20 Picnic-Ready Recipes That Are Perfectly Portable
Fold your blankets and ready your Tupperware — the long-awaited season of picnicking is finally here.
Warm evenings, sunny afternoons and flower blooms all throughout the country are making the great outdoors look much more inviting. As the opportunity to lay down on blanketed ground presents itself, we’re considering the best menus for nailing al fresco dining.
Of utmost importance is the ability to pack a meal without worrying about spillage or destruction. These recipes stray away from runny sauces and fragile presentation, relying on sturdy crusts, pastry and bread.
In this collection, you’ll be swayed by delicious pates, easy-oven tarts, hand-built sandwiches and vibrant spring flavours. There are a couple of sweet additions too, for making up the ultimate picnic basket.
It’s easy to swap out the ingredients to suit vegetarians in this hearty recipe, keeping everyone on the blanket/fold-up chairs happy.
Kahawai pate and seed crackers
Serve this salty and moreish pate on toast or crackers, with tomato, cucumber and salt and pepper.
Spring carrots with orange, chevril and honey
If you’re looking for a pretty plate to serve alongside heftier eats, these little bites are a colourful and sweet solution.
This compact and impressive sausage roll travels well and is easy to slice up among a large group.
Roasted pepper and courgette frittata
Serve this simple vegetable-filled frittata outdoors for lunch or dinner, with a loaf of bread and leafy side salad.
Take advantage of a portable grill or public barbecue and cook up these loaded kingfish kebabs.
Potato, fennel and havarti tart
The tart is deceptively easy, gaining silky texture with no-peel potatoes and aniseed flavour from thinly sliced fennel.
Crumbed fish toasted sandwich with pea mash
Hand out these filling sandwiches for a lunchtime meal, and enjoy garlicky aioli and a citrus-seasoned pea mash.
New potato, courgette and fennel salad
Pomegranate seeds will add a touch of sweetness to this creamy and herby potato salad.
This no-fuss, easy-bake loaf will be ideal for hastily planned weekend lunches — ready to eat in about two hours. Bring along any leftover chutneys, spreads or paté for a symphony of tastes.
Mint, parsley and a healthy squeeze of lemon make this salad an especially fresh addition to an outdoor spread.
Steak sandwich with chilli jam
Half the fun of a good picnic is bringing your meal together. To make this sandwich you’ll tear apart a baguette, slather it with chilli jam and overfill with steak and vegetables.
These herby and citrus-squeezed cups are easy to hand out amongst a group and have an appealing crunchy, creamy texture.
Spinach, lemon and ricotta tart
This sunny and lemony tart is extra decadent, thanks to lashings of ricotta and a super-buttery crust.
Green olive and thyme focaccia
This salty, fluffy slab of focaccia will likely be devoured by even the smallest group of friends. It’s great for soaking up juices and smearing with hummus and sauces.
Leek, salmon and emmental wholemeal tart
Flaky salmon tops this vegetable-filled tart, with a wholemeal crust supplying deeper, toastier flavours.
Parmesan-crusted chicken thighs
These tender chicken thighs, fried and oven-baked, make for a decadent picnic offering (and serve up well with breads and salads).
Though this recipe from Petra Galler’s Butter, Butter makes for a slightly more time-intensive loaf, it’s a luscious addition to the picnic basket.
Mandarin and kiwifruit-filled sponge
Ahead of the arrival of summer berry season, there’s still some fun to be had with sweet fruits — try sandwiching mandarin, kiwifruit and any other of your seasonal favourites between light sponge and cream.
Gluten-free chocolate chip cookies
A blend of peanut butter, tahini and dark chocolate creates an indulgent cookie.