Cold main course for a posh picnic

[MyFriendsCallMeOh]

Dh and I are going to a posh picnic soon (diner en Blanc), it's like a flash mob picnic and we have to take 3 courses of food. I'll do tapas for starter ..... What can I take for main course? Something that travels well and has to be eaten with a knife and fork from a plate..... Any ideas that aren't cold salmon and salad?

A posh game pie - you can either make one or Waitrose/Asda/Delis can supply

You can make a nice salad with watermelon, goats cheese, cress-like thingies (sorry here they are called zwiebelsprossen but I don't know what they are in English!) and toasted pine kernels. Is very refreshing and looks very posh. Take the ingredients in separate Tupperware boxes and assemble at the table!

Smoked salmon and asparagus Quiche? Coronation chicken with rice salad? Chorizo frittata with grilled vegetable salad? Filo parcels filled with spinach and feta and Greek salad?

platter of cold meats,

greater I did watermelon and feta salad the other day my in laws thought I'd lost it, was delicious and your right looks nice.
If your doing tapas for start how about frittatas and salad.
Or a chicken salad with a peanut dressing, use cabbage, carrots etc instead of leaves that's one of our picnic treats.

Stuffed picnic loaf? Google it, you can put anything in it :)

quiche
cold sliced meats and grilled vegetables
Pasta salad with your choice of protein and veg - does not have to be typical pasts, how about an oriental pasta like soba or udon or chap chae (korean)
vietnamese summer rolls
chicken skewers with dip

What sort of tapas are you doing for starter?

I would probably do a nice salad for main. Something like rocket/spinach with feta, roasted chicken, pine nuts and maybe some butternut squash. Served with some baguette or nice sourdough and white wine!

But not sure that woudl follow tapas that well. Could you change the starter, maybe do some kind of fish / seafood - such as smoked salmon bruschetta or blinis, or some nice prawns - or even a platter of prawns, crayfish, oysters, etc (if you did bruschetta you would probably need to leave the bread out of the salad for main but could put some quinoa in it if you felt that carbs were needed)

Puff pastry tart with pesto/mozzarella/tomatoes/basil?

Miniature pasties with chicken and sweetcorn or mini jerk chicken patties?

I did a pear and walnut salad with goats cheese recently - went down very well. Toast walnuts first, throw everything in containers and assemble in situ?
My fail safe starter is crabmeat and mango with red chili wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Thank you, some good ideas. We have to take a three course meal, which is why I'm not so keen on the salad side of things. It doesn't really say three course meal to me. I'm thinking about Japanese noodle bowls to which I can add hot spicy broth from a thermos, kind of construct it when I get there. Then I could do sushi / sashimi for starter.....

Is this picnic in Kensington Palace?!

Hot Japanese broth travels well?

OP, you're either an amazing cook with very low blood pressure or you are determined to make work for yourself!

This is what we're going to. Hot liquid in a thermos should be fine shouldn't it?

Wow! I love the look of that!
Must investigate. Being the age I am, having to wear white to something and bringing hot Japanese liquids wouldn't go hand in hand, but still it looks amazing.
Have a great time! And consider the salad.

I'm invested now..... If you're bringing tapas to start, would you consider paella in a broth flask?
Timing it to perfection, obvs, to avoid salmonella.

I think broth would work perfectly.

I'm not great with Japanese style cooking so I would take

Cold soup- Gazpacho or courgette and mint, melon and chilli ( sounds odd but it's lovely)

Main- roast crushed new potato salad ( lots of herbs and rocket) with cold medium rare thinly sliced roast beef and fresh horseradish

Very jealous of your posh picnic op

Carrying hot brown liquid to a posh do dressed in white and with white table linen?

What could possibly go wrong?

My point exactly Rhonda - I was that 2 year old, now I have that 2 year old .
Stakes are high at this picnic though, so broth it well may be.

A clear broth, perhaps? Given the linen involved.

Cooked fillets of salmon? With mixed leaves and potatoes salad?

Oops, just reread your post.

Yes I was thinking a clear broth, some kind of chili beef ramen bowl. I do manage to carry a thermos cup of coffee with me most days and not spill it, should be ok..... Although I like the idea of rare beef, horseradish and potato salad too...

Blahblahblar, can you give more details of your chicken salad with peanut dressing and cabbage? Sounds perfect (although we are veggie so would probably use tofu or quorn).

Chili beef ramen bowl sounds perfect for that particular do.
In a soup flask (the wide one).
Not to be a bitch but tapas not a match for that, possibly oysters to start? Easy to transport, open before you leave, pack in a picnic bag.
After all that effort, I suggest champagne as dessert. .