & Chia Jam. The focus throughout is easy entertaining — dishes prepped ahead so the day of the party is yours. Suits all levels.

This class is new to the school and is only happening once this summer, so secure you’re spot.

• What's the best food to make for a summer garden party?
• Build around two or three shareable dishes that you can make ahead, so you're with your guests instead of stuck at the hob. A filling salad like a rainbow slaw, something handheld like sausage rolls with a sharp relish, a tart you can slice for a crowd, and a sweet bite such as scones with jam work perfectly. Add an Irish cheese with a fruit chutney or chilli jam for the sweet-heat flavour everyone's after this summer. Dublin Cookery School's Summer Garden Party Ideas day course walks you through a whole menu — a hands-on day in Blackrock on 18th July 2026, €190.
• What are good non-alcoholic drink ideas and mocktails for a party?
• Treat the non-alcoholic option as seriously as the cocktails: so give the non-drinker a real choice. A good mocktail needs acid, a little sweetness, something aromatic and plenty of ice: try sharp citrus with bruised mint, a splash of kombucha and elderflower or rhubarb cordial, made by the jug and served in proper glasses. Stock a non-alcoholic beer too. The aim is that the person not drinking gets the best glass at the table.
• What is whole-food entertaining and why does it matter?
• Whole-food entertaining means putting together composed salads, grain-forward plates, seasonal vegetables, good Irish cheese, and home baking rather than packaged, ultra-processed party food. A board of three home-made things reads as more generous than a line-up of shop-bought dips. This is the approach taught on the Summer Garden Party Ideas course in Blackrock.
• How much does the Summer Garden Party Ideas course cost and where is it?
• The course is €190 for a hands-on day, 09:30–15:00, on 18th July 2026 at Dublin Cookery School, 2 Brookfield Terrace, Blackrock, Co. Dublin A94 C9Y5, about 20 minutes from Dublin city centre by DART or bus. It suits all levels, from first-timers to confident cooks. You can book directly on the course page, and gift vouchers are available if you'd prefer to gift the day or pick an alternative course.
• Do I need experience to take a cooking class at Dublin Cookery School?
• No. Every regular class is designed for all levels. Everyone gets support through any technique that's unfamiliar and you'll pick up lots of pointers throughout the day. The tutors teach in layers and adapt to the room, so you'll be comfortable whether it's your first class or your tenth. Hands-on classes have run in Blackrock since 2007.