Picnic Food Gets Hip

There are few things more joyous than waking up to see the sun shining outside and deciding to go for a picnic, packing food, debating whether or not to pack a bottle of something alcoholic and shaking out the picnic blanket (extra points if it’s gingham).

A picnic is such a lovely, wholesome, Famous Five-esque activity, and it’s an excellent excuse to enjoy some of the best foods. Sausage rolls? Check. Cocktail sausages? Check. Mini quiches? Check.

These picnic staples are great, but they’re not really the most modern, are they? This National Picnic Week (Friday June 15th to Sunday 24th – which isn’t a week, but whatever), it’s time to bring picnic food kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

Even though sandwiches are seen as a picnic must, they’re not really the most practical portable food when you think about it. Firstly, if you put anything remotely damp (for want of a better word) in them, like tuna or cucumber or mayo, you’re putting yourself at serious risk of a soggy sarnie. Secondly, there are few things worse in life than sitting down for your picnic in the perfect spot, only to find all of your grated cheese has fallen out of your butty.

So, allow us to suggest the much more portable and sturdy option of flatbreads (spicy vegan ones, no less), which you can enjoy on their own, tear into strips and dunk into a homemade salsa or hummus, or top with other bits and bobs once you’re at your picnic destination.

This recipe from The Little Blog of Vegan – which happens to contain just three ingredients! – would be perfect.

Savoury muffins are another cracking alternative to a soggy sandwich; they’re a bit bready, and you can pack them with your fave butty filling, without having to deal with any of those sogginess or reassembling woes.

These gluten-free cheese and chilli savoury muffins from Over a Cuppa would be just the thing. Cut them in half and spread them with butter if you’re feeling extra indulgent.

The humble chicken drumstick is another picnic staple, but these snacks are even better when covered in a flavoursome marinade or spice mix.

This recipe from Mrs Rachel Brady uses a Chinese-inspired marinade, made from only soy sauce, sesame oil and sweet chilli sauce, meaning it’s super simple to prepare when you decide to go for a picnic last-minute. Just remember to pack some wipes for sticky fingers – the messier, the better.

People often mistakenly think that going veggie or vegan means you have to miss out on treats like sausage rolls, but oh, how wrong they are.

OK, so these vegan sausage rolls from Lazy Cat Kitchen may not contain sausage (duh), but they’re packed with tofu and various spices instead, which gives them a gorgeous smoky flavour – you don’t get that with your average shop-bought sausage roll, do you?

The recipe suggests dipping them in ketchup. We suggest stuffing them in your mouth as quickly as possible.

We love the royals – well, we love Meghan, at least – and anything that provides a little nod to them makes us feel wonderfully patriotic. Coronation chicken first came to popularity during celebrations to mark the Queen’s Coronation back in 1953, and that slightly weird but excellent mix of spicy yoghurt with chicken and raisins (seriously, who thought of that?!) is still great stuffed in a jacket spud or sarnie.

Well, let us blow your mind a little, and suggest incorporating those flavours into savoury picnic scones, as Recipes Celia’s Kitchen has done. It might be wisest to assemble the filling on the scones when you get to your picnic though, to avoid the Coronation of all messes.

Strawberries and cream are a Great British institution, but pouring cream is not the most practical thing to do on a picnic, and it means packing bowls and spoons and all kinds of heavy things you don’t want to be lugging around with you.

Instead, bake something strawberry and cream-themed, like these cute little scrumptious muffins from Tin and Thyme, which are beautifully sweet. The recipe even suggests adding a few drops of rose syrup, raising your cakes’ Great British summertime treat points dramatically.

Now you’ve got the food nailed, there are a few other things you can do to make your picnic a bit more modern, like making Sir David Attenborough proud by leaving the plastic at home.

Invest in a proper picnic hamper and not only will you feel incredibly classy, but you’ll be doing your bit for the planet by not using any plastic bags. Also, consider bringing along proper cutlery instead of the disposable plastic kind.

Take your own plates and mugs along too, and it’ll feel like the most sophisticated picnic around – although maybe not when you’re sipping prosecco out of your mug – and just think how pleased you’ll be making the nation’s grandfather Sir David.

And if you do end up with any unavoidable litter, like muffin cases etc, make sure you recycle what you can.

Happy picnics everybody!