There’s a lot to love about eating outside in summer, and a big part of it is how good the table looks. A grazing platter is a feast for the eyes as much as the stomach: bowls of colour, things to dip and pick at, everyone leaning in and helping themselves. It’s relaxed, it’s generous, and best of all it’s almost no work.
The secret is a couple of good dips. These are the five we make on repeat, simple, quick combinations that deliver way more flavour than the effort suggests. Put two or three on a board with some bread, crackers, and chopped vegetables, and you’ve got summer entertaining sorted.
1. Tzatziki
A forever favourite in our house. The cooling cucumber and yoghurt is just perfect on a hot summer’s day.
Ingredients
- ½ cucumber
- 1 cup unsweetened Greek yoghurt
- Lemon juice, to taste
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Herbs: mint is traditional, but I love dill in mine (though it has to go on the side, as one of our kids can’t stand it)
Method
Grate the half cucumber and remove as much liquid as you can, blot it with paper towels, squeeze it in a clean tea towel, and press it into a sieve. This is the step that stops your tzatziki going thin and runny. Mix the drained cucumber with the rest of the ingredients and chill until it’s properly fridge-cold, which is when it tastes best.
Serve it with
A big platter of sliced or chopped cucumber, carrots, capsicum, and celery, plus pita chips, bread sticks, or crackers. We also serve it alongside barbecued lamb or chicken.
2. Cannellini Bean Dip
High on protein and flavour, low on fat and faff. This one comes together in moments and keeps for a couple of days in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 1 tin cannellini beans, drained
- 1 tbsp of the liquid from the tin
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp crushed garlic
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Optional: herbs, lemon zest, or a little feta
Method
Whiz everything in the Nutribullet, then dress it with a drizzle of oil and a chef-like sprinkle of herbs.
Serve it with
A snack platter, of course, but it’s also a great addition to wraps or stuffed into pita pockets.
3. Virtuous Pesto
Our virtuous pesto, the one that rescues a sad bag of salad leaves from the back of the fridge, is just as good as a dip as it is a sauce. You’ll find the full recipe in our salsas and sauces post.
Serve it with
A dip, a side for barbecued meats, stirred through pasta, or tucked into wraps, buns, and pita pockets. You name it, we’ve probably pesto’d it.
4. Warm Olive and Caper Dip
This is our go-to plate when friends come over for a glass of wine, and it always disappears first. Even if you don’t love anchovies, I’d urge you to include one at least once: the fillet dissolves into the oil and adds a deeper, savoury umami you won’t be able to put your finger on.
Ingredients
- 1 tub creme fraiche
- ⅓ cup good olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- ½ cup olives, crushed or sliced
- 2 tbsp capers, lightly crushed
- Lemon zest and juice
- Optional: chilli flakes, parsley or thyme, an anchovy fillet
Method
Cook the garlic low and slow in the olive oil until soft but not browned. Add the olives, capers, and the anchovy fillet and chilli flakes if using. Simmer gently until the garlic just starts to brown, then turn off the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, and herbs, and let it sit for a while so the flavours meld.
Serve it with
Smoosh the creme fraiche over a large serving plate, then drizzle the warm, oily olives over the top. It looks spectacular. Scoop it all up with bread or crackers.
5. The Kiwi Classic
And of course, it’s hard to go past the Kiwi classic: Nestlé Reduced Cream and Maggi Onion Soup. Whisk a tin of reduced cream together with a packet of the soup mix, then chill it well. It’s a bit of nostalgia in a bowl, and it’s not just for dipping chips, it’s lovely with crackers and crudités too. feast for the eyes, on the deck
Two or three of these on a board, a bottle of something cold, and the late sun doing its thing, that’s summer entertaining at the bach in a nutshell. Low effort, high reward, and it looks like you made a real fuss.
One Fyfe Beach Bach is built for exactly these kinds of long, easy evenings, with a kitchen that opens straight out onto a large deck. It comes stocked for the occasion, too: long wooden boards, ceramic serving platters, cheese knives, and dipping bowls in every size, so all you really need to bring is the wine. Book the bach for a summer week
Easy is the whole point of a bach summer. Set these out, pour something cold, and let people help themselves.
Warmly,
Becki
One Fyfe Beach Bach, Waihi Beach
Perfect for a week at our summer-ready Waihi Beach bach.