This, obviously, is peak picnic season. Think Glyndebourne or Henley for the poshos, think a lovely tea in the park for a day off, think a hamper or box by the river if you can get away by train (there are umpteen fabulous places less than an hour from London).
The rules are simple. Nothing too fussy to eat. Most things should be sufficiently robust to withstand being knocked about en route: so pork pie is good and a fruit cake is a better option, especially in a tin, than a strawberry tart.
No meltables: replace chocolates with something like pate de fruits (viz, fruit jellies) if not. Sandwiches are ok, but it’s more fun to offer cheese, charcuterie, pate, or smoked fish (plus chutney or pickles) alongside some crusty baguette or sourdough (if the latter, remember the breadknife). And I am not wholly enamoured of champagne on a picnic; if it’s hot, lemonade or ginger beer is actually much nicer.
If you haven’t the time or inclination to make your own, here are some lovely ready made picnics and some suggestions for elements to bolster your own.
The Picnic Hamper. Made in Oldstead, £85
Goodness, this isn’t so much a picnic hamper as a cornucopia in a cool bag, brimful of good things. It comes from Tommy Banks, a brilliant chef who runs restaurants as well as this excellent food box company in North Yorkshire. There are fine juicy little pork and madeira pies, smoked salmon cured in spruce and verbena from his kitchen gardens, cheese from The Courtyard (terrific cheesemongers), delicious chicken liver parfait with hedgerow jelly and excellent sourdough bread. He promotes local producers, one being the Ilkley makers of black pepper and garlic salami. There’s local butter and his own chutney and gherkin ketchup. To finish there are very good blondies and runny salted caramel chocs. Oh, and his own cans of herby lemon verbena pale ale and gamay pinot noir (with a packet of sangria mix). All in a practical coolbag. Yum!
Country Life Cheese and Charcuterie Hamper, Bath Fine Cheese Company, £100
This excellent selection comes in a charming wicker hamper with a cloth lining. There are two cheeses (pasteurised), a cave aged cheddar and Little Rollright, an unctuous creamy cheese from the Cotswolds. Then there’s that very classy butter, Bungay, oatcakes and little stilton biscuits. The charcuterie is a very good smoked coppa. And all accompanied by pickled onions (hurrah!) and Somerset cider. What’s not to like?
Paxton and Whitfield, Little Box of Birthday Treats, £45
Even if it’s not your birthday, you could make a fine picnic of this box of treats. Paxton’s know that fruitcake and cheese make an excellent pairing, and here is a good, not-too-sweet cake, crunchy with dried figs, to go with the raw Montgomery cheddar, Cashel Blue and a Celtic soft cheese: something for everyone. There’s a little pot of its yummy damson and crab apple paste too. Just add bread. All in a nice box. Or if you just want savoury treats, the excellent Henley lunchbox, £55, includes pork rillettes, Tunworth (a fine English sort of camembert), Sparkenhoe Red Leicester (really good), a baby Yorkshire blue and crackers.
Fortnum and Mason, King of Picnics, £550
There are hampers and there are Fortnum’s hampers, and you don’t get much more impressive than the King of Picnics, which would be just the thing for Glyndebourne. It’s pretty well got everything: a substantial pork pie, Scotch eggs (theirs are runny inside), smoked salmon, stilton and rich Dorset brie, bread, a little charcuterie, nibbles, a big carton of crisps, teacakes…I mean, even for the greedy, there’s enough for eight. There’s a bottle of Provencal rose and a house champagne. And it all comes in that lovely F&M wicker hamper. Otherwise, you could always settle for the cream tea selection, at £50. There’s also an enormous Ultimate Picnic Hamper for £1,000, but you probably need a couple of footmen for that.
The British Fine Foods Summer Garden Picnic, £75
This nicely chosen selection would probably keep four people happy – well, depending how hungry they are – if you add a crusty baguette or two. There’s packets of good ham and charcuterie, duck pate, olives, smoked salmon (100g) and a small English brie with chutney. The biscuits were ginger, a moreish treat. There’s a smart navy wicker hamper, without a handle; very reusable. Add cutlery and plates separately.
Betty’s Afternoon Tea Gift Box, £50
Betty’s Tea Rooms are a Harrogate institution and if you can’t go to Betty’s, Betty’s will come to you with this excellent box of sweet tea-time treats for four. There are macarons – uncannily like Laduree’s – scones and very good strawberry jam, adorable fondant fancies and an excellent raspberry and vanilla buttercream loaf, all in a lovely box. It would make for a fun traditional tea-time picnic. The only problem is how to make tea with the Darjeeling tea bags…I’m afraid folks, you might have to compromise with hot water from a thermos. But an element of roughing it is part of the fun, no?
Hamper Additions: these are good supplements to a picnic:
Secret Smokehouse: Canapes, £57.99
This is a generous selection of smoked salmon, hot smoked pieces, mackerel and salmon pates and a creamy Dill and Mustard Mayonnaise, from a Hackney smokehouse. It would add a substantial, pleasing fishy element to any of the hampers.
Betty’s Yorkshire Fruit cake in a tin, £33.
What you need on a picnic is something robust, which will travel and won’t make a mess when it’s eaten outdoors. A moist, rich fruit cake fits the bill nicely, and this one comes with nuts and cherries on top in a lovely tin.
Fortnum and Mason, Pate de Fruits, £19.95
These are grown up fruit pastilles, only in fabulous flavours like plum and apricot. A very classy ending for a smart picnic.
