Prepare to Picnic

‘The Quintessentially British Picnic’

Savoury Pieces

Roast Beef, Smoked Chicken and Lemon Confit

Homemade Piquant Pork Scotched Eggs

Summer Pea, Lemon and Mint Posset, Black Olive Straws

Asparagus Spears, Saffron Aioli 

Cherry Tomato, Baby Mozzarella and Basil Skewers

Goats Cheese, Lemon, Thyme and Sesame Bon Bons

Chilled Cherry Tomato Soup

Confit of Salmon, Lime and Cotswold Gin

Paprika and Mature Cheddar Cheese Shortbread

A Selection of Decadent Sandwiches

Cucumber and Cream Cheese

Smoked Salmon and Dill

Honey Roast Ham and English Mustard

Sweet Things

Indulgent Macarons

Raspberry Marshmallows

Pimms Jelly in a Jam Jar

Lemon Infused Meringues

At the Kitchen, we make all of these from scratch but when it comes to producing this at home, there are so many cheats and Marks and Spencer or Waitrose offer delicious picnic packages. I do think a few homemade items though make it more special.

Method

1.     Blitz all the ingredients in a food processor (except for the Paprika) – until a golden dough begins to form a clump.  Knead for 30 second to bring the mixture together.

2.     Divide the mix into 2.

3.     Take the first half, roll it into a cylinder, about 3cm in diameter. Roll this this up in a piece of put the roll in the fridge, then proceed in the same way with the remaining half of the dough.

4.     Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4/350ºF while the wrapped cylinders of dough rest in the fridge for about 45 minutes, by which time you should be able to cut them into thick slices easily: aim for about 1cm / ½ inch thick.

5.     Arrange on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment, and put in the oven for 15–20 minutes, when they should be just beginning to turn a pale gold at the edges.

6.     Remove from the oven, sprinkle with paprika then leave to cool before eating.

The raw mixture freezes brilliantly and can simply be sliced, defrosted in minutes and baked off just before you need them. I always make double the mixture and keep some handy for impromptu drinks!

Enjoy the picnic season ahead from us all at The Kitchen.

www.thekitchenfarnborough.co.uk