The Guardian Feast – 8 August 2026

Summary

"Sweet dreams are made of this" — The Guardian Feast Issue No. 446, 8 August 2026, delivers fresh ideas for summer fruit across 8 recipes from Meera Sodha's apple cake to Helen Goh's giant shortcake, plus José Pizarro's peach and moscatel granita and Kirk Haworth's tomato tarte tatin. The issue celebrates peak-season produce with sweet and savoury applications.

The issue's cover theme centres on summer fruit, with contributors spanning the full recipe spectrum: Meera Sodha (apple cake), Ravinder Bhogal (pork chops and gooseberry salad), José Pizarro (peach granita), Kirk Haworth (tomato tarte tatin), Helen Goh (giant shortcake with summer fruits), Felicity Cloake (apricot galette), Georgina Hayden (chicken, plums and pancakes), and Rachel Roddy (figs, raspberry cream and biscuits). Kitchen aide covers fruit salad fixes, and Grace Dent reviews a restaurant with her characteristic sharpness.

Regular Feast sections include the food filter, kitchen aide, and Grace Dent's restaurant column. The issue functions as a thematic summer-cooking resource with all recipes built around seasonal fruit at its ripest.

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Content Guide

▸ Summer Fruit / Recipes / Restaurant Reviews / Kitchen Skills

Meera Sodha — Limmat's apple cake
A Swiss-inspired apple cake that uses 3 apple varieties for texture contrast. Sodha specifies which apples work best for the base versus the topping. Bakers can prepare the cake 24 hours ahead — the flavour improves on day two, as noted in the storage instructions.

Felicity Cloake — Apricot galette
Cloake's masterclass in the free-form tart, with a butter-to-flour ratio designed for high summer heat. She explains why a hot baking sheet is essential for a crisp bottom crust. First-time galette makers should read the "six common mistakes" box before rolling the dough.

Kirk Haworth — Tomato tarte tatin
A savoury inversion of the classic apple tatin, using heritage tomatoes and balsamic reduction. The recipe specifies which tomato varieties hold their shape during caramelisation. Cooks without ovenproof pans can use the skillet-substitution guide printed in the margin.

Georgina Hayden — Spiced sticky chicken, plums and pancakes
A five-spice chicken dish that pairs roasted plums with pancakes for a summer dinner. The recipe rates the dish at 35 minutes total time. Anyone hosting a summer dinner party can double the plum component — it works as a side dish on its own.

Helen Goh — Giant shortcake with summer fruits
A single large shortcake that serves 8, topped with mixed berries and cream. Goh provides the exact baking time for achieving a tender crumb. Entertainers can assemble the shortcake base a day in advance and add fruit just before serving.

Grace Dent — Restaurant review
Dent reviews a restaurant she describes as serving food that would feel more at home on the M6 than in a dining room. She names the specific dishes that disappointed and the prices paid. Readers choosing a restaurant this weekend should avoid the dish she calls out as the worst value on the menu.

Kitchen aide — Fruit salad fixes
Tips for improving store-bought or homemade fruit salad: which fruits to add last to prevent browning, and a simple citrus syrup that extends shelf life by 48 hours. Anyone meal-prepping fruit for the week should apply the "acid-first" rule explained in the first paragraph.

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Editor's Take

This is a strong thematic issue — the summer-fruit concept gives every recipe a unifying purpose, and the contributor lineup (Sodha, Cloake, Pizarro, Goh) is top-tier. Kirk Haworth's tomato tarte tatin is the standout recipe: original, technically interesting and achievable. The weakness is that the issue runs thin at the back — once the eight recipes are done, Grace Dent's review and the kitchen aide column are the only non-recipe content. This issue is for home cooks who want to make the most of August fruit and don't mind an all-recipes format.

Strengths
• Eight seasonal fruit recipes from eight different contributors
• Kirk Haworth's savoury tomato tarte tatin — the most original recipe
• Felicity Cloake's galette masterclass with troubleshooting guide

Weaknesses
• Little non-recipe content beyond Dent's review
• No drinks pairing or wine suggestions for the recipes

Verdict: Recommended — buy it for the tomato tarte tatin and apricot galette; skip if you need features alongside recipes.