For fresh ideas on what to bring to a potluck, try these recipes that are simply made for sharing.

Sweet or savoury, we’ve got you covered.

Images and text from What Can I Bring? by Sophie Hansen, photography by Sophie Hansen. Murdoch Books RRP $49.99.

Baked pearled barley with all the early autumn veggies

This recipe does a few things well: firstly, it uses a heap of the beautiful vegetables in season around early autumn (think zucchini/courgette, tomato, corn and eggplant/aubergine). Next, it feeds a load of people in one tasty package. And, finally, it’s not at all hard to throw together and doesn’t mind being left out at room temperature for a while (within reason). One more – it’s almost tastier as leftovers reheated with buttered toast.

Prep 20 mins | Cook 1 hour 40 mins | Serves 6–8 as a side

1 cup (200 g) pearled barley

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

1 brown onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 zucchini, cut into 2 cm cubes

2 ears of corn, kernels cut off

3 medium tomatoes, diced

1 eggplant, cut into 2 cm cubes

2 cups (500 ml) tomato passata (puréed tomatoes)

1 handful basil leaves

1 cup (60 g) chunky breadcrumbs

1 cup (100 g) freshly grated parmesan

1 cup (130 g) mozzarella, torn into rough pieces

Rinse the pearled barley until the water runs clear then place in a saucepan and fill with cold water. Bring to the boil and cook for about 25 minutes, or until al dente, then drain.

Heat half the olive oil in a deep-sided ovenproof frying pan and cook the onion for about 15 minutes, or until completely soft and beginning to caramelise. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Remove the onion and garlic from the pan and set aside.

Return the pan to the heat, add a splash more oil, increase the heat to high and fry the zucchini and corn kernels until softened and starting to colour, about 10 minutes. Transfer these to the dish with the onion. Add a splash more oil and fry the tomatoes and eggplant for about 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 200°C.

Return all of the vegetables to the frying pan and add the passata with ½ cup (125 ml) water and the basil leaves, then stir to combine. Season well with salt and black pepper. Add the barley to the pan and stir to combine.

Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and cheese, and bake for 30 minutes or until the top is golden and crunchy.

Travel advice: Cover tightly with foil to keep warm, and rest easy knowing that this will sit happily at room temperature for a reasonable amount of time, getting more and more delicious while it waits for you. You can also make it a couple of days in advance and keep it chilled, then reheat it on arrival or serve at room temperature.

Charred cabbage salad with butterbeans

This is such a good, substantial salad* for a picnic or any shared meal. It’s delicious hot or at room temperature, and don’t worry if the wedges fall apart while cooking – they’ll still taste and look the goods. If you fancy making this as a main dish, I’d smear a layer of yoghurt on the bottom of each plate and pile the cabbage and beans on top.

* Purists might argue this isn’t quite a salad, more of a vegetable dish. Either way, it’s delish!

Prep 10 mins | Cook 20 mins | Serves 6 as a side, 3–4 as a main

100 ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

400 g tin butterbeans, drained and rinsed

2 lemons

½ savoy cabbage, cut into wedges

40 g butter, cubed

1 handful dill leaves

2 Tbsp dukkah

Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat and fry the beans for a few minutes, turning to crisp all sides. Remove from the pan and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over the beans.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and then add the cabbage wedges. Cook them for about 5 minutes on each side or until browned all over. Add the butter, the zest of your remaining lemon and ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Cover with a lid (or a layer of foil), then reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the cabbage is completely soft.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle the beans, dill and dukkah over the cabbage. Finish with some salt and pepper to taste, a good squeeze of the zested lemon and a final drizzle of olive oil.

Travel advice: This travels beautifully – just keep the dill, dukkah and lemon juice aside and add at the end. Store in an airtight container and serve straight from that. It’s best at room temperature (within reason).

Strawberry jam crumble slice

Melt the butter, mix everything together and you’re done! This one couldn’t be easier, but the key thing is to let it cool completely in the fridge before slicing or it will fall apart. Swap the jam with marmalade if you prefer.

Prep 10 mins | Cook 1 hour 5 mins | Makes approx. 20 small squares

175 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

½ cup (110 g) brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla paste

A pinch of salt

1 cup (100 g) rolled oats

½ cup (45 g) desiccated coconut

180 g plain flour

1 cup (320 g) strawberry jam, or jam of your choice

Start by browning the butter. Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt, stirring as you go. Continue cooking until it begins to brown, about 5–6 minutes, then pour into a bowl or jug and leave to cool for 5 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and line a 20 cm square slice tin.

Combine the cooled brown butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, oats, coconut and flour in a bowl. Mix together with your hands until you have a crumbly dough. Press half of this mixture into the base of your lined tin. Spread this with the jam and crumble the remaining dry mixture over it.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before chilling in the fridge. Once well chilled, slice into bars. If you try to slice this while still warm it will crumble and collapse. It will still be tasty, but not so much in ‘bar’ form.

Travel advice: Once fully cooled, transport these bars in a tin or airtight container.

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