How To Up Your Picnic Game!

Foodwise, you don’t need a lot. It’s more about things that go well together, that are easily served and eaten.

We suggest: some good bread, a couple of salads, a quiche or frittata, and a dip.

Read on for a few recipe suggestions, we’re going for achievability rather than challenging.

First up, it’s the bread – a desert island dish for a lot of us! A baguette with various fillings is perfect. It can be a better idea to make up sarnies onsite, so they don’t get squished on the way. If you really want to make them up at home though, try transporting filled baguettes in Pringles tubes.

Another top tip: olive oil’s better on bread than butter when it’s warm.

If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve played around a bit with our new bacon and Taleggio cheese focaccia and turned it into a sarnie supreme.

Ingredients:

• 1 Stuffed Focaccia with Bacon & Taleggio

• 1 tbsp pesto

• 1 ball mozzarella, sliced

• Half an avocado, sliced

• Handful of baby spinach leaves

• 1-2 medium juicy tomatoes, sliced

Method:

1. Bake the Stuffed Focaccia with Bacon & Taleggio, as per pack instructions.

2. Slice it across the middle, spread pesto, sliced mozzarella, tomatoes, avocado and spinach on one side, then season.

3. Pop the other side back on and wrap in baking paper, in a Tupperware.

Next up, the salads

The key here is to use robust ingredients that, unlike a leafy green salad, look appetising after being jostled in a container.

Pasta, potato, grain and bean salads hold up - our giant couscous Rainbow Salad and our Moroccan Fruity Couscous are great (just remember to defrost in the fridge the day before). Whichever salad you go for, only pour over the dressing when you’re about to eat, it keeps them looking fresher.

Then it’s the pièce de resistance: a quiche, frittata, tortilla or tart.

Quiche is a real picnic winner: easy to slice and eat by hand, and it travels well too, especially if it’s made the day before and had time to firm up. Or you could try a “whatever’s in the fridge tortilla”, frying chorizo, onion and garlic, cubed potato and any suitable veg, before adding four beaten eggs and – just as it sets – cheese, and then bunging it under the grill. Let it go cold and slice into wedges, ready to cart off on your picnic.

Finally,

a dip, but don’t limit it to one if you don’t have to! Easy as these are to pick up in the supermarket, they are also super easy to make. We like this beetroot hummus from BBC GoodFood or whipped goat’s cheese with honey from Delicious.

Dips seem to go hand in hand with drinks. Lots of water or soft drinks if it’s sunny, and a bottle of something if you fancy. Wine sleeves are great for chilled-out drinking as they take up so little space. We like The Uncommon’s very transportable cans of wine (we also like that they’re a fellow B Corp). And don’t forget, a Thermos is great for keeping tea hot AND cocktails cold!

So, that’s the food and drink covered. What else will you need? In short, take as little as possible.

- A picnic blanket with a waterproof bottom

- Cool bag

- Small chopping board (flat at the bottom of the cool bag to give it shape)

- Cutlery

- Cheap melamine plates and cups

- Napkins

- Wet wipes

- Antihistamine

- Bag for all your rubbish

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