Dessert ideas for smart picnic

[Bagellicious]

I am going to Ascot this week and need to take a dessert. I am driving there and live 90 mins away. I will arrive at about 11am and we will eat at about 12.30pm so it needs to be something that will be easy to transport and will still look and taste great after 3 hours wait, but can use a cool box. I need to make it the day before as I'm working late and first thing on the day of the picnic.

No allergies to be mindful of.

Eton mess would be really easy. We usually bring that sort of stuff for school Speech Day and people cobble it together when it's time to eat. Or chocolate tart which you freeze and it defrosts on the day.

I would take a selection of small ‘petit fours’ type nibbles

These raspberry friands https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/pistachio_raspberry_20046
Some small squares of excellent home made brownies
And maybe something lemony, like individual tarte au citron.

Nothing gooey or sticky or requiring cream or bowls. Dainty picnic plates.

You could maybe pack one of these
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tumtanm-Cardboard-Cupcake-Disposable-Birthday/dp/B0B8C4RRQZ?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A2M20G2TOQKA4

And some gorgeous fresh cherries to scatter amongst the cakes

These look delicious. I forgot to add that we are having afternoon tea there so I am looking for something that isn't too cakey which is annoying because those friands would have been perfect.

s a change from Eton mess (which I love), you could make mini meringue nests, and on the day scoop in home made lemon curd and sprinkle with blueberries.

I do lemon Eton mess. Whipped cream with lemon cheese (the really posh stuff) swirled in, crushed meringues added at the last minute.

Another one who thinks Eton mess would be perfect

A fruit platter could be good. You could prep the fruit, keep it in containers and then arrange at the last minute?

Or lemon posset in ramekins very carefully packed in the cool box. Ditto chocolate mousse.

A cheesecake would work too.

A pear frangipane tart with a tub of crème fraiche?

Chocolate brownies with berries and cream?

Fay Ripley’s raspberry Bakewell cake/ tart with pouring cream?

I recently made individual lemon possets in little kilner jars and served them with blueberry compote and little shortbread biscuits. SOOOOOO easy and delicious. And easy to transport in a cool bag with an ice pack or two.

Fruit kebabs if you're wanting to be lighter on calories due to the cream tea?
You could maybe put the cream/fruits for Eton mess in individual pots/jars and take meringue pieces with you to add?
Tbh I'd probably go the lazy option and take some Gu cheesecakes or something, already packaged so easy to transport in cool box.

Have you got the space to take individual pots/jars? If so, that would be easier than serving out portions of a pudding at the venue.
You could do things like.....
deconstructed cheese cake with a mixed berry topping
Greek yoghurt with honey beaten in, topped with raspberries
rhubarb or gooseberry fool
sour cream with cherry or blackcurrant compote
tropical fruit salad
strawberries in rose wine jelly
lime and gin jelly with blueberries

Take some naice biscuits to serve along side too.

There is a recipe by Green and Blacks for pear, ginger and chocolate frangipani tart, which is delicious. You could make that and bring some pouring cream to accompany.

Eton mess would work but I would take the elements separately and combine to serve. Or at least the meringues should be separate; they will turn to mush otherwise. If you put the broken meringues in an over large container, that could act as your mixing bowl.

Another option would be making individual sweet tartlet cases (you could stack them in their cases to keep them safe) and taking a filling - passion fruit curd folded with a little whipped cream would be lovely, with some raspberries to accompany.

Pimm’s jam tarts https://groceries.morrisons.com/recipes/pimms-jam-tarts/52007?srsltid=AfmBOoqEcVORMRpNoGXRd6Lx7HkpzNiFtmPwISiJELmF7KphuwhnEMqz

White chocolate and raspberry crispy bars https://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/raspberry-and-white-chocolate-rice-krispie-bars/

Germans are quite keen on something called Sandkuchen (literally translated as sand cake) perhaps that would be an option.
I would say it is a cousin of Madeira cake, possibly a little drier.

I’m planning on this for my next posh picnic. In my little kilner jars.https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNdDaNabW/