picnic food - inspire me!

[Jzee]

I'm having a picnic for about 20 people and could do with some ideas. Recipes for pasta and rice salads would be good or anything else.

ok got my recipe book out
high protien salad for veggies
ingrediants
3 tbls natural yoghurt
2 tbls vegtable oil
salt
1 quater of a tps cumin
425g chickpeas drained and rinsed
2 peppers chopped and deceaded
2 tbls sunflower seeds
htm
mix all together add sunfloersed and toss
theres one
next chinease chicken salad
ingrediants
4 chiken fillets
salt
can crushed pineaple
2 shallots peeled and chopped finely
2 of each vegtable oil soya sauce white wine vinegar
htm
boil chicken
mix other ingredients in a bowl
when chicken cooked and cooled cut into strips and add to the mix ture and toss
theres two to start will have a nose if theres any more nice ones for you

Eaves dropping for party food ideas. Oh dear. Recipes look lovely but have never boiled chicken. Can you roast/bake instead (don't want to food poison unknown number of small children and/or parents)And too late in the evening to be able to decipher htm...? (first ever post so sorry for lack of protocol. Will try emoticons etc next time.)

Cold Yorkshire Puddings with roast beef and horseradish?

Pitta pockets filled with greek salad?

Cold honeyed carrots

Cold new potatoes

I've always like the idea of those picnic loaf things - where you scoop out the bready inside bit of a loaf and fill it with stuff (cheese, salad etc) and slice it up. Don't know if you have any clue what I'm talking about but I think that would make a nice picnin dish! (Never actually done it though )

I was going to post about picnics too! I'm going to one on Friday with a couple, it's a picnic in the park do with a shakespeare play. My mate wants a posh picnic and we're meeting in the middle of the week to discuss it so I'll be snooping too

I've seen those loaves Tommy and they do sound lovely. You weigh them down with something in the fridge? I'll do a search to see if I can find one as I don't want to try it without a recipe.

Let me know and I may even try it!

jamie i dont think it will be a problem to roast it instead but i wouldnt woory about boiled chicken with youngsters i give my son boiled chicken and hes nine months old you just keep boiling it until it turns white then stick a sharp knife through it if any blood appears cook it or another five minuites if the juice runs clear then it fine

recipe for summer picnic loaf
ingrediants
3 medium carrots peeled and grated
2fl oz mayonnaise
half a tsp salt and pepper
juice of a lemon
1 ripe avacardo peeled stoned and halfed
1 loaf french bread
4oz of thin ham
8oz of mozzarella or cheddar sliced thin
instruction
put the carrots mayo s&p and half the lemon juice in a bowl and stir slice the half avacardo legnth ways into strips and toss in wth the remaining lemon juice
cut bread length ways and scoop out the the middle of the bottom one
put in half the carrot mixture into the bottom half where the bread has been scooped out cover with avacardo slices ham and cheese then put the remaining carrot mixture on top and the other half of the bread and cut into four

hope you enjoy this and if you want anymore just ask or get the readers digest quick and easy cook book i got mine from a car boot for 50p so there must be more of them around somewhere

That sounds yum mummytojames. Do I take it you picnic lots?

i havent gone on a picnic in years i got this recipe book from readers digest (picked it up at a car boot) and a section was sandwiches ad snacks or pinic foods

I'll have to look out for that cookbook

Not that I go on many picnics either. Having a party on a boat soon though so need cold food for that.

When's your picnic Jzee? mine's on Friday so I hope the forecast is good.

Picnic Ideas:

Harvest Pasties Makes 4.Multiply recipe to suit.

2 tablespoons oil
4 oz peeled and diced carrot
4 oz trimmed and diced celery
4 oz diced leak
1 teaspoon yeast extract
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 x 7 3/4 oz can baked beans
salt
freshley ground black pepper
8 oz shortcrust pastry, made with 8 oz plain flour and 4 oz fat
1 egg, beaten

Heat oil in saucepan and fry vegetables gently until soft - about 10 mmins. Stir in yeast extract, Worcestershire sauce, baked beeans and seasoning to taste, Cool.

Roll out the dough on a floures surface and cut out four rounds each 16cm (6 1/2 inches) in diameter. Divide the vegetable mixture between the four rounds. Brush edges with egg and bring the sides to the centre. Press tightly together with fingertips to seal. Place on a baking sheet. Using sissors snip the pastry edge in diagonal cuts about 1cm (1/2 inch) inwards. Glaze with beaten egg and bake in preheated moderatly hot oven 190c/375f gas mark 5 for 20 mins. Glaze again with beaten egg and return to the oven for a further 10 - 15 mins baking. Wrap each pastry in foil for carrying tothe picnic.

Picnic Sandwich Box - Serves 8.

1 small uncut crusty bloomer loaf
3oz butter, melted
8oz pork sausage meat
4oz cooked ham, diced
4oz cooked tongue, diced
2oz oninon, peeled and chopped
2 eggs
1/4 pint milk
salt
freshley ground black pepper
2 eggs, hard boiled and halved

Cut horizontally across the loaf, two thirds of the way up, and remove this 'lid'. Gently ease away the bread from around the edge of the crust. Make 100g (4oz) breadcrumbs from the bread. Brush the cavity of the loaf and lid with some of the melted butter.

Combine the sausagemeat, chopped meats, breadcrumbs and onion. Beat the two eggs and milk together. Season well. Combine with the meat mixture.Place one third of the filling in the breadcase and arrange the halved boiled eggs lengthways on top. Pack around with the remaining filling, then top with the bread lid.

Secure the loaf in a parcel-like fashion with string. Use the remaining melted butter to brush all over the loaf. Place on abaking sheet. Bake in a preheated moderatly hot oven 200c/400f gas mark 6 for 15 minutes. Cover with foil and continue baking for 45 minutes. When cool, remove string. Wrap in foil for arrying to the picnic. Cut in thick slices to serve.

I always think the best foods for picnics are the ones that don't need much preparation.

Big platter of continental meats, parma ham, salami, chorizo, garlic sausage.

Bowl of olives.

Whole brie

Nice piece of stilton or roquefort

Big piece of mature cheddar

Big slab of pate

Lots of crusty bread and butter

Tomato and red onion salad

Pot of coleslaw

Big potato salad (I just boil baby pots, when warm smother in mayo and add loads of fresh mint)

Pickles

Big bowl of mixed berries with cream for pud.

Haven't read rest of thread, but a salad nicoise works REaLLY well. Have with crusty bread.

Lettuce
Cherry toms
Black olives
Tuna (tinned) or fresh poached salmon is yummy too
Heap of boiled new potatoes (cooked whole
Heap of green beans
Boiled eggs sliced into 1/4s
Anchovies and capers (optional!)
Nice dressing

Keep the fish/capers/dressing/eggs all separate until you get there then build salad in situ. Remember to take a big bowl/box to mix it all in, oh and some salad servers.

Yum! Enjoy!

Mmmmm my mouth is watering!

I've got a recipe for stuffed sandwich thingy, putting roast pepperscourgettes etc, sun dried toms, mozzerella, and ham in.

the weather forecast for here tomorrow is C* but we've got macs and brollies so we'll survive

The weather was great and the stuffed sandwich was a success too