Recipes for picnics
“The Rat brought the boat alongside the bank, tied it up, helped awkward Mole safely ashore and swung out the picnic basket. The Mole begged to be allowed to unpack it all by himself. He took out all the mysterious packages one by one and arranged their contents, gasping ‘Oh my! Oh my!’ At each fresh surprise” from Wind in the Willows
There is something quintessentially British about picnics – as Ratty and Mole (and Mrs Beeton) can attest.
Business as usual with the British Summer then – with a ‘once bitten, twice shy’ Met Office refraining from rash “BBQ Summer” predictions, we can all carry on as usual. And that means making plans for lots of lovely outdoor activities – and then having a good old moan when they’re rained off!
But we’ve had some really good days and we’ll get some more surely? And when we do, we should make the most of it and head for our parks, beaches, woods and countryside with that most British of culinary delights – a picnic.
The indomitable Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management says a proper picnic should consist of – no less than thirty five different dishes! Fortunately, you don’t have to aspire to that! We have some simpler suggestions and a handy guide to help you with the practicalities.
Hints and tips
Keeping it cool
- Take the picnic food out of the fridge at the
last possible minute and use a cool bag, with an ice
block or two inside - If you haven’t got ice blocks, you can make your own dual purpose ones. Put bottles of water or juice in the freezer for a few hours before you leave, or even better, the night before. They will keep your food cool AND give you a supply of ice cold drink. Don’t fill them to the top before you freeze them – leave a gap – or they might explode!
- If food has been sitting in the sun for a while – don’t take a risk. If in doubt throw it away
Made for travelling
- Sloppy food just doesn’t travel well – think ‘self contained’ food like tarts, pies and pasties
- And keep all your various food items separate in plastic food containers with secure lids – egg mayonnaise slopped over your chocolate cake is not appetising!
- A good vacuum flask will keep contents either hot or cold – so can be used for chilled soups as well as coffee or tea
- Keeping it clean
- Remember to wash fruit and salad vegetables before you set out
- Take antiseptic hand wipes to clean your hands
before handling the food at the picnic and before
and after you eat - Keep food covered whenever possible to protect from insects and birds
Keeping it easy
- Bags of fresh salad are everywhere now and they are washed and ready to use – make the dressing before you leave and put it in a little plastic container – and dress just before you serve
- There are lots of other handy salad items on the shelves that work well – cherry tomatoes, baby sweetcorn, pre-cut crudités – and a great range of salad bars and options in the deli sections of all the main supermarkets
Checklist
- A cutting board – this is particularly helpful if you don’t have the luxury of a picnic table
- A couple of good, sharp knives for cutting – make sure the blades are well wrapped
- Relishes, pickles, chutneys, sauces, dips and dressings, salt and pepper – all decanted into little plastic containers – you don’t want to be lugging glass jars around
- Taking wine or beer? Don’t forget a bottle opener or corkscrew
- Cutlery (disposable or the real thing) and paper or plastic plates (or the real thing, if you are having a posh picnic), paper or plastic cups
- A big plastic bowl to dress your salad in
- Picnic blanket – and if it’s not a fancy one with a waterproof underside, take a plastic sheet to lay under the blanket.
- A roll of kitchen paper is always handy for general clean ups
- Rubbish bags so you can clean up afterwards and leave the site as you found it
- ... and a water bowl for the dog if you have one. That’s a dog we mean!