How to serve up the perfect picnic
There’s nothing wrong with a good egg salad or tomato sandwich as long it’s made with good quality bread, but there are interesting possibilities to make simple, but tasty and economical treats for a large number. Pack raw mangetouts and carrot sticks for crunchy snacks, dip hardboiled eggs in chutney, take crusty bread for dipping in olive oil, and serve it all with water with a slice of lemon or mint. This is the time of year for chilled rosé wines, and a little sparkling prosecco or cava makes an economical treat for a crowd.
My recipes below are something different to try. Keep everything in a cool box or bag with ice if the sun is shining. Don’t forget corkscrews and napkins or roll of kitchen tissue and insect repellent. &
As it can use one of the least expensive of pork cuts, pulled pork is the meat of the year. All it takes is a few hours in the oven to tenderise so it becomes so soft you can pull it apart with two forks. It makes the most delicious sandwiches and here I am using it in pitta breads. The best, largest, softest pittas I have found are in ABC bakery, in Cork’s English market. Organic or free range pork has the best flavour, so Google ‘organic pork’ + your area to find the best source. However, any pork cooked by this method gets terrific results.
1.5 kg pork shoulder will serve 10 or 750g collar or pork for 4–6 Salt Preheat the oven to 180c
Pat the meat dry with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Place in the oven and cook the shoulder for 3 hours. Collar pork which is boneless will take 90 minutes. If you need to cook other food in the oven at the same time for half an hour, the pork won’t suffer if the temperature is raised for scones or bread. As long as the larger joint gets a few hours of slow cooking the result will be good.
When the pork is tender, remove from the oven and lift onto a plate, scraping all the fat and juices into a bowl.
Lift off the skin. It will still be a little rubbery at this stage. Turn up the oven to 220c and place the skin back in the roasting dish for 30 minutes to get decent crackling. When cool, remove the biggest bits of fat to use for frying another time. Cut the crackling into strips and bring to the picnic for snacking.
Pull the flesh of the pork apart with two forks, or use a knife to slice it. Use this in the pitta breads or on slices of crusty baguette or sourdough.
When the pork has cooled down it should be sitting in a pool of fat and jelly. If you can peel off the jelly, it’s delicious in the sandwich.
Add lettuce, chutney, mayonnaise and seasonal peaches or a little stewed gooseberry. A dash of soya sauce is good too. The ideal accompaniment is the tomato and bread salad here.
- Tip: Boil 50ml cheap balsamic vinegar with 25g sugar for about 2 minutes or until it thickens to make a syrup. Drizzle on the pork. Delicious!
Chickpea Pitta: Add shredded lettuce, cucumber + tomato to the pitta and top with a handful of cooked chickpeas, mixed with cumin, olive oil, lemon juice and rind and chopped parsley. Drizzle with the balsamic reduction above.
This salad uses up leftovers beautifully while making the best of tomatoes when in season. It’s a great way to use up stale bread which is even better than fresh. Any type of cheese, grated works well.
100g tomatoes (2.5cm chunks)
1 slice bread, cut into 2.5cm cubes
1 small red onion, sliced finely
100g feta cheese, crumbled
Olives
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Handful fresh oregano leaves, chopped mint, basil or tarragon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Mix all the ingredients together and place in a plastic tub or sandwich bag and seal allow to the flavours to blend while getting to the picnic spot. Stone the olives first if children are not old enough to manage them.
(Makes 12–14) Make these a day ahead and keep in a tin. Chunks of fresh peaches are delicious too.
200g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
100g butter
200g caster sugar
3 medium eggs
1 teasp vanilla extract
150ml milk
12–14 raspberries
Preheat the oven to 180c
Place paper cases in a bun tin (to keep their shape). Rub the flour, baking powder, salt and butter together to make fine breadcrumbs, or pulse gently in a blender. Add the caster sugar.
Whisk the eggs and vanilla in a bowl and add in the flour mix, whisking as you go. Don’t overwork the mixture as it can become leathery.
Pour into a jug and carefully half fill each cake case from the centre, avoiding drips on the side which will drag them out of shape.
Place a raspberry in each one, pressing down with a spoon to cover them with cake mix.
Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. They may need another 5 until they are golden and springy. Cool on a wire tray and serve without icing.
These need nothing extra. They can be taken whole to the picnic, or sliced and wrapped or stored in a large tub ready for use.
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