This section opens with a few dainty nibbles and a cocktail intended for a punting picnic, but they can be adapted to serve as appetisers for more elaborate special occasion picnics. The idea of including such a picnic came from a friend’s niece, studying in Oxford, although food appeared less important than alcohol in her descriptions of these.
This left plenty of scope. My imagination has always been caught by one of the most famous picnics in English fiction, that provided by the Water Rat in The Wind in the Willows, who loved messing about in boats and whose fat wicker luncheon-basket had ‘cold chicken inside it... coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladFrenchrollscress sandwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater—’
The Rat was clearly a convivial fellow, an over-optimistic caterer who liked his food – and was also of his time. In a typically Edwardian way (the book was first published in 1908) his picnic is meat-heavy. We might prefer something lighter and less overwhelming. Below are some possible solutions to this, using the foods mentioned. They should, of course, be packed in a basket; one with a divided lid, hinged in the middle underneath the handle, is best. Put frozen ice packs in the base. It is finger food, so cutlery is unnecessary, but plates might be appreciated and glasses are essential. Take some fruit, soft drinks, water, and a flask of ice as well as napkins – I suspect the Water Rat owned some nice white damask ones – for wiping fingers.
The napkins, and much more, become essential when planning a full-blown special events picnic. So much depends on unknowables. The opera, the play or the music will be perfect, the firework display spectacular, the view quintessentially romantic in the proper 18th-century manner – if you can see it – and the weather, of course, will be glorious. Or will it? So the food is of great importance, because it may be the only thing that is actually fully under your control. This type of picnic demands the whole works: a beautiful cloth and napkins, the best cutlery, good china and crystal, a picnic rug and cushions to sit on, at the very least, or perhaps a table and chairs. And the food should both look and taste good. Choose from the dishes below to make a three-course menu of chilled soup, main course and dessert. Take extras, as felt to be necessary:
• Good wine, some sparkling water or other soft drinks.
• A flask of ice.
• Carefully selected cheese, a nice board to put it on, and a cheese knife.
• Biscuits and fruit to go with the cheese.
• Chocolates or petits fours if desired.
Lettuce Wraps with Chicken and Tongue
Ham in French Bread with Watercress Butter
New Potato, Asparagus, Spinach and Blue Cheese Frittata
Serves 4
150g rocket leaves, torn if large
2 teaspoons olive oil
a few drops of balsamic vinegar
100g bresaola
30g Parmesan cheese, thinly shaved
6 medium pickled gherkins, cut lengthways into 4
Perhaps Ratty and Mole would rather have picnicked off rare roast beef, but these are good as light appetisers with drinks for any occasion.
Put the rocket in a bowl. Mix the oil with the vinegar in a small bowl and use this to toss through the leaves. They should be very lightly coated.
Spread out the slices of bresaola and divide the leaves among them. Scatter over the Parmesan, and put a sliver of gherkin in the centre of each pile. Roll the slices firmly around the filling. Chill until needed.
These are small, lightweight and easily transported in a deep plate or box. Put it on top of a frozen icepack to keep the rolls well chilled.
Serves 4
100g cold cooked chicken, roughly chopped
100g cooked tongue, roughly chopped
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
a pinch of chilli powder
3 small heads of little gem lettuce or white chicory
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed, drained and chopped
Another light appetiser for all sorts of events, and one that covers the chicken and tongue element of Ratty’s picnic, these wraps use a mixture based on a 19th-century original – it also makes a good sandwich filling.
Put the chicken and tongue into a food processor, then add the mayonnaise and chilli powder, and blend together to make a paste.
Carefully remove the leaves from the lettuce or chicory. Select the nicest and most evenly sized. Put a teaspoonful of filling in the hollow of each leaf (there will be enough for about 24). Garnish with the capers. Chill until needed.
These need careful packing and are best in a single layer on a long dish, covered with clingfilm, and should be kept chilled during transit.
Serves 4
1 baguette
250g good-quality, thick-cut ham
For the watercress butter
100g watercress, coarse stalks removed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
250g salted butter, cut into pieces
The Water Rat mentions cold ham, French rolls and cress sandwiches. Use a really good thick-cut, hand-carved ham to fill sandwiches made from a baguette spread with watercress butter. A full-length baguette and about 250g ham should be about right for 4 people. Use half quantities and make small, dainty pieces for appetisers and for special occasions.
To make the watercress butter, put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend together to make a paste. Chill well until needed, and soften to room temperature before use.
