Out & About June 2017

Easy picnics n Sandwiches – make fillings that won’t make your sarnies go too soggy like cheese, ham, roast beef. Take salad, mayo, pickle, mustards etc in little jars. Egg mayo always seems like a great picnic classic filling, but a few hours after making them you’ll be lucky to pick them out of their box without them falling apart. n Finger foods - crudités with hummus, pies, chicken drumsticks, falafels and, always, a sausage roll. n Mason jars packed with salads keep them fresh as long as you add any dressings just before you eat. n Sweet treats - fruit salad, traybakes and loaves. n Drinks – take fizzy water and mix with fresh fruit concentrates. If you prefer adult fizz like Cava or Prosecco, pop a few strawberries in a container and add for a glitzy picnic drink. You can freeze bottles of soft drinks which will keep your picnic cool and should be ready to drink after a few hours. And muffin baking tins used as trays are a great way to park your drink on the grass without spills. n And don’t forget the wet wipes! Food bites Picnic paraphernalia A great website for picnic gear is www.picnicshop.co.uk From lovely Orla Kiely melamine jugs, tumblers and trays to hampers and cool bags, you will find something to jazz up your picnic. Cheers for beer

it has a golden colour, white head with a combination of citrusy hops and hints of grapefruit and lemon, and has an ABV of 6%. Other new craft beers include: Kofra Stout from Norwich brewery Redwell; Forklift Truck Mango Ale by Glasgow brewer Drydate; Fourpure Session IPA made by Bermondsey brewery Fourpure and Double Brew Lager by Swedish brewery Wolf Warning. Refreshing for little ones For non-drinkers and the children, Robinsons has the new Robinsons Refresh’d, made using 100 per cent naturally-sourced ingredients, and made up of spring water mixed with real fruit. Available in three tasty flavour combinations – raspberry & apple, orange & lime and apple & kiwi – there are just 55 calories per 500ml bottle. Price £1.29. Carry the parrot

naturally gluten free. Meringue Drops launched exclusively online – flowerandwhite.co.uk – last month, and are going nationwide this month. Available in 100g bespoke boxes, there are three varieties: Rainbow Fruit – a mixed box of strawberry, lemon, passion fruit and black cherry – fat-free and dairy-free. Chocolate – fat-free and dairy-free and white chocolate & raspberry – low fat. Boxes are £2.95. Yum Mum! The cleverly designed Yumbox MiniSnack is designed specifically to make eating healthy snacks compartments with the large one having a ¾ cup capacity, the small one a 1/3 cup capacity and a dip well that can take yoghurt, dip or small food items. The clear plastic tray that has the food wells built in is removable making it easy for little ones to eat their snacks and it also makes washing the Yumbox very easy. The leak-proof and silicone-lined lid seals all of the food wells, ensuring no spills or leaks even easier and more fun for little ones. The food tray has three separate

The Frida Parrot Picnic blanket by Marks & Spencer is round and featres a quirky parrot design. It has a carrying handle too. Made of polyster it can be wiped clean and costs £19.50. Track your hydration

when yoghurts or dips are included. The Yumbox MiniSnack is £18.50 from www.eatwell-uk.co.uk

Picnic Loaf

RECIPE:

Mix together the peppers, sundried tomatoes and basil and season well. Cut the loaf in half horizontally, then scoop most of the dough inside to make room for the filling. Spread the pesto mayonnaise inside both pieces of the loaf and layer up with the pepper/ tomato mix, ham, Jarlsberg, brie, salami, cucumber and little gem leaves. Replace the top of the loaf, press together gently, wrap very tightly in cling film and chill for 2-3 hours. Cut into wedges to serve. Tip: The bread you scoop out of the middle can be made into breadcrumbs in a blender, tipped into a bag and frozen for up to a month *Recipe and picture courtesy of Tesco

This cob loaf stuffed with goodies is easy to pack and can be sliced and served in wedges. 2 tbsp pesto 4 tbsp good-quality mayonnaise 100g (3 1/2oz) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped 50g (2oz) sundried tomatoes, drained and chopped Small handful fresh basil, chopped 85g (3oz) Parma ham or 100g (3 1/2oz) wafer-thin cooked ham 100g (3 1/2oz) sliced Jarlsberg cheese 200g (7oz) brie cheese 100g (3 1/2oz) sliced salami 1/4 cucumber, thinly sliced 4 leaves little gem lettuce 1 medium sourdough loaf or round cob loaf Combine the pesto and mayonnaise in a small bowl.

Quirky kitchen products manufacturer Joseph & Joseph, stocked by Camp Hopson, has a pretty water bottle to take on picnics or anywhere. It’s unique because you can track your daily hydration goals with it. The lid displays a new dot each time you refill so you can easily keep count of the number of bottles you drink. Comes in a range of colours, £9. Dinky meringues Don’t have time to bake for your picnic? Then pick up a packet of diddy and dainty Meringue Drops – dinky little drops of handmade, Swiss- baked meringues in a kaleidoscope of colours. These rainbow-finished meringues are the creation of sweet treat innovators Flower & White. They are suitable for vegetarians and

Beer is a must for summer-day picnics and Tesco has increased its craft beer range to more than 70 beers in stores throughout the country. Reflecting the growing trend for craft beer in pubs and bars across the country, Tesco will become the first major retailer to stock the craft drinkers’ favourite tipple – sour beer. Sour beers are intentionally acidic and tart, and are most commonly seen in Belgium. Despite the name, sours are refreshing and a perfect accompaniment to food. New beers include Tart sour beer, £1.90 – brewed by Thornbridge Brewery in Derbyshire,

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