15 Top Picnic Recipes To Try This Week

Scotch Egg & Piccalilli: Tom Westerland, The Grill at Crockers

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 large eggs 
• 250g of sausage meat 
• 1 tbsp of chopped chives 
• 1 tsp of smoked paprika 
• ½ tsp of cayenne pepper 
• 100g of panko breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten 
• 100g of flour 

METHOD

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Place the eggs in the water and reduce to a simmer.
2. Cook for 6 minutes. After the six minutes are up refresh the eggs in iced water to stop the egg from cooking any further.
3. While the egg is cooling mix together the sausage meat, chives, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper.
4. Once mixed weight the mix into 60g balls.
5. Gently peel the eggs.
6. Carefully wrap the eggs in the sausage meat.
7. Once wrapped roll the scotch eggs through the flour, then the beaten egg and then finally the panic breadcrumbs.
8. Fry for 4 minutes in a preheated fryer, or hot oil brought up to 180°C.
9. Remove from the fryer onto a kitchen towel, cut in half and season with rock salt.
10. Garnish with piccalilli or your favourite ketchup.

Visit Henley.CrockersUK.com

Sweetcorn Patties: Saiphin Moore, Rosa’s Thai Café 

INGREDIENTS

• 260g of canned sweetcorn, drained
• ½ tsp of sea salt flakes
• ½ tsp of white pepper
• 2 tsp of tempura flour
• 1 tbsp of cornflour, plus extra as required
• 3 tbsp of cold water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 kaffir lime leaves, shredded 
• Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
• Sweet chilli sauce, to serve 

METHOD

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the sweetcorn, salt, pepper, tempura flour, cornflour, measured water and egg. If the mixture is too loose, add a little more cornflour. 
2. Stir the lime leaves, if using, into the batter. Fill a heavy-based saucepan or wok with oil to a depth of one-third and set the pan over a medium-high heat, to prepare for deep-frying. When the oil is hot, carefully drop a tablespoonful of the batter at a time into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Deep-fry for about 1 minute, then turn over and fry for a further minute, until golden brown and cooked through. 
3. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Repeat until the mixture is used up – the mixture will make about 6 patties.
4. Serve the patties with sweet chilli sauce

Visit RosasThaiCafe.com

Cream Buns: Roz Bado, Gail’s

These little buns are deliciously soft and ever so slightly sweet, and thanks to the cream and the butter in them, they’re rich on the palate, with a tender crumb. They make the cutest and most luxurious sandwiches for a party or picnic and can be served with pâté, cured meats, strong cheese and salads – almost anything.

INGREDIENTS
For the buns:

• 15g of fresh yeast
• 50ml of milk
• 3 eggs
• 150ml of double cream
• 70g of caster sugar
• 500g of strong white bread flour
• 100g of butter, diced and at room temperature
• 1 tsp of fine sea salt
• Egg wash

For the topping:

• 2 tsp of poppy seeds
• 2 tsp of sesame seeds
• 1 tsp of flaked sea salt

METHOD

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, use a fork to whisk together the yeast and milk until the yeast dissolves. Add the eggs, cream, sugar, flour and butter.
2. Knead with the dough hook at low speed for 5 minutes to bring the ingredients together into a dough. Add the salt and increase the speed to medium for a further 6–10 minutes, until the dough looks silky and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Take the bowl out of the mixer and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave it to sit on the worktop for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
4. Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and cut it into 22 pieces weighing around 50g each. Shape them into little balls.
5. Place the buns onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick baking paper and slip it inside a large plastic bag, inflated to stop the bag touching the surface of the dough. Leave to rise again for another 1-2 hours until doubled in size.
6. Preheat the oven to 190°C/gas mark 5. Gently brush the surface of the buns with egg wash. Sprinkle over the poppy seeds or sesame seeds mixed with a little sea salt. 
7. Bake them in the oven for around 10 minutes until they are golden in colour and their bases are cooked through – lift one with a palette knife to check. Cool on a wire rack.

VARIATIONS: For extra texture and crunch, dust the rolls with semolina or polenta instead of the seeds. For a fruity version, add 35g sultanas and 25g fennel seeds to the dough itself, at the same time as you add the salt.

TO FREEZE: If you don’t want to bake all the rolls at once, freeze them once shaped, on a baking sheet, wrapped in cling film. They’ll keep for up to a week. Defrost them overnight in the fridge, then leave to come to room temperature for 1-2 hours, then prove and bake as above.

