Posh picnic with allergies

[ForeverAndEverCheese]

i’m lucky enough to be invited to Glyndebourne this year and so have offered to provide the food. I don’t really want to have to take a million small containers of fancy deli stuff (much as I love eating that!) so was wondering if anyone could suggest ideas - perhaps a ‘main’ idea and complementary salads? - and a pud. Four people.

Complications are the allergies: shellfish, gluten, lactose, legumes and nuts (although not anaphylaxis).

Help!

Get the drinks instead ?
Let one of the 3 people with 5 allergies do the food ! 😀

This is a really lovely salad. You could serve with roasted chicken /halloumi/feta etc served separately https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/collections/delias-summer-collection/roasted-vegetable-couscous-salad-with-harissa-style-dressing

Only main I can think of that excludes both gluten and dairy is something with rice and tomato based sauce- Mexican maybe? Or Asian dish? Or do a main with cheese with a dairy free alternative

So you don't have any vegetarians so that's useful. I'd be inclined for a nice rottisserie chicken, pre carved, served cold.

Then a mix of salads. A good green salad with a vinaigrette. A tomato salad - tomatoes, ,red onion, parsley with olive oil, salt and sherry vinegar is lovely and actually, sitting in the dressing for an hour or two is not a problem as it causes the onions to almost pickle.

You do need some carbs which is tricky. A potato salad done the German way or with a carefully selected mayo could work. I would stil be doing bread for the gluten eaters, personally.

Dessert - does it need to be properly plated. What about good quality chocolate or is that to basic?

Ask if the lactose person has a problem with goat, sheep or buffalo milk as well as cows. That might open your options a bit.

Agree with all of this. A nice roast ham carved and served cold would be an alternative. Take care with that/chicken if buying ready -done as the marinade will typically contain gluten.

Is pearl barley gluten free? That or quinoa in a salad with roast mediterranean vegetables.

If the dairy allergy allows for (proper) halloumi that's another option for salad.

Pudding - Eton mess with coconut rather than dairy cream, mango and passion fruit.

You could adapt this this or this @ForeverAndEverCheese

Thanks so much for the ideas. I’m the GF and anaphylactic to shellfish so is in my interest to get it right! Some good ideas, thank you.

Potato and salmon salad https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/potato-and-salmon-salad-with-lemon.html

I’ve realised the recipe I posted is no good for gluten free with the couscous-sorry didn’t read the list of allergies properly

For occasions like this, I have done things including:

• frittata
• salmon salad (mix some mustard, dill, and olive oil together, then spread most of it on fillets of salmon and bake. Allow to cool. Boil and cool baby potatoes and cut in half. Break up the salmon a bit and arrange everything with watercress/baby spinach/pea shoot leaves. Add some more oil and lemon juice to the leftover dill/mustard mix and take in a jar as a dressing).
• roasted veg (a big tray of peppers, courgette, onion, aubergine, garlic cloves, somw cherry toms near the end). This is delicious by itself or with feta.
• halved, roasted and cooled baby potatoes tossed in any suitable pesto - or just whizzed up sundried tomatoes and basil
• cold cooked ham or roast chicken

Fruit salad or berries served with good shortbread (and/or GF equivalent) with lemon-mascarpone cream works for pudding (just add good lemon curd to mascarpone until it's right for your tastes), but you do need separate containers.

I hope you enjoy it! What are you going to see?

@Reader19: it was Billy Budd and it was fabulous! Great staging, quite funny in places, plus certainly makes you think.

Lidl’s mayo is DF.