What would you pack for these picnics?

[Dvdlove]

One is a day long walk where we'll need to carry lunch with us.

The other is a relaxing picnic in a park.

I'd like them both to be "nice" as it's part of my efforts to prove you can have a nice time without spending the earth 😄

will you be eating at a picnic table in the park or on the floor?
For a hike you need things that are fairly robust and won't get squashed or leak in your bag. A good cheese and pickle sandwich with salad and some really nice crisps for me please. Maybe a pork pie or scotch egg, some crudites and a homemade flapjack with a flask of tea for me please. I'm not good at eating a lot of food mid-walk so I prefer to graze along the way.

I had a chicken, sweetcorn and bacon pasta pot on a picnic at the weekend. Nice change from sandwiches. Don't forget your spork.

Homemade sausage rolls always go down well, and various filled wraps in foil are easy to carry and eat on the move.
Love picnics. 😋

I'd do a nice fruit salad, with meringues to break into it when it comes out, a decent pork pie/sausage roll option, bread/carrot sticks and some dips, sandwiches with a couple of different fillings, depending how many for maybe some on Wraps some on Muffins some on bread etc, maybe some scones with jam and cream or sliced cake then if you're wanting fancier I'd bring some cute paper/plastic plates and cups and have either cloudy lemonade or chilled water with fruit in.

I'd want something hearty for a day long walk so perhaps a feta rocket and lentil salad or a ratatouille with giant couscous. Plus fruit and a nice cake - perhaps something like brownies or flapjacks that don't mind getting squished.

Relaxing in the park can be a bit daintier so perhaps whipped feta with crudites, frittata with a tomato salad (carry the dressing in a screw top jar and dress when you get there) and fruit skewers. Plus a bottle of fizz....

Scones. Sausage Rolls. Pot of olives. cubes of cheese. berries (in a pot) couple of demi baguettes. scotch eggs/hard boiled eggs.

My ideas are based on what i would do with a mix of adults and kids, not sure if i would pack the same if just for grown ups.

Picnic in the park:
Cold chicken drumsticks
Boiled eggs
Favourite crisps
Cherry Tomatoes/mini cucumbers
Satsumas/Grapes
Cake that’s sturdy enough to not fall apart or squish but still delicious
if you want something hot cook up a load of nice sausages, use a food thermos to keep them hot and take hot dog rolls and condiments with you.

Walk:
Submarine rolls filled with favourite fillings so they are substantial and a full meal in one big bread roll.

Oh this is a good thread. I can answer on the hike one. Nothing fancy requiring cutlery or many containers. Roast a chicken and use that for rolls. Big cooked sausages. Scotch eggs. Some sort of drink like sloe gin. Hula hoops. Chocolate biscuits. Apples. Sweets.

Sloe gin? I want to come staggering hiking with you @Jackrussellsaremad !!
No chocolate if it's a warm day though, it'll just melt.

At a recent picnic I made individual salad jars, fresh fruit chopped up, cold bubbly and some hummus and flatbread.

NB that was both for a walk (4 miles) and then a sit down picnic.

For the walk, sandwiches of choice cut into squares for easy packing. Packet of crisps each, and an apple each. Flap jack for dessert.

For the park picnic.

Cold cooked sausages, boiled eggs, cubes of cheese and/or bre, small triangle sandwiches, a box of sliced cucumber, carrot, apple, grapes and cherry tomatoes.

If there is cutlery and plates I would include...Box/bag of mixed leaves, roast veg couscous or rice, hummus and tzatziki.

Punnet of English strawberries, scones, cream and jam. Appetiser served in champagne glasses.

We do this for walks, and go with an elaborate ciabatta with butter, ham, artichoke, mozarella, tomato and olives. They hold together really well wrapped in tinfoil.

My kids love crudités (also love beige fried food). For a hike pop into zip lock bags and decant homous into a screw top plastic pot. Implement strict no double dip rule. We take rolls as they hold up better in a backpack. Apples rather than bananas for the same reason.
For a nicer picnic I take lots of nibbles and unpack onto a couple of plastic plates. We do a lot of pasta salads as well as pitta pockets as apparently sandwiches are boring. Sometimes we do French bread with salami and a couple of nice cheeses.
Box drinks are the height of luxury in our family as they usually have water bottles. A tub/box of supermarket mini brownies/chocolate crispy cakes is popular here.

For the walk, I often take Spanish tortilla in nice bread (baguettes or crusty roll). You can add some nice ham/prosciutto if you’re inclined. Then we take some hummus for extra dipping and olives in a pot. And fresh fruit, plums, nectarines hold up well and are plentiful now. Tortilla on a baguette is my standard day hike food.

For the walk you need robust food with plenty of protein, that's easy to eat....chicken or ham or cheese sandwiches or wraps, pork pie, sausage rolls, hard boiled eggs, scotch eggs, apples, fruit cake or flapjacks. I'd avoid anything with chocolate or anything sticky or leaky!

For the park picnic you can be more creative....bowls of chicken Caesar salad, noodle & vegetable salad, sushi, Indian snacks like samosas, pots of trifle or fruit fool or fruit salad or soft fruit with cream, fruit tarts, fairy cakes or scones.

https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/pressed-italian-sandwich/

So it doesn't matter if they get a bit squashed.

In the park I’d go for French sticks, butter, a cheese board, nice chutney’s, pickled onions, grapes, celery, nice crisps, pate or charcuterie if you have meat eaters.

I've always wanted to make a gala pie for a picnic but it looks quite a long process. Has anyone tried?

@Jackrussellsaremad - I use a food processor to make the pastry for a gala pie so its pretty quick

If I'm felling lazy I just use pre made puff pastry and spread the meat over most of it, slice the eggs and lay the egg slices about 1/3 of the way down, then fold over the top of the pastry and seal to make a sort of glorified sausage roll. Tastes good and is a lot less faff.

Genius. Thank you!

for a walk, everyone gets personalized sandwiches. Preferably not needing refrigeration or at most a frozen drink nearby to keep things chilled so we don’t add weight.

for me I would go with a not quite crunchy bread with plenty of butter, ham, and cornichon pickles. The ham travels well, the sour pickles are addictive and wonderfully bright, and the sandwich actually benefits a bit from being pressed.

picnic in the park I think of an assortment of salads and fruit. Preferably all in little containers and cut up already for ease. Maybe some antipasto type of things too.

These look delicious!