There’s something wonderfully British about eating a proper meal on a rug, ideally under a blue sky but sometimes with a brolly within arm’s reach.
This National Picnic Week (14-21 June), elevate your spread beyond the standard scotch egg and soggy sandwich with these fresh, make-ahead recipes.
Think crisp salads that won’t wilt, wraps and rolls sturdy enough to survive the journey and a sweet treat or two for good measure.
Each dish is easy to pack, simple to serve and designed to taste even better when eaten outdoors – whether that’s a sunny park bench, a hidden patch of countryside or your own back garden.
Apple and mustard potato salad
This creamy, tangy potato salad is a picnic staple – hearty enough to fill you up, refreshing thanks to crisp apple, and easy to scoop onto plates or eat straight from the container. It tastes even better once it’s had time to chill, making it perfect for prepping ahead.
Coronation chickpea or chicken naan wraps
These wraps are ideal picnic food: colourful, packed with flavour and easy to pick up and eat with your hands. Make the coronation filling in advance and build your wraps fresh on your picnic rug so they stay soft and satisfying, not soggy.
Sausage rolls:
Nothing says British picnic quite like a good sausage roll. This version is sturdy enough to survive a journey in a cool bag, tastes delicious warm or cold and is guaranteed to please both kids and adults – no cutlery required.
Makes: one large sausage roll, serves 4
Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes
When to prep: bake fresh in the morning or the evening before. Let them cool completely before packing.
How to pack: wrap whole or sliced sausage roll pieces in foil or parchment, then place in an airtight container. They’re robust and travel well.
Courgetti salad with a tahini dressing
Light, fresh and full of crunch, this salad brings a burst of colour and flavour to your picnic spread. Spiralised veg stays crisp in the cool bag, and the nutty tahini dressing turns simple courgette and apple into something special.
Kale and sausage pasta
Pasta salads are always a picnic winner. This one combines caramelised onion and apple with savoury vegan sausage and earthy kale, making it filling but not too heavy. It’s delicious at room temperature and easy to serve up on plates.
Apple cake bars
Sweet treats are essential for a proper picnic. These moist, fruity cake bars are sturdy enough to pack and share, won’t crumble into bits, and pair beautifully with a flask of tea or a bottle of fizz in the sunshine.