Split the baguette lengthways and spread lavishly with the watercress butter, then pile the ham in thickly. Cut into short, diagonal lengths, then wrap the entire loaf tightly in greaseproof paper for transport.
It is not so important to chill this, and the flavour of the butter is better at room temperature.
Serves 1
3–4 ice cubes
25ml gin
25ml limoncello
25ml undiluted Lemonade or purchased lemon cordial
100ml soda water
lemon juice to taste, depending on the acidity of the cordial
a long strip of lemon zest, cut with a vegetable peeler, to decorate
The Water Rat is certainly partial to a beer or two in The Wind in the Willows. How he felt about something stronger isn’t clear, but the mention of lemonade and soda water, and ideas about summer cocktails, sparked off thoughts along the lines of the gin-based cocktail known as a Tom Collins.
Put the ice in a 250–300ml highball glass. Add the other ingredients in the order listed and stir. You may wish to add a little lemon juice to achieve a pleasing sweet–acid balance; this depends on the type of lemon cordial used. Garnish with a strip of lemon zest.
For a picnic, mix the gin, limoncello and lemonade, then carry the ice in a flask and the soda water in a cooler or packed with ice packs, plus a lemon or two for the juice and garnish. You’ll need a knife and a small board to cut the lemon on.
Makes about 35
200g peeled potato, boiled and mashed (without milk, butter or seasoning), cold
200g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing
200g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 medium egg, separated
1 generous teaspoon salt
seeds, such as caraway, nigella, cumin, sesame or poppy, for sprinkling
These sticks, worked up from a recipe given by Sir Harry Luke in his book The Tenth Muse, have a delicate texture and are very moreish. They are excellent with aperitifs or soups.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC and lightly grease 3 baking sheets. Mix the mashed potato with the butter, flour, the egg yolk, and the salt. Chill for 30 minutes – this helps it to firm up.
Dust a work surface liberally with flour. Divide the potato dough into two pieces (it’s easier to handle this way). Roll out each to a rectangle a bit less than 1cm thick and roughly 18 × 25cm. Neaten the edges if necessary.
Start at one of the shorter sides and cut into 16–18 strips. Whisk the egg white a little, brush the top of the sticks lightly with it and scatter with whichever type of seed you prefer. Using a spatula, carefully transfer each piece to a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes, watching them closely for the final 10, until dark gold and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
Serves 4
400g of the best vine-ripened tomatoes you can find
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks
½ small cucumber, peeled and cut into rough chunks
½ red onion, roughly chopped
1 large garlic clove, roughly chopped
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
20ml very good-quality extra virgin olive oil, or to taste
To serve
2cm piece of cucumber
1 small-medium tomato
a few chives
cracked ice
100ml chilled vodka
Serve this refreshing chilled soup-cum-cocktail as an appetiser on a hot summer’s day. The tomatoes, peppers and onions we can buy in the UK are never going to have quite the same savour of those in Spain, but vine-ripened tomatoes are reasonably reliable. I’ve kept the amount of olive oil to a minimum, because in quantity it makes the drink filling.
Serve with a few little rolls of thinly sliced jamon serrano or jamon de bellota and Paprika Cheese Biscuits.
Cut out the slightly woody core from under the stem of each tomato, then slice the tomatoes. Put all the vegetables into a liquidiser and blend well. Then pass the blended mixture through a sieve or food mill, reserving the juice and discarding any solids left behind.
Add the salt, vinegar and olive oil to the juice, stirring well. Taste and check the seasoning. Chill well until serving.
To serve: peel the cucumber, remove the seeds and chop in tiny dice. Drop the tomato in boiling water, drain and remove the skin. Discard the seeds and cut the flesh into tiny dice like the cucumber. Snip the chives into short lengths. Add a few lumps of cracked ice to each of the 4 glasses and divide the vodka between them. Fill up the glasses with gazpacho and top each one with a little of the cucumber and tomato dice, and a few of the snipped chives. If necesary, prepare the garnish in advance and add it to the drinks at the picnic spot.
Makes about 24
60g unskinned almonds
120g cold butter, cut into pieces
180g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
90g mature Cheddar cheese, grated
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon paprika, preferably smoked
1 medium egg yolk
Fragile and delicious, these savoury biscuits are packed with flavour and make for elegant finger food.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Put the almonds in a food processor and whizz until they are reduced to a coarse powder. Add the remaining ingredients and continue to process until they resemble coarse crumbs. Turn the mixture out onto the work surface and knead lightly until it forms a coherent dough. If it seems very soft, chill it for 20 minutes.
Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough to a thickness of just over 5mm. Cut into rounds using a 6cm biscuit cutter. Knead the scraps together and re-roll to make more biscuits.
Put onto baking sheets leaving a little space between each (they will spread slightly) and bake for 12–15 minutes until golden. Cool on a wire rack. These are best eaten on the day they are made, and to be carefully packed in a tin or plastic box before being transported.
Serves 4
30g butter
350g peeled potato, cut into small pieces
3 leeks, white part only, sliced into 1cm pieces
150ml double cream
a little ground mace, to taste
milk (optional), as needed
salt and ground white pepper
chopped chives, to serve
This simple and delicious soup is useful for the unreliable British summer, because it is equally good served hot or iced. Carry in a preheated or chilled flask as appropriate and add the cream and a garnish of chives when serving.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the potatoes and leeks. Cover and sweat over a low heat for 30 minutes or until soft. Add 500ml water and 1 teaspoon salt, and bring to the boil. Simmer for 30–35 minutes until the vegetables are well softened.
Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little, then use a blender or food processor to make a very smooth purée. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary, plus pepper and mace as desired. If the soup seems too thick, add a little water or milk to thin. If serving hot, reheat to boiling before transferring it to a flask. If serving cold, chill well. Add a generous swirl of cream and a scattering of chives to each portion as you serve the soup.
Serves 4
2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral-flavour oil
1 onion, very finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
600ml well-flavoured chicken stock
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
salt
fresh tarragon or coriander leaves and a few pomegranate seeds, to garnish
Spiced Rice Salad and French beans (optional), to serve
For the garam masala
2cm piece of cinnamon stick
seeds from 8 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
12 cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
For the garlic and ginger paste
4 garlic cloves
a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
For the pistachio paste
100g good quality unsalted, unroasted shelled pistachio nuts
4 mild green chillies, deseeded
1 green bird’s eye chilli, deseeded
160ml single cream
Although this dish is mildly complicated to make, it can be prepared 12–24 hours in advance. Chicken breasts are easiest to cook and eat, but it could also be made with the meat from a whole chicken, jointed and partially boned before cooking. Serve with Spiced Rice Salad and some lightly cooked French beans tossed in a little oil and vinegar and chilled, or follow with a green salad.
Put all the ingredients for the garam masala in a small frying pan over a medium heat and heat for 1–2 minutes until they smell slightly roasted. Transfer to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and grind to a powder. To make the garlic and ginger paste, blend the garlic and ginger together in a mini food processor, adding 1 tablespoon water if needed, until they make a paste. Tip into another bowl.
To make the pistachio paste, put the pistachio nuts in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Simmer for 5 minutes, then drain and rub them in a clean tea towel to remove the skins. Reserve 6 of the best for the garnish. Put the remainder of the nuts in a blender or food processor and add the chillies and cream, then blend to as smooth a paste as possible (I do them in batches using a wet-and-dry spice grinder).
Heat the oil gently in a frying pan over a low heat and add the onion. Cook until soft but not coloured. Stir in the garlic and ginger paste and fry for 1 minute, then add the pistachio paste. Stir until it is heated through, then add two-thirds of the garam masala, and the bay leaf, fennel seeds and 1 scant teaspoon salt. Pour in the stock and slide in the chicken breasts. Simmer gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken to a serving dish.
The sauce should now be quite thick; boil it down a little if it is still on the thin side. Taste and add a little more salt and the remainder of the garam masala, if needed. Leave to cool to room temperature. If serving with rice, add to the plate in a border, then pour the sauce over the chicken, leaving the border of rice showing. Slice the reserved pistachios nuts, then garnish the chicken with a pattern made from herb leaves, slivers of nut and the pomegranate seeds. Chill until needed and serve cool if eating outdoors.
To transport, arrange in a dish about 3cm deep (a gratin dish is good) with clingfilm stretched over the top for transport. The sauce should set a little when cold. If in doubt, carry the chicken and rice in a clingfilmed dish, the sauce in a watertight container or screwtop jar, and garnish in a separate container; pour the sauce over and add the garnish just before serving.
