Easy picnic food for the next sunny day

The promise of a picnic is in the air and that means we need a few good tips and tricks to make the picnic run smoothly. 

Here are some of our favourite tips, ticks and recipes for a smooth and satisfying moveable feast! 

Tips:

• Bite sized is always best (sausage rolls, mini quiche, finger sandwiches)
• Cut it up (fruit salad, dessert cake/slice), so it’s easy to serve
• Choose salads that don’t wilt (grain salad, potato salad, greek salad etc.)

Tortilla wrap sausage rolls

Tip:use tortillas for a sturdier finish

Ingredients:

• 500g sausages or sausage mince
• 2 large tortilla wraps 
• 2 eggs, whisked
• 2 tsp sesame seeds
• Optional extras: fennel seeds, herbs, smoked paprika

Method: 

• Preheat the air fryer (or oven) to 200C and line your basket with baking paper.
• Remove the sausage skins from the meat and discard – or if they are soft skins, simply leave them on – then press the sausage mince on to the middle of each tortilla and sprinkle with your choice of seasonings.
• Roll the wraps closed into tubes, face them seam side down, and cut each one into 4 smaller pieces. PLace each piece into the airfryer and brush lightly with whisked egg abd sprinkle with sesame seeds. 
• Air fry at 200C for 20minutes or until golden and cooked through. 

Mini-mini quiches

Tip: use shortcrust pastry for a sturdier base. 

Ingredients:

• 3 sheets shortcrust pastry
• 4 eggs
• ⅔  cups cream
• Pinch salt
• 1 x small bunch of chives, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 tsp butter
• 4 rasher of bacon, finely diced
• 1 x eschallot, finely diced
• ⅓ cup tasty cheese, finley grated

Method: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C and lightly brush 24 hole mini muffin tin with oil or butter.
2. Cut 24 rounds out of the shortcrust a fit pieces to the muffin tray. Bake at 180C for 5 minutes, or until just beginning to cook, but not crisping. Remove form the oven and allow to cool. 
3. Meanwhile, in a large frypan, heat the butter and cook the eschallot and bacon for 10 minutes, or until jammy and cooked through. Then set aside to cool. 
4. Whisk together the eggs, cream, salt, ½ the chopped chives and nutmeg.
5. Divide the cooled mixture between the pastry cases and top with a little cheese and evenly divide the egg mixture between them.
6. Bake at 180C for 15 minutes or until golden and puffed. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly and garnish with remaining chives. 

Potato salad cups

Tip: Serve the salad into edible tortilla pockets or taco bowls so you cab eat the crockery!

Ingredients: 

• 1.5kg of salad potatoes
• Mini tortilla boats or cups, to serve

Salad dressing:

• 1 cup whole egg mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 small bunch spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 sick of celery, diced 
• ½ cup pickles, diced
• ¼ cup crunchy bacon bits

Method:

1. Boil your potatoes until just tender, drain, cool and cut into a large dice.
2. Mix together all the salad dressing ingredients to make a rick dressing and taste for seasoning, then thoroughly toss through to cooked and cooled potatoes. 
3. Serve into mini tortilla boats for easy picnic bites. 

Salad skewers

Tip: Any salad that can be cut into large pieces can be put on a skewer for bowl-free finger food.  

• Toothpicks

Caprese ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes 
• basil leaves 
• Bocconcinni

Greek salad ingredients:

• Cherry tomatoes
• Cucumber
• Feta, cubed (marinated)
• Black olives
• Red onion

Dressing:

• Olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper

Method: 

1. Cut your salad ingredients into even bite sized pieces that will thread on a skewer.
2. Thread salad items alternately onto skewers and then drizzle with dressing ingredients to serve.

Lemon slice

Tip: Choose desserts that slice up easily for finger food serving and cut it before you pack it.  

Ingredients: 

• ½ cup sweetened condensed milk
• 120g butter
• 200g plain sweet biscuits (milk arrowroot, Nice or butternut snaps)
• 1 cup desiccated coconut + extra to garnish

• Juice of 1 lemon + zest
• 2 cups pure icing sugar (not soft icing mixture, as this won’t set as well), sifted 
• 30g butter, softened
• ½ tsp vanilla paste

Method: 

1. Grease and line a slice tin with baking paper overhanging the edges. 
2. In a small saucepan melt together sweetened condensed milk and butter over low heat, stirring until melted and smooth. 
3. Blitz biscuits in a food processor to a fine crumb, then mix in coconut, lemon zest, sweetened condensed milk mixture and work into a dough. 
4. Press the dough into an even layer in the prepared tin and chill for 30minutes or until firm. 
5. Once the base is chilled, mix together the icing sugar with the softened butter, vanilla paste and 2 Tbs lemon juice (adding a very little more if needed) to make a smooth mixture and spread it evenly over the base. Dust with extra desiccated coconut and allow to rest until icing is firm. Slice and serve  

Jane de Graaff is Today’s kitchen expert, food writer and recipe developer and content creator for fun family recipes of all kinds.

Find all Jane’s food adventures, tricks and tips on Instagramand TikTok.