I have never been a great one for over-planning and cooking in advance. But dining alfresco at home, at a table in the garden or on a balcony, is one occasion when it pays to call on your inner Boy Scout and be prepared.

Otherwise, you will be running in and out of the house checking on the kitchen and worrying about things getting cold when you should be kicking back under the trees with a glass of champagne.

The trick is in ensuring that the food you cook in advance is the sort that loves being cooked beforehand and not the kind that will sit there and brown at the edges, or go stale, wobbly or limp. So the idea of a chilled soup of seasonal asparagus and peas is perfectly apt, as is a main course of poached chicken in a do-ahead creamy, piquant tuna sauce.

Finish with an Italian-inspired “risotto cake” fragrant with lemon and almonds that can be made the day before, and your alfresco meal will be as relaxed as you are.

Be prepared, as well, for the weather to suddenly turn cold and wet: just move indoors, heat the soup, dump the chicken on to hot, garlicky, grilled ciabatta, and serve steaming mugs of boozy coffee with the cake.

Ingredients

Prep: 10min

Cook: 15min

Serves 4

This soup tastes as fresh as a daisy, the saltiness of the feta contrasting with the sweetness of spring vegetables.

1kg thick asparagus stalks
1.2 litres chicken or vegetable stock
250g green peas, fresh or frozen
Sea salt and pepper
2tbsp flat-leaf parsley
100g feta, drained and diced
2tbsp finely snipped chives

METHOD

Wash the asparagus, snap off and discard the woody ends, and chop.

Bring the stock to the boil, add the asparagus and green peas and simmer for 15min or until soft. Add sea salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle the soup into the blender or food processor in batches and purée until smooth, being careful of the hot liquid. Add the parsley leaves and puree, for extra colour and freshness. You can add a spoonful of cream at this point if you prefer. Leave to cool, then refrigerate.

To serve, taste for salt and pepper. Spoon into chilled bowls and scatter with the feta cheese and chives.

Times Recommends

• Jane MacQuitty’s party wine
• Oliver Peyton's Christmas pavlova
• Blood orange cosmopolitan