Poncey picnic food ideas please

[TheMoistWorldOfSeptimusQuench]

Going to a proms in the park type thing on Saturday.

I have been charged with producing the picnic for not only my parents, louche hard drinking foodie friends but also the ex-parents in law.

Particularly concerned about pudding, as I'm rubbish at those, but also would really like some more ideas for savoury bits & bobs. Am a reasonable cook, so can cope with the more ambitious stuff. Also, Waitrose is my corner shop, & lots of nice independent delis & grocers around here.

What would you gourmet MNetters do?

lots of ham, salamis, olives, cheeses, fresh bread to be torn and dipped in olive oil etc. toms and artichokes and other things from the deli counter.
also a spanish omelette but with asparagus spears as they hold the omelette together well when they're being eaten al freasco. griddled courgette salad with fresh mint, feta and salad is also nice.
desserts i don't know about. what about little fruit tarts so they can be eaten with one hand? or strawbs with their stalks left in so they can be dunked in fizzy wine and eaten? i like fruit salads as a dessert as well, again you can splash some fizz into that to refresh it. or for started melon chunks and prosciutto to eat together? plus i do enjoy pasta salads but then you're getting into the knotty world of cutlery.

lol, none of that's posh is it? it's all peasant food. google the guardian, they've been doing a faffy picnic series.

My friend is a Chef and when we went to the zoo for a Brunch picnic last Sunday, he brought this, and it was delicious. (all homemade too, how poncey is that?!)

Baguette, cut in half lengthwise but still joined down one side.

Spread bottom part thickly with tapenade (black olives, couple cloves garlic, some capers, anchovies, lemon juice)

Add a layer of thinly sliced mozzarella, top with basil leaves

Cover with sun or oven dried baby tomatoes (from the garden - cut in half & leave on lowest setting in oven until half original size)

Spread the top part with Pesto. Finished.

Wrap tightly in foil, keep cool. Cut into slices/ chunks when ready to eat.

Everyone loved it, even the two yr olds.

I saw that Califrau and got all confused as to how potatoes and onions can be a dessert!

M & S are advertising strawberries dunked in a chocolate sauce [dribble] at the moment. You could also have other fruits as well. Decant the sauce into smaller pots.

We're going on one later and taking

hard boiled quails eggs and celery salt
corn on the cob
cooked sausages
french bread
butter
cheese
organic cranberry sauce
frozen Innocent smoothies
salami
mustard
and I was going to do potato wedges and take bbq dipping sauce but I can't be arsed to even cook the potatoes

You could take frozen prawns, they'll be just defrosted by the time you get there. And garlic mayonnaise for dipping them in

I don't tihnk you need pudding stuff on a picnic, just some great fruit

get some mini tart cases from m&s and fill with various sweet stuff, custard, fruit, choc sauce toffee sauce ect(i do this all the time they are yum)
like aitch said small tarts good for one hand

Salmon mousse. Tapenade. Bread and sliced peppers and carrots for dipping into them. Yum.

Also Maison Paul do lovely little rhubarb tarts that are to die for AND more importantly are both easily portable and easily eatable outside.

bbc picnic ideas

bbcgoodfood.com

mediterranean loaf

I linked all these on a thread the other day

stuffed focaccia - basically make a bread mix with some olive oil, stuff w/various exciting things like caramelised onions/olives/sundried toms/good cheese/herbs, salt on top and bake.

how about a cake for pud? proper homemade bakewell tart is lush too.

Puppywithabakingfetish

Do you have a recipe for rhubarb tart?

for pud I'd buy a chocolate tart (the Waitrose fresh ones are really good) and take some fruit (strawberries/raspberries etc) and cream. Or, for a no-cutlery option you could take profiteroles and choc sauce (again, the Waitrose frozen ones are good) and let people dunk the profiteroles in the sauce.
If it's an evening do, I'd also take a hot drink - hot chocolate (especially with a bit of 'flavouring' - eg dash of cointreau) and brownies go down well at an interval when even the warmest of days is starting to get a bit chilly.
As you can see, most things chocolate work for me!

rhubarb and custard muffins

qc you have rhubarb on brain? you mean bakewell? have recipe somewhere but pinned to sofa by bf baby at mo, can look later if you like. bet deliaonline has one.

You know I think you are right!

I didn't mean bakewell. Nor did I mean muffins. I meant this sort of thing really:

www.rhubarbinfo.com/recipe-tart.html#index_tart_1

only the thing I am thinking of has a hint of confectioner's custard underneath all the lovely rhubarb.

What about a chocolate fondue?

Wow, what great ideas! Thanks everyone.

Would a chocolate fondue not require a little burner thingy?

Forgot to mention, it a total faux pas with this lot to buy anything ready made.

Thanks oliveoil for the mediterranian loaf - I was thinking something along those lines but with homemade olive focaccia. Also.... Rhubarb & custard muffins! Mmmmm mmmm mmm

rhubarb's very trendy at the moment too. BTW, depends how good you are at pulling it off, but if you buy something you could feasibly have made, and sprinkle it with a bit of icing sugar or some crumbled up Flake choc, then you could get away with a bit of a cheat!

I would include fresh prawns, unpeeled of course, and french bread and a tube of mayonnaise (not hellmans). Lemon to squeeze.

For pudding, simply fresh strawberries, rasperries and blueberries, and meringue tops. Wipped cream with a hint of chestnut to dip berries and meringue into.

Starry - great minds think alike. The berries are so nice at the moment. Also thought maybe some pretty cupcakes to go with coffee? (post champagne, of course )

that sounds like a good plan! I like the idea of cupcakes, you could vary the flavouar slightly. grated rind of lemon with a hint of squeezed lemon juice, same with orange, vanilla essence and chocolate....