Packed lunch for a day out on holiday, not just rolls/sandwiches

[HundredAcreOwl]

Ideas please for a packed lunch, for a day out, that isn't just rolls/sandwiches. We'll be on holiday, so low effort ideally, we'll have a kitchen. 5 adults, 1 gluten free, 1 vegetarian (me, so I can easily adapt stuff), 1 picky although he'd deny that. Most don't/can't eat pulses. I've done meat loaf, smoked salmon and melon in the past, but am struggling for ideas atm. Thanks for any thoughts!

Sausage rolls / cheese pastries / quiche?

If they’re all adults, tell them to make/bring their own. And…relax

Thanks, gluten free is a bit of an issue, although it can be found.

Pasta salads (gf alternatives), quinoa with roasted veg, chicken/haloumi
Burritos
cheese and crackers, pickles, crisps
fritata

Quiche, pasta salad, cold chicken satay skewers

Actually, yes. I'll open up a discussion on what we'd each like so the ingredients are in, we can each make our own the night before. No reason for us all to have the same. Thank you!

Thank you, everyone. Great ideas I'll share with the others, but yes, we'll be doing our own the night before.

I had a sort of caprese salad for packed lunch today - chunks of beefsteak tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil leaves, salt and olive oil. I had a few breadsticks with it and a fruit salad after of nectarine, raspberry, blackberry and pecans. It was lovely.

That sounds lovely. I've not thought of nuts in a fruit salad, on the list to try. Thank you.

Im having a packed lunch tomorrow with chicken ceasar salad and a can of sweetcorn and my DD has pasta salad with apple and cheese slices. Can of juice each.

Can of sweetcorn is now added to our take with
Iist! I usually only use frozen nowadays, good reminder, thank you.

Frittata.

Boiled eggs, hummus and carrot sticks/pepper

Often do pesto pasta
Then random picnic stuff. Frittata good for gluten free.

I saw today someone making couscous with boiling water and a big spoon of chipotle paste. Roast some chick peas in spices and serve as a salad with cherry tomatoes and hummus. Looked delicious and I thought it’d be great for a picnic.

I often think that cooked small potatoes (with or without mayo or dressing) are under rated.
cheap, can cook ahead of time, keep in the fridge.
dh is gluten free so we eat quite a lot of potatoes.
(sometimes I hard boil a lot of eggs - if you half them and cover with salad cream or mayo as part of a salad, they don’t smell too strong)
cottage cheese is another food I enjoy - it’s also of course veggie and gluten free.
i work long shifts and have to take most of my food with me so I make a lot of picnic type foods.

Frittata

My mum did brilliant picnics, we’d always have cold cooked chicken drumsticks, hard boiled eggs taken in the shell then peel them when you want to eat them, satsumas, apples, pears, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and pepper sticks, she’d buy a couple of baguettes, slice them lengthwise, butter and wrap in foil then everyone would just tear off however much they wanted to eat, crisps, some kind of tray bake/flapjack. Had a great condiment picnic set with teeny salt and pepper shakers and little bottles for salad cream and dressings. The cooler would come out, picnic blanket down and them a huge spread would appear like magic.

Thank you everyone! Brilliant ideas!

I have started a group chat, suggesting stuff that I'm OK to cook if they don't want only rolls, and that cold meat, cheese, salad will be available, and that we'll make our own lunches the night before.

Crustless quiche- solves gluten problem.

Thanks all. Posting has helped me realise the main problem, I like providing lovely food, husband views it as fuel. I also don't want to end up in the kitchen yet again doing most of the food...husband does do cooked breakfasts.

Ive decided to do a couple of large sharing dishes for the picnic, potato salad with bits in is one, thinking about the other. The night before we do our own rolls, skewers, frittata, crustless quiche, whatever.

It's our 30 ish kids and a partner, I try so hard not to go back into Mum-mode! I know there'll be plenty of food, and they are capable adults, so yes, I need to take a step back and relax, and make doing food together fun, not a chore.

Thanks everyone.