Visit GailsBread.co.uk

Potato, Onion & Goats’ Curd Tart: Oli Martin, Hipping Hall

INGREDIENTS

• 200g of puff pastry
• 4 large waxy potatoes
• 100g of goat curd
• Sprigs of thyme
• Salt and pepper
• 4 large onions
• Truffle oil
• Rocket

METHOD

1. Peel and slice your onions finely. Cook over a medium heat with plenty of oil and salt until lightly caramelised. Put in the fridge to chill.
2. Roll out the pastry to 2cm thickness. Top with the caramelised onions. 
3. Peel and slice the potatoes thinly, arrange on top of the onion overlapping but not too much and leaving a 2cm border for the crust to rise, then brush with a little truffle oil. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Top of with some crumbled goats’ cheese or curd. 
4. Bake in the oven at 170°C for about 18 minutes, the potatoes should be cooked and pastry golden. 
5. Add fresh rocket and truffle oil to finish.

Visit HippingHall.com

Yogurt Marinated Chicken Kebabs: Lancashire Farm

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tsp of crushed red pepper
• 2 tsp of paprika
• 3 tbsp of extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar
• 225g of Lancashire Farm greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 2 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of ground black pepper
• 6 peeled garlic cloves
• 2 unpeeled lemons
• 1kg of chicken breast, cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes

METHOD

1. Using the dried, crushed pepper and paprika combination, place in a large bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of warm water. Let it stand until a paste forms, which will be approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, tomato paste, 2 tbsp of salt and 1 tbsp of black pepper to the pepper and paprika spice mixture already in the bowl. Whisk to blend.
3. Stir in the garlic followed by the lemon slices. Finally, add the chicken cubes. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour. These can be made a day ahead of a BBQ or picnic (keep chilled).
4. Thread the chicken pieces on metal skewers, dividing equally. Sprinkle each skewer with salt, pepper and paprika. Grill chicken until golden brown and cooked through, turning skewers occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool and serve up for a picnic.

Visit LancashireFarm.com

Asparagus, Pea & Bacon Mini Frittatas: British Asparagus

INGREDIENTS

• 100g of bacon lardons
• 3 large eggs
• 75ml of crème fraîche
• 30g of parmesan, grated
• Salt and pepper
• 100g of asparagus, chopped and blanched
• 50g of frozen peas
• 2 tbsp of chopped chives

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a muffin tin with six cases.
2. Heat a small frying pan and cook the bacon lardons until they are golden and crispy. Allow to cool.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, crème fraiche and Parmesan and add a little salt and pepper. Add the asparagus, peas, bacon lardons and chopped chives and stir together.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin case and bake for 25-30 minutes.
5. Serve warm or cool completely and pop in a storage box for picnics.

Visit BritishAsparagus.com

Mixed Cherry Tomato Focaccia: The Tomato Stall

INGREDIENTS

• 840ml of warm water
• 15g of fast-acting dried yeast 
• 500g of strong bread flour
• 800g of mixed cherry tomatoes
• Olive oil
• 8g of Maldon sea salt 
• 25g of oregano

METHOD

1. Pour the warm water in to a large bowl and add the yeast. Whisk this together then add half the flour to form a very wet dough. 
2. Place the bowl in a warm area to prove. After 40 minutes the dough should have risen, and you should now be able to see small bubbles within the mixture. 
3. Add the remaining flour, salt and one tbsp of olive oil and mix together thoroughly. 
4. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead well until nice and smooth (about ten minutes). Place back into a bowl, drizzle over a little olive oil and cover with a damp cloth and allow to prove once more (about 40 minutes). 
5. When this is done turn out again on to a floured surface and stretch it to a large rectangle and then fold over on itself into thirds. Now there should be three layers. 
6. Place on an oiled non-stick tray and drizzle with more olive oil. Push your fingers into the dough to spread it out and to make the ‘holes’. Pop a cherry tomato and oregano into each hole, pushing them down into the dough. 
7. Allow it to prove once more until almost doubled in height (about 30 minutes) and then sprinkle over some Maldon sea salt. 
8. Cook in a preheated oven at 220°C for 10 minutes. Turn down the oven to 200°C and turn the tray around. Cook for a further 15-20 minutes. 
9. Remove from the oven and drizzle with a little more olive oil and fresh oregano. 

Visit TheTomatoStall.co.uk

Scandi Open Sandwiches: Carole Poirot, AO Life

INGREDIENTS

• Dark rye bread, around 3-4 half slices per person
• 3-4 eggs, hard boiled
• 6 radishes, finely sliced
• ½ cucumber, finely sliced
• 80g of watercress
• 200g of Jarlsberg cheese
• 250g of smoked salmon or gravadlax
• Fresh dill
• A little butter

For the mustard & dill sauce:

• 1 tbsp of dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 1 tbsp of cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 tbsp of dill, finely chopped

METHOD

1. Whisk the mustard, honey, vinegar and olive oil together. Add the chopped dill and mix.
2. Butter the bread slices.
3. Add the toppings to your liking making sure there’s a little green with each slice. Top with some of the mustard and dill sauce. Garnish with a little fresh dill.

Visit AO.com