Serves 4
a generous pinch of saffron strands
1 onion, halved
150ml sunflower oil or other neutral-flavour oil
a thumb-sized piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and grated
200g basmati rice
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried barberries or currants
50g almonds, blanched and halved
1 tablespoon lemon juice
freshly grated nutmeg
ground black pepper
Serve this cold rice dish to accompany the Pistachio Chicken, or any grilled meats, or as part of a larger spread of dishes. The saffron is optional, but it makes a nice addition, as are the barberries, which are available from Middle Eastern grocers.
Grind the saffron using a mortar and pestle, then add 1 tablespoon hot water and leave it to soak.
Chop half the onion finely. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the saucepan you intend to cook the rice in over a medium heat, and fry the ginger for 1–2 minutes until lightly golden. Add the chopped onion and cook gently until it is soft but not coloured.
Add the rice and salt, and stir well, then pour in 400ml water and the saffron water. Stir well, then cover tightly and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to as low as possible and leave to cook very gently for 10–15 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and small holes appear on the surface of the cooked rice. Check after 10 minutes. When ready, fold a tea towel and put it across the top of the pan, then fit the lid over the top. Leave to steam very gently for another 10 minutes, then turn off the heat.
Slice the remainder of the onion very finely. Heat all but 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a small frying pan. Fry the barberries for 1 minute, then remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Do the same with the almonds, stirring until they turn golden brown. Remove these and drain as well.
Fry the sliced onion briskly, stirring frequently until soft. Turn down the heat and keep stirring and frying until the onions are chestnut brown and crisp. Remove them from the pan, drain and discard the oil.
Mix the remaining oil with the lemon juice and stir into the rice. Grind in some pepper, add a grating of nutmeg, then taste and check the seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl or dish and garnish with the onions, almonds and barberries. If you don’t want to serve it immediately, leave the ungarnished rice to cool, stirring occasionally, then cover and chill. Stir again before serving and scatter the garnish over the top.
Serves 6–8
350g new potatoes, scraped and cut into 1cm dice
200g asparagus, trimmed of any tough parts and cut into 2cm lengths
40g butter
3–4 spring onions, cut into short lengths
200g young spinach leaves
8 medium eggs
½ teaspoon salt
100–150g strong blue cheese, cut into small cubes
ground black pepper
This is a vegetarian main-course alternative for a posh evening picnic. (It can also be cut in wedges and used as part of a walker’s pack-up, or served at a large family picnic.) The quantity of asparagus given here is a minimum; use twice as much, if you’ve got it. For the cheese, I tested the recipe with Swaledale blue, which has quite a powerful flavour, but you could experiment with any other blue cheese. Good bread and a green salad are best with this dish.
Boil the potatoes for 6 minutes or until not quite tender. Drain. Blanch the asparagus by putting it in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, pouring boiling water over it and just returning it to the boil. Drain and remove from the pan.
Melt 10g of the butter in the frying pan and cook the spring onions to soften without browning. Add the spinach leaves and turn them gently until they have wilted. Transfer to a large bowl.
Put the eggs in a large bowl and with the salt and a generous amount of pepper, then beat well. Add the potatoes and asparagus. Drain any excess liquid from the spinach and add the spinach to the bowl. Finally, fold in the blue cheese.
Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan over a low heat and, when it foams, pour in the egg mixture. Cook over the lowest possible heat for 15–20 minutes until the top is almost set. Cover with a lid to complete the cooking, or if this seems to be taking too long, put the frying pan under the grill for a few minutes. Be careful it doesn’t burn.
This can be carried to the picnic in the pan it is cooked in or carefully turned onto a plate to cool, in which case cover with foil for transit.
Serves 4
400ml double cream
1 vanilla pod
200ml buttermilk
125g caster sugar
For the fruit purée
200g redcurrants
2 teaspoons sugar
2 small white flat or doughnut peaches
This is a fresh-tasting dessert where the cream is ‘set’ with buttermilk instead of the more usual lemon juice. The fruit purée is tart to contrast with the soft sweetness of the posset. Serve with Hazelnut Shortbread.
To make the fruit purée, put the redcurrants in a saucepan over a low heat and cook gently until the juice starts to run. Bring to the boil, stir well, then remove from the heat and rub through a sieve to extract as much pulp as possible. Discard the seeds. Stir the sugar into the purée until dissolved.
Put the peaches in a bowl of boiling water for up to 1 minute (ripe peaches will take less time). Remove and cool under cold water. Use the tip of a knife to loosen the skin, then peel it off. Cut the peaches in half and remove the stones. Cut the flesh into small slices and mix with the redcurrant purée. Divide this mixture among 4 glasses (I use chunky tumblers which hold about 300ml) and chill.
