Blue cheese is one of the great­est ingre­di­ents one can have on hand when gear­ing up for warm weather enter­tain­ing and it stars in many of my go-to recipes for pic­nics and barbecues.

Prunes soaked in brandy and stuffed with Stilton just need a lit­tle wrap of proscuitto for an easy h’or d’oeuvre. Fresh figs can be halved and skew­ered with cubed Roquefort for an effort­less addi­tion to the pic­nic table’s usual crowd of potato sal­ads and coleslaw. Figs and blue cheese make a great salad when tossed with mache or arugula and pome­gran­ate seeds. The sim­plest cru­dite dip and the most pop­u­lar has to be that addic­tive mix­ture of blue cheese, sour cream & mayo. Perfect for a plate of raw veg­gies or a bas­ket of spicy Buffalo wings.

My favourite is a black bean & corn salad, tossed with chopped red pep­pers, aspara­gus, scal­lions, olive oil, red wine vine­gar and blue cheese. Use frozen corn in the mix and you’ve got a salad that will travel well even in the heat.