It’s national picnic month this July so if you’re planning to throw an amazing assortment of food together that takes little effort, look no further.
It seems any opportunity that requires sitting outdoors, needs a picnic! Â Whether it’s at the school sports day, going to the beach, a driving road trip or watching a band in the park… Â The chequered rug is out and so is the tupperware!
I do love a good picnic (and anything else that involves eating really) so when I’m planning one it’s full of meats, dips, veggies and cheese. Â The more colourful I can get it the better! Â It doesn’t have to be time consuming or really thought out, I tend to add all my usual healthy snacks together along with a pre-cooked meal like lamb keema that I can slap on an iceberg lettuce leaf of stuff in a pepper.
Below are a few ideas for you to try out for your next picnic. Â Give them a go and see how they’re received.
Greek Salad – One of my favourites because of the Mediterranean flavours and feta cheese, plus it a ‘throw it together’ type of dish that suits my style perfectly!
You’ll need: 1.5 large cucumbers, 3 tomatoes, 1/2 small red onion, 1 green pepper, capers (quantity is up to you,) kalamata olives – pitted about 75g, 1 tbsp sea salt, ground pepper, to taste, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 170g feta cheese
Just chop up all your veggies into bite size pieces and place them in a bowl. Â Add the capers with some juice from their jar and kalamata olives. Season with ground salt and pepper, and oregano. Mix everything up. Chop and crumble the feta on top of the salad.
Cold Meats – Chicken drumsticks or thighs, prosciutto ham, crispy pork belly, smoked salmon.
Dips – Smashed avocado is my absolute favourite. Â I like it quite chunky so don’t worry about getting it perfectly smooth. Â Just place it in a bowl and mash with a fork, squeeze in half a lime, add a dash of olive oil and some finely chopped chilli (your choice on quantity.) Â If you like coriander add that too and refrigerate.
Other choices include hummous and home made slaw.
Lamb Keema – I love this cold on crunchy iceberg lettuce or stuffed in a pepper. Either way it’s good! Â I would normally make this the day before and refrigerate ready to take the following day. Â Here’s the recipe.
Nibbles – Anything from boiled eggs, veggies sticks, fruits like berries and watermelon, roasted kale and peanut butter go well. Â For the kids they like vegetable crisps and Jamie Olivers no bake chocolate fudge bars. Â Be adventurous and try different combos.
