What's the secret to a great TV dinner?

Ella Risbridger, author of The Kitchen Book, says the trick is not having to cut anything up: think one-handed cooking that uses only a fork, spoon or chopsticks. Summer complicates that approach because many dishes are built as big sharing platters, which invite lunging and often end in spillages — Risbridger even notes a lump of bicarb sopping up a turmeric stain on her sofa.

Focus on packing as many textures and flavours as possible into every mouthful. Zena Kamgaing favours pasta as easy bowl food and recommends a no-cook sauce of mascarpone blitzed with sun-dried tomatoes, a little harissa and fresh basil. Risbridger turns to US-style chopped salads and Vietnamese-inspired ones, suggesting a julienne peeler to make salad feel fancy and adding any protein, from salmon to sliced steak; cold rice or twirlable cold noodles also work well.

When feeding more than one person, go customisable: a taco bar or fajitas keep negotiations simple, and cocktail sticks can skewer items closed for the trip to the sofa.

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