Santa, I understand that at this very moment you are writing a list and checking it twice, so I would like to point out that this year I have actually been rather nice. (Assuming we overlook the incident with the bilby and that very understanding lady from Perth.)

To continue in this vein – being nice that is – I’d like to present a FREE GIFT to all of you. Yes, it’s your very own guide to the six best salads to serve at any barbecue this summer. So, let’s rip off the wrapping paper and get stuck into your first gift of the season.

Corn remix

Roaming Mexico City’s old heart on a steamy night, I found this salad at a hole-in-the-wall taqueria down an alley off the Zócalo. Well, that is what I’d love to say, but I didn’t. It’s actually just a mash up of my favourite Aussie flavours.

Normally, corn is used as pops of flavour to support a bigger star. But here it plays the leading role in its own salad. Fry a shed-load of frozen corn kernels in frothing butter until they’ve caught a little at the edges – do this in a couple of batches to avoid the corn stewing.

Toss the hot corn with a couple of handfuls of grated cheddar, a suitable amount of diced, deveined and deseeded jalapeno peppers, and a fried dice of six bacon rashers. Dress with a swoosh of mayo, a couple of squeezes of lime, crushed smoked almonds and lots of chopped coriander.

You can also use barbecued corn cobs if you don’t mind the extra work slicing the charred kernels off the cobs after barbecuing them.

Barbecued potato salad

There is a little hut by a rickety port in old Dhaka town where a charcoal grill burns brightly and they’ve never heard of this modern take on a potato salad – even if Bangladeshis do love potatoes more than mustard oil and social media.

Parboil 1.5kg small potatoes, then cut in half and toss in olive oil. Cook, cut-side down, on a barbecue flat-plate until they’re slightly browned. While the potatoes are cooking, simmer 1½ tbs tamarind pulp, 50ml water, 60g brown sugar, 2 tsp each ground cumin and coriander, and a grated thumb-sized knob of ginger for 10 minutes or until thickened. Splash ¼ cup (70g) Greek yoghurt over the potatoes, drizzle with tamarind dressing and top with chopped coriander and mint. Serve warm.

Buffalo wings slaw

Back when I was working as a plastic flamingo lawn-ornament repairman, I lived in a trailer park outside of Galax, Virginia. Dinner was simple. Corn dogs, instant biscuits and potatoes with bottled mayonnaise made surprisingly special with a cheap tomato relish – a touch that makes it trashy enough to sing back-up vocals for Britney on her next comeback tour. As this is delicious. however, I need to be classier – and stop making stuff up, as I suspect Santa thinks poorly of it.

I love combining 1 cup (240g) sour cream with a handful of crumbled blue cheese, a splash of apple cider vinegar, a tiny bit of sugar and a hot sauce such as Tabasco to taste, to make a cooling dressing that’s great spooned over wedges of iceberg lettuce or tossed through a slaw of shredded white cabbage, halved green grapes, lemon juice-dressed apple batons and smashed walnuts.

Hipster hummus

There are two things you need to know to be a hipster – never have milk in your coffee and everything sounds better on vinyl. You should also know this salad.

Split heads of broccoli, spray with oil and grill slowly on the barbecue until tanning at the edges and tender. Serve on a sunflower seed hummus made by soaking 2 cups (320g) sunflower seeds in water overnight, then blitzing the drained seeds with a couple of ice cubes and a little oil to loosen. Season with lemon juice and salt. Dress the salad with chopped red chilli, lemon zest and currants that you’ve plumped up in a cup of warm Earl Grey tea.

Of course, if this was a true hipster salad that would be a sunflower seed miso hummus under the broccoli.

Mexi-canned salad

I still have a grudging love for the vintage country salad of a drained can of three bean mix (growing up we weren’t posh enough to have the four bean mix) and steamed green beans in a vinaigrette with finely diced red onions.

We are, however, trying to keep up appearances, so instead, use a can of drained, rinsed black beans gently mixed with lime juice, cubes of ripe avocado, coriander leaves, finely sliced spring onion and toasted pepitas. Season to taste with salt flakes and maple syrup. For more richness, hide a dollop of sour cream under the beans or add slabs of corn kernels cut from barbecued cobs.

This salad is perfect served with slow-cooked beef or grilled spatchcocked (flattened) chicken rubbed with a paste of lime juice, coriander root, ground cumin and coriander, garlic and salt.

And my #1 festive salad is…

Spelt, macadamia and cauliflower salad with easy smoked mayo and maple syrup dressing, which you can find the recipe for right here.