It's National Picnic Week and despite the lovely British
rain I'll still be celebrating... I love picnics, even if they do have to be
indoors! Here are some tips on creating the perfect picnic.
Location...
My favourite picnic location is a beautiful woods which we
call 'The Bluebell Woods' right by my house. There are lots of fallen tree
trunks to sit on and open spaces to lay all out all the bits and pieces. Take a
look at Visit Britain for the best picnic spots in the UK.
If an outdoor picnic is not suitable, I like to mix up
mealtimes and bring the outdoors in with a picnic blanket on the lounge floor,
freshly picked flowers from the garden and lots of treats to pick at!
Food...
I think it's much better to make a few simple things and do
them really well than to become overwhelmed with lots of options. You can top
up the homemade dishes with charcuterie and cheese with crusty French bread and
supermarket olives and stuffed peppers anyway... delicious!
Here are a few dishes I love taken from my favourite cooks
Nigella Lawson and Jo Pratt. I like finger food that everyone can pick at while
lazing around for the day (meat-free for me of course!).
Jo's Cucumber and Mint Raita with pitta bread
Nigella's Crunchy Salad with Hot and Sour Dressing
Nigella's Mini Meatloaves
Nigella's Halloumi with Chilli
Nigella's Chopped Fruit Salad which I like to serve in little jam jars
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Don't forget...
- To add mood lighting with tealights or a citronella candle to keep the bugs away
- You can get plastic wine glasses that come with a stem to handily stick in the ground to save spills
- The drinks - instead of having plain water pop a few sprigs of mint and twists of cucumber into the bottle and a freshly cut lemon into another. Chilled water bottles will double up as an ice pack too!
- A couple of bin bags, not only put under your picnic blanket if the ground is damp but to collect your rubbish after!
Have fun! Jane x
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