Fresh, crunchy cos lettuce is the star here. Recipe by Ally Waddell and Peter Hardwick.

Light salads are the language of summer, and this dish from Rick Stein makes no compromises on flavour.

This fresh and punchy salad comes with crunchy baked croutons.

"Much has been written about the process of creating ‘carrot bacon’. Food muse Michelle Southan and I feel that pairing miso and smoked paprika gives a far more intense salty flavour and roasty rasher look than the usual addition of tahini, which can be drying and has a dominant flavour all of its own. This carrot bacon also brings some of the chewiness and smokiness that meat eaters relish with their bacon." – Matt Preston. This recipe is from More by Matt Preston, with photography by Mark Roper (Plum, $39.99), and has been edited for delicious. style.

Crunchy croutons and crispy shallots are the perfect addition to this salad.

“I have been using Mayura Station meat for about eight years, and the consistent quality is remarkable across all cuts. Most recently, we served a flat-iron steak taken from the oyster blade off the forequarter. This is an amazing cut, tender as fillet steak but with a depth of flavour and unctuousness thanks to the marbling and muscle development you just can’t find on regular beef. As for how we cooked it and what we served as an accompaniment, we kept it very simple: grilled with tarragon and miso butter, some grilled lettuce, Jerusalem artichoke chips and a little roasted onion puree.” – Mark McNamara. Recipe by Mark McNamara.

The classic cobb salad champions the cos lettuce, bringing it to life with flavour and colour.

A light, fresh salad perfect for making when working from home.

The humble cos lettuce gets a Mexican makeover. Recipe by Raph Rashid.

Special occasions call for special recipes like this flavoursome roast chicken with cos & pecan salad.

Add a French touch to the classic BLT with this tasty bacon and tomato tarte tatin served with crunchy cos salad.

A fantastic chicken recipe that's bound to become a weeknight favourite.

This brown butter-poached marron with grilled cos is the perfect dish for a late summer Sunday lunch. Recipe by Craig Knudsen from Qualia Resort, Hamilton Island.

“The best Italian salad I have ever eaten had small florets of broccoli mixed with golden crispy shavings of garlic and fried chilli in brown butter, lemon and olive oil. Simplicity done to perfection. This salad was, in fact, in Tokyo! The best-ever pizza I’ve eaten also came from the same eatery, called Seirinkan. The tiny multilevel place serves just two types of pizza: marinara or margherita. Take it or leave it, but it’ll be the best you have ever had!” - Shannon Bennett.