Put the cream and the vanilla pod in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat. Heat very gently until the cream comes to boiling point – about 15 minutes, if possible. (If it reaches boiling point quickly, turn off the heat and leave to infuse for the remainder of the time.) Remove the vanilla pod. (Rinse and dry it, then return it to the sugar jar for future use.)
Put the buttermilk in a heatproof bowl. Add the sugar to the cream and stir well to dissolve. Heat a little once more if necessary, to ensure the mixture boils. Immediately remove the pan from the heat and pour the cream mixture into the bowl containing the buttermilk. Stir well, then divide this posset mixture among the glasses. Chill for several hours. To carry, put the glasses over a chilled ice pack in a box or other container so that they will remain upright.
Makes 12 small biscuits
30g hazelnuts
60g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
60g cold butter, cut into pieces
30g sugar
Delicious little biscuits, good with creamy desserts or on their own with coffee.
Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Put the hazelnuts on a baking tray and toast in the oven for 8–10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Keep an eye on them, they shouldn’t be deeper in colour than pale gold. Put the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub off the skins, then grind the nuts in a food processor.
Add all other ingredients and mix briefly until they form a dough. Turn this out onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a short log about 2cm in diameter. Wrap in foil and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes to firm up.
Cut the dough into 12 equal slices and put on a baking tray. Bake for 12–15 minutes until firm but still pale in colour. Cool on a wire rack and pack in an airtight tin.
Serves 4–6
100g caster sugar
1 large melon, such as a cantaloupe, honeydew or piel de sapo
soft fruit (150g of each type), such as strawberries and raspberries
150g white fleshed peaches
150g cherries
a slice of pineapple, weighing about 150–200g
50ml kirsch, maraschino or other fruit liqueur, or 1–2 tablespoons rosewater, to taste
double cream (optional), to serve
Melons were once considered terribly exotic, and the gardeners at grand country houses vied to grow the best. The shape of fruit in the special melon houses were echoed indoors by beautiful creamware ‘melon’ tureens on leaf-shaped plates. A fine ceramic tureen might be a bit too much on a picnic, but a real melon shell makes a good container. Choose your melon carefully, bearing in mind its shape, colour and skin markings. Buy the best soft fruit you can find and afford (use wild strawberries, not ordinary ones, if they are available), and a well-flavoured kirsch. This dessert can be prepared 12–24 hours in advance.
Make a syrup by combining the sugar and 100ml water in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Heat, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture comes to the boil. Leave to one side to cool.
Wash the melon and dry it. Then carefully cut out a section to make a lid. This looks best if you allow your 1950s’ suburban food fantasies to run free and stand the melon on one end (remove a small slice from underneath, if necessary, so that it doesn’t fall over), and cut the top off in zigzag cuts. It helps if you start this process at a point that can be relocated, say where there is a colour change or slight blemish, because you need to be able to replace the top.
Scoop out and discard the seeds. Remove the soft flesh using a teaspoon or melon baller, leaving a good layer of the firmer flesh attached to the skin. Pour out any juice. Rub over the outside of the melon with a piece of damp kitchen paper to remove stickiness, then put it, and the lid, in the fridge to chill.
Prepare all the other fruit as necessary: hull the strawberries and cut them into halves or quarters if large. Put the peaches in a bowl of boiling water for up to 1 minute (ripe peaches will take less time). Remove and cool under cold water. Use the tip of a knife to loosen the skin, then peel it off. Skin and stone the peaches and cut into pieces about the size of the raspberries. Halve and stone the cherries. Remove any skin and core from the pineapple and cut the flesh into small cubes.
Mix the soft and stone fruit and pineapple together in a bowl. Select the nicest pieces of melon flesh (if you haven’t used a melon baller, trim neatly) and add to the mixture. Add the sugar syrup and liqueur. Stir gently and chill well.
Put the fruit salad and its syrup into the melon and replace the top just before you want to serve it or pack it for travel. Keep well chilled in transit, and carry upright in a suitable waterproof container. It is best standing in a shallow bowl, in case of leaks. Take a small ladle to serve the fruit, and pretty dishes or bowls to eat it from. Serve with double cream if you like.
This can also be made for a larger party of 12–16 people, using a large watermelon for the shell. Include some of the flesh in the salad for its beautiful colour, and add a proportion of Ogen or Charentais melon into the mix. Triple the quantities of all the other ingredients.
