I come from a long line of picnickers, and those who know me will be well aware that there’s always a picnic basket in the boot of the car plus a “Granny trolley” in case I need to schlep my picnic over rough terrain to reach the perfect spot.
I also keep an old frying pan, some firelighters, a pack of kindling, a box of matches and some newspaper so I can build a little fire on a circle of stones (where appropriate) to cook a few sausages. Good breakfast sausages take on a whole new dimension of flavour when cooked outdoors.
So, what to pack into your picnic basket? My picnics are often super simple, involving a loaf of good soda or sourdough bread and Jersey butter, a few ripe cherry tomatoes, a couple of ripe avocados sprinkled with flaky sea salt, a bunch of radishes, a chunk of good cheese, perhaps a smoked duck, chicken breast or maybe some smoked mackerel, salmon or gravlax to slice into thin slivers – all brilliant pantry standbys.
Gravlax is really easy to cure and make, it’s also a brilliant picnic food. Bring a little pot of sweet dill mayonnaise to drizzle over the top and enjoy it with a brown yeast or rye bread.
It’s hard to beat a roast chicken. Time it to come out of the oven just before you leave so it’s still juicy when you unpack your picnic.
Of course, a picnic can also be super simple. I love to have some artisan salami or chorizo, canned mackerel or sardines too. I love this chest of sandwiches that Myrtle Allen taught me how to make when I came to Ballymaloe. It takes little time to prepare, but always gets a brilliant reaction and is pretty much a complete picnic in a loaf.
As for drinks, bring along a bottle of chilled rosé and maybe some homemade lemonade, elderflower fizz and some artisan beer.
Myrtle Allen’s Picnic Chest of Sandwiches
Ingredients and utensils:
• 1 x 900g pan loaf
• Approx. 50g butter
• A long sharp knife with a pointed top
• A serrated bread knife
Sandwich fillings might include:
• Scrambled egg and chives
• Gravlax with sweet mustard sauce
• Roasted pepper, mozzarella and pesto
• Mature cheddar cheese with Ballymaloe Country Relish and cucumber pickle
• Roast chicken with red pepper mayonnaise and sunflower sprouts
• Tomato, buffalo mozzarella, tapenade and basil leaves
Garnish:
• Salad leaves
• Watercress
• Flat parsley
• Cherry tomatoes
• Spring onions
Method:
- Insert the knife at the side just over the bottom crust, just inside the back of the loaf. Push it through until it reaches but does not go through the crust on the far side.
- Without making the cut any bigger through which the knife was inserted, work the knife in a fan shape as far forward as possible, then pull it out. Do the same from the opposite corner at the other end of the loaf. The bread should now be cut away from the bottom crust inside without a noticeable mark on the exterior of the loaf.
- Next cut through the top of the loaf to make a lid, carefully leaving one long side uncut, as a hinge.
- Finally, with the lid open, cut the bread away from the sides. Ease it carefully, it should turn out in a solid brick or a round, leaving an empty case behind.
- Cut the extracted bread into slices, long horizontal ones, square vertical ones or rounds, depending on the shape of the loaf.
- Carefully stack them, butter them and fill them with your chosen filling or fillings in the order in which they were cut. Don’t forget to season each sandwich.
- Press the sandwiches together firmly and put them back, still in order, into the loaf.
- Close the top of the case and wrap it up, it will gape slightly because of the extra bulk of delicious filling. The sandwiches will keep lovely and fresh.
- Add some crisp lettuce and watercress leaves, small ripe tomatoes, spring onions, etc to look like a little hamper overflowing with fruit and vegetables.
Green Pea Soup with Fresh Mint Cream
Ingredients:
• 25g lean ham or bacon
• 15g butter
• 2 medium spring onions, chopped
• 700g podded peas, fresh or frozen
• Outside leaves of a head of lettuce, shredded
• A sprig of mint
• 1.2 litres light homemade chicken stock or water
• Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar
• 2 tablespoons thick cream
Garnish:
• Whipped cream
• Freshly chopped mint
Method:
- Heat the chicken stock. Cut the bacon into very fine shreds. Melt the butter and sweat the bacon for about 5 minutes, add the spring onion and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the hot chicken stock or water. Season with salt, pepper and sugar.
- Bring to the boil with the lid off, add the peas, lettuce and sprig of mint, cook for approximately 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
- Remove the mint, liquidise and add cream to taste. Serve hot or chilled with a blob of whipped cream mixed with some freshly chopped mint.
- If this soup is made ahead, reheat uncovered and serve immediately. It will lose its fresh taste and bright colour if it sits around or simmers for ages in a pot.
- To serve, put a few fresh peas and pea shoots into a wide soup bowl. Put the soup in a jug – each guest pours soup into the mug themselves.
Lemon, Pistachio and Rose Petal Muffins
Ingredients:
• 175g soft butter
• 150g caster sugar
• 2 eggs, preferably free range
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1-2 lemons
• 175g self-raising flour
• 1-2 tablespoons milk, if required
Icing:
• 150g icing sugar, sieved
• Freshly squeezed juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tablespoon boiling water
Topping:
• 25g pistachios, chopped
• ½ tablespoon fresh or dried rose petal
Method:
- Line a muffin tin with paper cases and preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4.
- Put the butter, caster sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, finely grated lemon zest and the self-raising flour into a food processor.
- Whizz for a few seconds to amalgamate – add milk if necessary to achieve a dropping consistency.
- Divide evenly between the muffin cases.
- Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 25-30 minutes or until the muffins are golden brown and well risen.
- While the muffins are baking, sift the icing sugar into a medium-sized bowl.
- Add enough lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon of boiling water if necessary to mix to a malleable icing. Spread the icing evenly over each cupcake.
- Sprinkle chopped pistachios and rose petals evenly over the surface and enjoy!
For more inspiring ideas visit the Ballymaloe Cookery School’s website at cookingisfun.ie
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