Get inspired for summer with fruit and vegetables
19 June 2025
Summer is just around the corner (21 June starts). Time for sunshine, being outside, and enjoying light, colourful meals. And what goes better with that than the fresh flavours of seasonal fruits and vegetables? Whether you fancy a summer salad, a juicy snack on the go or a colourful barbecue dish: fruit and vegetables are your perfect summer friends.
Summer is bursting with delicious vegetables available in abundance in the Netherlands. Think:
- Cucumber and tomato: perfect for a fresh salad or as a topping on a sandwich.
- Courgette: ideal for grilling or incorporating into a vegetable skewer.
- Peppers: full of colour, sweet-tasting and packed with vitamin C.
- Lettuce and other leafy vegetables: form the basis of any summer meal.
Many of these vegetables are great to eat raw, making them ideal for hot days when you'd rather not spend too long in the kitchen.
Summer vegetables with parsley sauce
Main course
20 - 30 minutes
Fruity favourites for sunny days
Summer fruits are not only a feast for the eyes, but also a thirst-quenching source of various vitamins. Some of the season's toppers:
- Strawberries, cherries and raspberries: sweet, juicy and delicious on the go.
- Blueberries and blackberries: delicious in yoghurt or on pancakes.
- Peaches, nectarines and apricots: sun-drenched fruits that taste like holidays.
Also try fruit on the barbecue! Grilled pineapple or peach makes a surprising dessert.
Peach smoothie
Drink
10 - 20 minutes
Tips: how to keep it cool and tasty
- Stock up in the fridge: Cut some fruit and vegetables in advance and store in containers for quick, healthy snacks.
- Smoothies and popsicles: mix your favourite fruit with yoghurt or coconut water to make a cooling smoothie or make your own popsicles!
- Picnic-proof: Vegetable sticks, grapes, cherry tomatoes and snack peppers are ideal to take with you. Check below for a quick and easy recipe for vegetable nibbles.
Vegetable nibbles
Side dish
0 - 10 minutes
